Maryland free press., 1867-03-07


of skirmishers announced that his. advance had
- .g1t wasa day of DAYS ,, and no more beausi-
full spot could have been selected ~ all that Lana
of lands, Virginia, FORA decisive struggle. The
sun which rose ever ,Austerlitz was no:symer
brilliant thaa this one whose rosy beams tJup
the fields of golden wheat the shining river, land
and, forests, echoiug with tbe8songi efnibfds.--
Those who died that day were to fx their iast
looks on aSsky of ciouiless blae--too fall ssieep
amid the murmuT of limpedwa q ''usaio1
Gen. Shields had selected ah admirable posi-,
tion for, his line. His right rested on The river
bending here In the shape Of Q crescent; theme
the line extended aerossa field of wheat toa ris.
ing ground at the foot of Cole umouutain, . sFae
of the Blue Ridge; there his left f,nksIwas pro-
tected by the the.acclivity, nd strengthened by
| artillery. iaa Ti yfA 10 !GiG 81; % .s"6 srCn
,. If jackson attacked he snemy's2 right fank
the river stopped him. Ifhe attacked their5 left,
the steep side of the mountain crowned with ar
tillery, met him., If ,assaied the centre, to
the iafantry fire from the front would be added
the terrible enflade fire Of the, guns upon the
heights. ,asaf .s+H .fsu a. :Roaa eauis bSsa
ANY other General would have paused, recon-
noitered and perhaps retired. Ills plans required
On assault, and he assaultsd.aep sdi lc asi'hqi,i
The sun had scarcely risen above the shaggy
summit of the Blue Ridge, when the Sic 'Senaper
banner o Virginia was seen bending forward,
rippling rs it moved !; the rattle !of rpusketry
resounded !; cheers echoed from the mountain
side; and the Virginians aftks OLD Brigade threw
tLemslyes upoa; the Zoe whom they ,hadso often
eneoantered.s iiiS Laa ,yrs t!s ii a9di ,
in thirty minutes they were hurled ba,k, torn,
bleeding, and leaving bebindthem, deadior dying
some of the command. The enemy had met them
with a veritable teu d, enfer. From, the Federal
4 nhntry in front had issued rolling volleysl Of
musketry-this they could stand but from the
accIiritys ostiIe right came q fire Of Shelf round
shot and caniste5 SO furious that no troepsconld
face it. The field vas swept as by the bosom Of
destf.rctian. The veterans Stonewall Brigade,
:, who had faced, unmoscd The J" thnndcrs o.
Manassas, Ksrnstown, hcD DWELL aud Winchester
recoiled from this terrific Gre; and with the 7tl
Louisiana regiment y under the daring LARRY Hays,
fell back in disorder. >. TIT. .r,csia,.
i The repu'se Seemed decisive, the Federal troops
rushed forward with wiidIcheers, the 7star-spahg.
ledlRanner fiattering in theLwiad, wnder' sgin.
went off At galloptc eseapethe dsnger to whiel
they were exposed; and although two Virgins
= regiments were thrown. ..forward.an fought obsti
nately,1 the enemy still advanced, the earth wa;
Uttered with dead bodies in gray coats 4 gur
Of Prague's was overturned and had 10 be ahsh-
doncd- The enemy rushed son, ,cheeriug, 7and
y delivering yoleys as they came At that nom
d ent the battle Of Port Republic was lost. az,
!, jackson SAT his horse, looking on with tina
grim flash af the eye, witch in him Uodcd no
good to his opponents. The stcrurs Il 5htingJaw'
was locked tho cheeks glowed. szr, !siius;st
: A.rapid glance revealed all. It, was not Ii
fire of the infantry in froat that stopped III
: troops They had met that FIRE often, and wer
: more thar, q match fortl u wis the 'rhurderot
q cnfilade fire of shell and canister 0~hichf swcI
the field from the heights on the fiybt,u teAnai
them to pieces whenever they ,esssyed TO nd vance
e In face of that fire. the bravest veterans were III
n willing to move sorward. a'why DO soS?'', the
: may have said; 'sJacksoh is comidg; the day
before us ;ahewili .ind's0me way to stop tina
- fire. ,rs ;j;e 1.Egirg al hEod iGh yifn
: Such was probably the reasoning of the troop
!. at least it was correct. .Asingle glance Shove
4 Jackson that the key of the positionwas the hi
, crowned with artillery. AS long as these sweI
- the field, he was, paralyze6; and every lmomel
= counted. Besides the foe in his front there W
!, another more sdangerous-Feinont Las #
!. teen oratwenty thousand men at Ceoss Keys. $
front tof Fremont was ouly a Hcerperal.s guard
of ipfiptry; he heard the thunder of the fig
. beyond Port Republic; he knew that Shiel
- was heavily engaged with Jackson--at. ell risl
: be would come to his siiccour. Then, oace III
= tedq the Federal sforee5 would nunbor' ..abo
u 81, 900 men, against Jackson's little fofceof
bout IL, Q00 II was easier to charge the artilei
;. drive the enemy, and gain q, victory, when ,b
& enemy numbered only ten or twelve thousan
vs. than when he numbered thirty thousand.
iis Nothing remained but the charge. If The
guns continued to pour their ifirelon tAe, @ 'nfe
Is, crate flank, the battle was lest-retreat throu
ne Browns Gap the only course left, Jacks
rec looked at the artillery vomiting shell and can
ter more ftrfonsiy than before. Gen. .Tayi
ote xas near Iis brigade hadjust atrfted. a.
Ia Ia "Car yot, take that battery, General? 1t mi
ne be takenr' said Jackson ctriely.' TooI sal
.g Taylors sword flashed from the scabbard, !
Mae M faced glowed, Wheeling his horse, he.gallopc
me back. w,houta WORD TO his men nrs ana; ;;sising
'p- his stirrups, Shouted pointing with his sword
~ the Federal artileryf's '''''''"
ng1 .Louisianiansi can you take that battery?'
nnss' Wild cheets replied, und reaching Mt abou
we the head of the columns Taylor ordered ? CHAR
No. ThaeJ upon ltl Tue guns cssir7as ,asIo5 sf4,2
icb There We're four Louisiana regiments
nd from Virginia, and -Wheat's Battalion Of q
The gers. >" hs they moved, loud cheers from
40 Federal lines on their left resounded,, there
ar enemy was driving everything bafonehirh. ~ n
al pressed on.a Theiground they inored' over
~ terrible steep, rugged, tangled, almost impa.
in ble Still thsy proceed on, Up The steep asce
=, through Aeundergrowth, scattering, but for
: ing quickly, they continued to advance! '-'N
or. They have nowl reached a wood, beyS
,ha whicha narrow valley oForea ground only,
: Hides them from the artillery thcyare to chHr
~ From the left rises . roar oftriumphs fe
y cious ihan, toe frst it is The Federal right "