Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-06-11
The B0mbardment at Aqua Greek on
Saturday week. ---..-...


We publ ed last week short notice cf this
bombardment. The following is from the Fred
Neaos, the editor Of which witnessed
the attack:
The Enemy" in the shape of the Pawnee,
Anacosta, Philadelphia and James Guy, cOmmen-
ced a most severe and active bOmbardment of
our Battery at Acquia Greek on Saturday morn
ing about II o'clock. From delay of the cars
we did not arrive until about 8, P. NJ. Hurrying
to the nearest point of view we met about 500
Tennesseans who could not be restrained from
crowcing to the hill top and consequently receiv-
ed the compliment OF q 81 pound shell which
ploughed the earth near them and burst into
fragments which were buried in the earth. Zone
piece we dug out afterwards, and Capt. Walker
gave US another.) AS the Tennesseeans (msny
of whom had never seen ship were such at
tractive metal they were ordered to retire from
the prospect. Getting to position where we
could see the Pawnee pour her iron tempest up
on our brave little battery,t fearful at first to
think she might even at her cowardly distance
strike down some man, one drop Of whose blood
was worth all her pirate crew. The sound of
those balls, the whis and surging wrath with
which they rained down upon wharf and beach
and water and marsh and sometimes on the Bat
terry itself, cannot he reported. The sound of
our balls was far different. They hymned thei.
music like Eolan harps in praise of our brave
defenders and utteri.g defiance and death to our
invaders. The wharf, set on fire by our own meu
on purpose, with its smoke and blaze added a
striking feature to the view. Going to the top
of the hill where the Tennesseans had been, we
could look down upon the beautiful scenery and
see all the steamers and every shot fred upon our
men, who stood calmly and bravely and quietly
and fired 76 shots to their 567l Sometimes the
firing was as rapid as yen could count for five
minutes. ,el &Ef sef4t @ ssfH .
The Anacosta poured in her direct plunging
minnie ball from her breech loading rife cannon
So fast was the firing that you could see the
smoke OF a new gun just as you heard the report
of previous discharge.
| Having visited all our Batteries and witness.
ed and experienced for an hour the glorious en-
joyment and excitement of the fight, one of our
guns fired shot which cut down the s'Stars and
Stripes" from the Pawnee and our boys mounted
their Battery and shouted. With farewell RI
tie ball from the Anacosta, the enemy hauled off
to the Maryland shore out of reach. Immediate-
ly we made for our Battery and met James Wal
lace of King George, who as soon as he arrived
went straight down to the most dangerous point.
He reported nobody hurt" and, thanking God,
We hurried on. The balls had torn up the track,
out through the sills and bent and broke the
rails in many places-limbs of trees were cut off
the beach and the field ploughed up, the Battery
itself struck, and other houses, pests &C., cut
and smashed and no one hurt or harmed. Even
the most profane exclaimed "God's care alone
has preserved u.s." If ''the Lord of Hosts,' i. e.
the God Of armies is with us, what though an
host should encamp against U.s."
The preservation is more miraculous than at
Charleston, because Or Battery was more expo
sed and uncovered. !, ~