Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1862-02-11

- AV 4A- - 49, - A ~-S -
with marked skill, but whose men were almost
eA hausted, and the two pieces of Walton's bait
terry, under Lieut., Richardson, being threatened
~ the enemy's infantry on the left and front,
were also obliged to fall back -Imboden, leav-
ing disabled piece on the ground, retired until
he met Jaekson's brigade. while Richardson
.jpned the main body of his battery near the
Lewis Hause + =
At119O, A. NJ, General Johnston and myself
set out for the immediate field ot action, which
we reached in rear of the Robinson
widow Henry's houses, at about IL mericl
an ard just as the commands OF Bee, Barlow a q
Ev ns, had taken shelter in wooded raVlne
behind the former, stoutly held at the time by
Hampton with his legion, which had made q
stand there after having reviously been as far
forwardea The Turnpike. where Lieutenant Col,
oDe Johnson. an officer of brilliant promise, Was
killed, and other severer losses were sustained.
Before our arrival upon the scene, Gen. jackson
| had moved fei ward with his brigade, OF i've
Virginia Regiments, from his position in reserve.
anc had judicicusly taken post below the brlm
OF the plateau, nearly east of the Henry House.
| and to the left of the ravine and woods occupied
by the mingled remnants OF Bees, Bartow's and
Evans command, with Imboden's battery, and
two of Stanard's pieces placed so as to play upon
the on c oining enemy, supported in the ilnmedi-
ate rear by Colonel j L. Preston and Lieut. Col.
Echols' regiments, on the right by Harper's and
on the left by Aliens and Cumming's regiments.
| As soon as Gen. johnson and myself reached
the field, we were occupied with the re organi-
zation of the heroic troops, whose previous
stand, with scarce parallel, has nothing more
| valiant in all the pages of history, and whose
losses fifty tell why, at length, their lines had
lost their cohesion. 1t was now that General
Johnston impressively and gallantly charged to
the froLt with the colors of the fourth Alabama
regiment by his side, all the field officers of the
regiment having been previously disabled
Shortly afterwards placed s. R. Gist, Adju.ant
and Inspector General of South Carolina, vol
uateer Aid de Camp of General Bee, in command
this regiment, and who led it again to the front
as became its previous behavior, and remained
with it for the resi- Of the day.
COL VIM. Smiths Battalion OF the 49th Vir-
| ginia Volunteers, having also come up by my
orders, placed it on the left of Gartrell's as my
extreme left at the time. Repairing then to the
right, placed Hampton's Legion, which had suf-
fered greatly, on that flank somew hat to the rear
of Harper's Regiment, and also the seven COM
panies of the 9th (Hunton'sl Virginia Regiment,
i which, detached from Cookies Brigade by my
orders and those of Gen. Johnston, had oppor-
! tunely reached the ground. These, with Har-
per's Regiment, constituted reserve, to protect
our right flank from advance of the enemy
from the quarter of the Stone Bridge, and served
as support for the line of the battle, which was
formed on the right by Bees aud Evans COM
mands, in the centre by four regiment, of Jack
| Walton's five guns two rifled,) two guns Zone
piece rf1et) OF Stanard's and two six Founders
of Rogers batteries, the latter under 1t. Heaton
and on the left by Gartrell's reduced ranks and
Dol Smiths battalion, subsequently reinforced by
falkner's Second Mississippi regiment, and by an
other regiment of the Army OF Shenandoah, iust
arrived upon the field, the Sixth (Fisher's) North
i Carona. Confronting the enemy at this time,
my fo' ces numbered, at most, not more than
$500 infantry and artillersts, with but thirteen
pieces OF artillery, and two companies (Carter's
and Hoges) of Stnart's cavalry.
The enemy's force, now bearing hvtly and coz
j hdently down on our position-regimert after
regiment of the best equipped men that ever
took The feld-according to their own official
history OF the day, was formed OF Oolonels Hun.
ters aud HantzemaC's Divisions; Colonels
Sherman's and Keyes' Brgades of Tyler's Di-
vision, aud Of the formidable batteries OF Rick
etts' Griffin and Arnold regulars. tie Second
Rhode Island and two Dahlgreen howizers-a
force of over twenty thonsaGd infantry, seven
companies Of regular cavalry, and "a pieces
of improved artillery. At the same time, peril
ous, heavy reserves of infantry and ARTILLERY
hung in the distance around the Stone Bridge
Mtchelps, Blackturn's ano Union Mills Ford
vistly ready to fall upon Us at any moment; and
was also assured of the existence OF other heavy
corps, at and around Centre lille and elsewhere
within convenient supporting distances.
Fully conscious of this porte tous disparity
OF force, as posted the lines of the encounter
| sought to infuse into the hearts of my otficers
and men, the confidence and determined spirit
of resistance to tiis wicked invasion of the homes
OF tree people. which felt. | informed them
that reintorcements would rapidly come to their
support, and that we must, at all haza d., hold
i our posts until reinforced. reminded them tha,
we fought Tor our homes, our fresides, and for
the independence of our country. | urged them
to the resolution of victory or death on thai
4 field. These sentiments were loudly, eagerly
cheered, wheresoever proclaimed, ard then fell
reassured "f the unconquerable spirit of that ar
my, which would enable US to wrench victory
from the host then threatening Us with destruc-
ton. --~,1-
In the meantime the enemy had seized upor
the plateau on which RobiEson's ard the Henry
Houses are situated--the position first occupied
in the morning b. Gen. Bee, before advs ncirs
' W tno support OI EVanS-~IllCketC'S battery o
six rifle guns, the pride of the Fetleralists, til,
object OF their uastinted expenditure in oalfl
and the equally powerful regular Light Batter,
j OF Griffin, were brough. forward and placed II
immediate action, after having, conjointly will
the batteries already mentioned, played from for
mer positions with destructive effect up>n ou
| forward battacns.
i
j In reply to the play of the enemy's batteries
our own artillery had not been either idle or un
J skllful. The ground occupied by our guns, cr
a level held by tie batteries of the enemy, was
an open space of limited extent, behind low
undulation, just at the eastern verge Of the pla-
teau. some five or six hundred yards from The
Henry House. Here, as before said, thrteer
pieces, mo tly sx-pounders, were maintained il
action. The several batteries of Imboden, STA
nard, Pendleton, (Rook bridge Artillery } and al
burtis', of the Army OF the Shenandoah, ant
five guns of Walton's and Heaton's section O.
Rogers battery, of the Army OF the Potomac
alternating to some extent with each other, anC
taking part as needed-all from the outset dis
playing that marvellous capacity of our people
as artilleFis,s, which has made them. it would
appear, at once the terror and admiration OF the
enemy.
As was soon apparent the Federaliats had suf
tered severely from artillery, and from the
tire OF our musketry on the right, and especial,
from the lett flank. placed under cover, withit
whose Calling range they had been advanced
And we are told in their official reports, how
aft