imes that were
the most difficult for me to control myself were when we were ordered to
hold a position and being without ammunition we had nothing to do to
employ our minds but just stay there and take the enemy's fire, such an
instance as occurred at Antietam on the ridge in the afternoon of the
fight.

At Roanoke Island the idea most prominent in my mind as we went into our
first fight was the desire to see a Johnnie and then perhaps to get a shot
at him. Any fear of going in or possible result did not occur to me. It is
impossible to say this in relation to some of the great battles in which I
took part later on, for my desire to see Johnnies was satisfied long
before the war ended.

The day after the fight, Colonel Maggi took the regiment over into a big
fort on the west side of the island, formed us around a big cannon there,
then climbed up onto the gun carriage and with a big black cannon for a
back ground made speech number two. This was like speech number one
delivered on the "Northerner," but with variations. It was about as
follows: "Soldiers ob de 21st, yesterday you be 21st. I tol you to-day you
be 1st, you be 1st." Flag Officer Gouldsborough, Commander of the Naval
Squadron, was in the fort and he also made a speech to us. He was a big
massively built, handsome man with a large full beard. He made the
impression of being every inch a naval commander.

The day we landed on Roanoke Island, February 7th, there died on the
steamer, "Northerner" one of the most interesting men in the regiment,
Charles Plummer Tidd. He was a personal friend of Dr. Cutter, the surgeon
and had been a personal friend and follower of John Brown. He had been in
Kansas with them and with the latter at Harper's Ferry from which place
he, with two others, made their escape. He enlisted in the 21st because
Dr. Cutter was there, under the name of Charles Plummer; he enlisted as a
private in Company K, and soon after was its orderly sergeant which
office he held at the time of his death. Plummer was buried on Roanoke
Island, and Miss Cutter, to whom he had just become engaged, was buried
beside him. Later, however, both were taken up and buried in the National
Cemetery at Newbern.

Just before we left the island, Colonel Maggi resigned. Colonel Maggi was
a military educated Italian, and it was said had seen service under
Garibaldi. He wished to enforce the same kind of military discipline in
our regiment that is maintained in the regu