Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-07-04

| newly constructed breast-works. The
hill itself was thickly wooded, steep and
difficult TO ascend, and was skirted by O
stream of water from two to three feet
deep. The approach was through
beautiful meadow Ave or six hundred
yards wide. aH
At the word OF command the negroes
advanced at double-quick across the
meadow, under very heavy fire of mus
kerry and artillery, to the foot of the
mountain across the stream. The regi-
ment advanced steadily to this point
without returning the fire of the enemy;
and, after short pause, a furious assault
was made upon the enemys works, car
rying them and capturing two pieces of
artillery, which were brought of the
field by Lieutenant Austin. ~
The enemy fell back to the second crest
or ridge of the mountain, where deter
mined attempt was made to form line,
but, after short struggle, he wasdriven
from there in full retreat. Re-enforce-
ments arrived on the field, a third at.
tempt was made to make stand, but
unsuccessfully. The struggle at the
guns was Of the fiercest description. The
rebel artillerymen attempted to reload
| their pieces when our line was not more
than ten PAGES distant. Private Kosht
Co. G, a recruit, eighteen years of age,
was the first to reach the guns. With q
boyish shout, he sprung from the ranks
and hung his hat over the muzzle of one
| of the guns.
After much severe marching and skir-
'nishing the regiment, on the Sth of June,
joined General Hunters command, and
participated In his campaign in the
Shenandoah Valley, and shared its ter
rible hardships. Omitting the history of
much marching and fighting, we come
to the battle of Opequan, of which the
same book gives the following narration:
After the usual amount Of marching
and countermarching, from the 4th to
the 18th of September, the battle of Ope-
quan was fought ON the 18th. General
| Crooks command was in reserve, but
was very room brought into action and
sent to the extreme right of the line to
make a flank attack. Hayes brigade
had the extreme right of the infantry
The position was reached under cover of
an almost impenetrable growth of cedar,
crossing swampy stream. Here the
Brigade (HayesD in front, and the sec
ond (Johnson's) in the rear. Throwing
out light line of skirmshers, the brig
ade advanced rapidly to the front, driv-
ing the enemy's cavalry. The national
cavalry ut the same time advanced out
of the woods on the right. After advanc-
ing in this way across two or three open
fields, under scattering fire, the crest
of a slight elevation was reached, when
the encmy's infantry line came into view,
off diagonally to the left front, and he
opened brisk artillery fire.
Moving forward double quick under
this fire, the brigade reached thick
fringe of underbrush, dashing through
which 1t came upon deep slough, forty
or fifty yards wide, and nearly waist
Deep with soft mud ut the bottom, over
grown with thick bed of moss, nearly
strong enough to bear the.weightof man.
1t seemed impossible to get through it,
and the whole line was staggered for q
moment. Just then Colonel Hayes
plunged in with his horse, and under a
shower of bullets and shells, with his
horse sometimes down, he rode, waded,
and dragged his way through-the first
man over. The Twenty-third was inn
mediately ordered by the right flank and
over the slough at the same place. In
fiounderlng through this morass men
were suffocated and drowned, still the
regiment plunged through, and, after q
pause long enough to partially reform
the line, charged forward again yelling
and driving the enemy. Sheridan's old
cavalry kept close up on the right, hav-
| ing passed around the slough, and every
time the enemy was driven from cover
charged and captured large number of
prisoners. This plan was followed
throughout the battle, by which the cav
airy was rendered very effective. In
one of these charges Col. Duvall, the di-
vision commander, was wounded and
carried from the field, leaving Col. Hayes
in command. He was everywhere eX-
posing himself reeklessly as usual. He
was the first over the slough; he was in
advance of the line half the time after
ward his Adjutant General wassevere-
ly wounded; men were dropping all
around him, but he rode through 1t all
as II he had a charmed life.
Nore-enforcements-no demonstration
rs promised. Something must be done
to stop the murderous concentrated fire
that Is cutting the force so dreadfully.-
Selecting some Saxony rifles in the
Twenty-third, pieces of seventy-one cali
ber, with range of twelve hundred
yards, Lieutenant Mcbride was ordered
forward with them to kill the enemy's
artillery horses, In plain sight. They
moved forward rapidly under cover AZ
much rs possible. AT the first shot q
horse drops; almost Immediately another
Is killed u panic seems to seize the ar
tillery and they commenced limbering
up. The infantry take the alarm, and u
few commence running for the intrench-
ments. The whole line rises, and with
tremendous yell the men rush franti-
cally for the breastwOrks; and thus,
without stopping to fire another shot,
the enemy ran In utter confusion-that
terrible cavalry, which had boen hover
ing like cloud on the TANKS, sweeping
down on the rebels and capturing them
by regiments. Eight battle-flags were
captured and alarge number of prisoners.
The "gray aybacks" soon looked rs numer-
Gus ms the "blue coats" The enemy's
artillery in the Star fort was obliged to
stop firing and fall back, and the battle
was ut AN end.
The regiment was at the affair of North
Mountain, September Goth, where 1t
charged with the brigade the enemy's
entrenchments, carrying them, and
then it was In Sheridan's army in his
brilliant victories In the Valley of Vir-
ginla. At the end OF this service, Col
Hayes was promoted TO a Brigadiership.
There Is no better military record Of pa
triotic service, and of faithful and sue
cessful discharge of duty In all the war
than that of Gen. Hayes, and his militia
| n.