A War Reminiscence-- Part 4: 'Budlong This Is the Second Time I Am Glad to See You'

David Budlong and John Potter met again at Vicksburg after the latter's wound had healed and he was again on active duty. 

Budlong afterwards became a lieutenant-colonel of engineers in Sherman's service.  Both retired from the  military service at the close of the war and their paths were thenceforth divergent until last winter they met in a Helena hotel (in Montana).

Potter recognized Budlong as his gallant rescuer before Jackson, and introduced himself with the words "Budlong this is the second time I am glad to see you."  They then related the story of their first meeting  to an admiring crowd of  auditors.

A Great Story.  --Old Secesh

A War Reminiscence-- Part 3: Lt. Budlong to the Rescue

Col. D.H. Budlong, of Livingston (Montana), was then a First Lieutenant  in the 33rd Wisconsin on staff duty as one of Gen. Lauman's aides.    After Pugh's terribly fatal charge, Col. Budlong was sent out to drive in stragglers.  He was then as now a very tall man  and was mounted on a monstrous white horse that stood nineteen hands high.

As he rode upon the field and looked over its ghastly occupants, he saw Captain Potter's efforts to get back to his own lines and recognized the fact that the wounded officer had something of the sympathy  of the southern soldiers who were watching.  Col. Budlong rode forward slowly until within 150 yards of Potter's sheltering stump.

He then scanned the rebel lines  with his glass, and seeing no movement to interfere with him, put his horse to a gallop, rode up to Potter, threw him across the saddle, wheeled his horse and rode back to cover.

Not a shot was fired but as they retired the rebels stood up in their entrenchments and gave a round of cheer for the two brave Union officers.

--Old Secesh

A War Reminiscence-- Part 2: The Second Battle of Jackson and David H. Budlong

Continued from March 8, 2021.

From the time they emerged from cover when the first shot was fired till they advanced within less than ten rods of the confederate works and fell back to their original position was only 10 minutes.  But in that terrible charge four men more than half of  all Pugh's brigade fell upon the field before the terrible fire  of artillery and musketry which they so gallantly confronted.

Col. Earle of the 53rd Illinois went down at the head of his regiment within a 150 feet of Breckenridge's line.

Captain John Potter, now of Potter, Moe, & Co. bankers at White Sulphur Springs, Montana,  who was in charge of his company of that regiment, received a shot in the thigh and was left on the field  at a point not 10 rods (165 feet)  from the rebel works.  When his brigade fell back he painfully arose on his uninjured leg and tried to hop back to his line but soon fell to the ground.

He then crawled a little way to  a small stump not 20  feet from where he fell and there partially  sheltered himself.  The rebels had watched  his movements but, as they were about to evacuate their position did not want the encumbrance of  wounded prisoners, made no movement to capture him.

--Old Secesh

A War Reminiscence-- Part 1: Lt. Budlong and the Second Battle of Jackson, Mississippi

The Lt. Col. of the 135th  USCT was David H. Budlong, who lived in a lot of places after the war, including Montana, where this story is told.

From the Potter Album  Page 46  An article from  the Livingstone Enterprise  (Montana).

The following  interesting narrative of one of the many heroic minor incidents of the late fratricidal struggle is related to the Enterprise by one of the audience who heard the two, principal characters call up the memories  of the thrilling  episode:

It was in Lauman's celebrated  charge at Jackson, Mississippi, July 12, 1863.  The rebels under Joe Johnston held Jackson.  Breckenridge's division, comprising the rebel left, occupied  the south side, entrenched in rifle pits and redoubts with 30 pieces of artillery and 4200 muskets.

The 3rd Iowa, 28th, 31st and 53rd Illinois  regiments formed a brigade in command of Col. Pugh of the 41st, holding the extreme right of the Union line between the Pearl River and the New Orleans road.  The brigade was ordered to charge Breckenridge's position.

The brigade formed under the cover of the woods, a little force of under 1,100 men.  Their charge lay across a cornfield half a mile to the rebel works.  The corn had been cut down by sabres so that as soon as the men came out  of the woods they were in full view of the enemy.

--Old Secesh