A. I heard parties say that if they would let them out in any way, they
would be glad to do so. It was the crowd back of them that was holding
them in. Others resisted.
Q. Did they try to pull the bayonets off the guns?
A. I saw them wrenching with the guns. Saw them wrenching the guns, and
heard remarks made by different parties in front of the party charging
bayonets that if they would give them room to get back they didn't want
to interfere. I heard these remarks made from where I was.
Q. And the command to fire, you say, was given by captains?
A. I don't know about captains. I say officers of the Philadelphia
companies that the word "fire" was given by.
Q. By officers of companies?
A. Company officers is what I say the word was given by.
Q. And not by field officers?
A. I wouldn't know that the field officers were with that regiment, but
I knew from the position----
By Mr. Reyburn:
Q. You mean from the position they occupied, they were company
officers?
A. I suppose they were company officers. They were in the rear of the
two ranks facing me.
Q. Had any stones and missiles been thrown at the soldiers before the
command to charge bayonets was given?
A. I cannot say positively as to before the command to charge bayonets
was given.
Q. Were any thrown at the troops before the command to fire was given?
Were there any shots fired by the crowd before the command to fire was
given?
A. Not that I either saw or heard--not before the command to fire.
Q. Missiles had been thrown?
A. They had been thrown--I saw them thrown.
Q. Were any of the soldiers hurt?
A. Not that I saw. I saw one of the officers--I supposed to be a field
officer--saw him hit, and it staggered him, but he didn't seem to be
hurt--kind of shoved him to one side--it seemed to be a piece of a
board or piece of wood--something like a block of wood--it was thrown
from the hill side, and hit one of the officers. I saw that myself--not
thrown from the hill side, but from what they call the watch-box--it is
a watch-box. It was thrown from the back of that by a boy.
Q. You saw the boy?
A. It was a young fellow about sixteen or seventeen years of age, from
what I could judge from his appearance.
Q. When the firing commenced, you ran?
A. I ran before the firing commenced. I was back of what they call the
Hill house.
Q. Did you run before the command was given?
A. No, sir; I didn't. Whenever I heard the command given, I thought I
had no business there, and I got out of the road, that is one thing
that made me so positive the command was given. My idea of getting out
of the road was on account of that command to fire.
Q. In what words--was there more than one command?
A. There was no more than one command. The word fire was given by
different men in uniform. They were standing not in the rear, but in
front of the line of militia that was right in front of me. I heard
that from more than one voice.
Q. In what words was the command given?
A. The command I speak of as given by those parties, was the word
"fire."
Q. Addressed to any particular person?