The knapsack. [volume] (Gauley Bridge, W. Va.) 1863-1863, 1863-11-05
HISTORY OF The FIFTH VA.
[coNrINUEN.TRoM 10. 3.l

". ,.
We dined that day at Moo field, waited
orders until nearly sunset, and marched
fifteen miles to the top of Moth Mountain.
We owe took the advance, and the whole
corps was encamped on rocky ground near
" mile f ON water. After stayino he e
a day we left in the di.ection of Stras
burg, encamping the next night on Lost
River, a sti cam that rises in the south
part OF North Mountain and passes thro'
narrow defile in Sandy Ridge, below
which it takes the name of Gi eat Cacapon
l1ver, and empties into the Potomac near
Hancock. The next day we marched We
ry hard, and as night approached it com
menced raining. We looked for orders
f.om the Gene al to stop for the night, but
no such orders came. The night was very
dark and the roads soon became slippery.
AT IL O'Clock the men began to fall out of
the ranks and crawl down in the mud by
the roadside completely exhausted. All
that had sti ength pushed on in hopes that
every turn in the road would show the
camp ii. es'of those in advance. At two
O'Clock in the morning we reached the
forks OF the road, II miles from Strasbulg
and eighteen ftom Winchester. A terrible
storm Incl eased the das kness, the artillery
horses were giying ont,s and the men had
PEI formed all that huhs.sn nature could do
he in the midst of Z Tremendous rain
the soldiers 'pifed dassse'' in the mud for
the rest of night, not by the Generals or
der, however, for he intended to go to Stras
bu g, but because we could not go any
further. On the following morning we
took up our line of march for Strasburg
and gone some six or seven miles when the
roar OF artillery greeted our ears The
sound of cannon at the opening of fight
is very exhilerating noise Men who
were hardly able to walk, from fatigue and
exposure, some of whom had been bare
foot for the last fifty miles, and were pick
ing their way along the road to find the
softest place to step, were Immediately re-
vlved and marched at pace almost incre-
| dfble. This fight however was not much
of a fight. jackson had sent out 5000 of
his men from Strasburg to meet our ad-
vance and retard our progress until his
trains could pass. BY the time our men
had formed in line the rebels began TO re-
| tire. When we reached the town large
squad OF rebel stragglers were being taken
to the guard house. One Irishman in the
crowd, concluding to make a virtue of ne
Icessity, yelled out at the top of his voice,
"Hur-r-r-ah for Ole Dabe w
IL was while the army was passing this
town that we encounte ed one of the Sc
We est storms of the season. In passing
along a hillside some of the baggage
wagons were blown over, and our own reg
imental train was with difficulty saved
f.om general smash, they coming to the
difficult place in the road when the storm
was at its height
We were now on the heels of the rebel
Gen. Stonewall Jackson, and pressing on
closely i'm the nursuif Evarv eoIdiar h q Il
By this, time heard of the retreat of Banks
down the Valley, and now knew why we
had made such extraordinary marches
and they were all imbued with the spirit
Of the chase. The famous rebel General
and his splendid army were in front of MS,
and all were inspired with the hope that
ba would non, 10 AoI-..