Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-02-05
10 such word as retreat.

he was called at West Point, dashed about un-
concerned for personal safety. Just as night
began to close in upon the conflict, the General
waved his hand, and bade us give them good
night With the last blaze of rifles we closed
out the old year. and bivouaced on the field of
battle with the dead and the dying around us.
The enemy were driven for miles from the field
five thousand prisoners taken, forty pieces of
artillery captured and the ground strewn with
dead and dying.
''On the two following days we made two
more raids, destroying large number OF wag-
ons and capturing prisoners and battery Of ar
tlllery. In the height OF our success, courier
reached head quarters ordering our return. We
hastened back, slept for two hours on the battle
| field, and then wended our way in the rear OF
| the retreating army OF General Bragg.
Il believe you were wounded in that fight,
Captain?" asked Duncan.
| ''Slightly-not enough to keep me out OF the
saddle though. During the battle, the Divis-
ION of General Breckenridge made one Of the
most terrible charges on record. When the
fortunes of the day were trembling in the bal
ance, gun was heard from the right, and then
another and another until they were lost in
continuous roar and deafenlng shout swelling
| above the din Of battle, went up along the line
| as Breckinridge, the war-child of Kentucky,
swept up from the inner bank with twelve pieces
Of artillery vomiting their ghtnings at the
head. On they came-a moving forest OF bay
onets They climbed the gentle ACTIVITY which
| concealed them from the enemy's view, and the
scene became terribly sublime. Round shot
rushed shrieking overhead, or tore away through
| the living masses. Shells, in angry haste,
chased each other along the way, and bursting
| in sulphorous canopy, scattered their fragments
far and near; missiles ofevery description load
| ed the heavy air, and death rode riot over the
| HolJc Eor IN ho ba1v dictapoo to tho roar a
| column of thick black smoke betokened that we
| with Wharton had turned the enemy rs flank,
and were burning their trains and military
| stores, while family on the left, Buford was
heard engaging and driving in their cavalry.
A general advance was now ordered, and, al
most simultaneously, the whole line moved for
ward. Long and desperately the enemy con-
tested the ground, fighting with an obstinacy
highly creditable to their bravery. Breckin-
ridge charged across the open field, the cannon
of the enemy tearing an opening through his
bent before it like reeds in an October gale;
but, closing to the right and left, still on and
undismayed they moved. Hanson and his Ken
tuckans were left behind, holding at bay
whole division. Preston rushed to the front
| like maniac with brigade of iends incarnate
| following close at his heels. On moved the IN
tire line, and, with demoniac yell, burst on the
enemy. wrestling from the ridge which had cost
so many lives, and rescuing the key OF the whole
| position. The field was incarnate with the
proudeSt blood of our noble land, and the army
| of Tennessee mourned the loss of Its most chiv
alric spirits. Every where in the cold moon
| light lie the upturned faces of the noble dead,
and the heart was filled to overdowlng when we
| thought of the hearths that were made desolate
by that desperate charge
| 'Jist so" invountarily exclaimed Muckton,
drawing the cuff Of his coat sleeve roughly over
his eyes. 81 reckon old Breck pitched into
em pretty heavily that time and | don't
| think there was a man in his command, who,
on that special 'casion, cared the turn of
broom straw for his life I've guv and took
many hard knock in my time. and did mt feel
| "a bit skeered when the rough and tumble came
on--but alters feel sort O queerish when
marchin steadily up to the teeth o the cannon
or the blaze O muskets. A good swinging yell
| sort @ relieves mel feel new all over from the
heels to my finger nails. /"
| 'Yes, you would have felt all over, as you
term it, had you been witness to Or participa
ted in the conflicts have, said Major Stretch
er, turning his head slightly toward the last
speaker, and putting dense volume of smoke
through his red and shaggy nIoustache. AT
the battle Of Phillippi''-
| The least said about that battle, the BETTER
Major, interrupted Duncan.
| And pray, why 50 2 asked the Major.
| because it is not one of the affairs the South
was, at that time, in the habit OF rejoicing
over answered Duncan Had Colonel Por-
terfeld, who commanded the Confederaes, lis
tened to the advice of a couple Of girls, his lit
tie band Of eight hundred would not have fallen
into the hands of Mcclellan four thousand. y
| ''Ah! what do you mean, sir? Explain
explain, responded the Major.
II ,,o,,, oyao+1x, I S.v ~ coptipuad thfa
Marylander ''The trials and difficulties through
which the women OF the revolution passed the
| almost Spartan bravery which characterized all
| their exploits, have been entirely surpassed by
some of our own ladies of the sunny South. L
will tell you tale--no fction-of two young
| ladies of Northwestern Virginia.
| ''The day before the battle Of Phillippi, the
| Federal troops of McClellen command, num-
berng over four thousand started from FAIR
mount to attack the Virginia forces under Col.
Porterfeld numbering only eight hundred arm
| ed men.* The movement was conducted on
| the part of the enemy with such secrecy that
their designs were known to but few; and yet
their object was obvious to some. Scar cely had
they left their camp, when two young ladies,
gaining information of the enemy designs, i'm
mediately mounted their pet horses and started
to inform our troops They had not proceeded
far before they were halted by detachment of
Federal troops and, after parleying with them
for while and watching every opportunity to
escape, they saw a favorable one and laying
whip to their horses, started The enemy fired
volley at them, and some of the balls passed
through their clothes Nothing daunted, they
/ still pursued their course and passed the ene
my S lines in safety. Arriving at Pruntytown,
they stopped while to have shoe put on one
OF their horses and, when they had gone few
miles further, they were stopped by crowd of
| Union men who demanded, who they were
and where they were goiug?" They contrived
an ingenious and plausible story, such as only
women can invent, and after detention of over
an hour, were allowed to proceed on their jour
ney. Starting again, and after riding eight or
ten miles further, one Of them was thrown from
her horse, not. however, injuring her severely.
By this accident they were detained some time.
They at length arrived at Philppi, having rid
den forty-six miles in six hours They imme-
datey proceeded to the office OF Colonel Por-
terfeld, introduced themselves, informed him
of the designs and number of the enemy, and
advised him to retreat without delay.
| "fhe advi .e was not followed-the battle was
f,ught-and the fatal result is known to all of
you. If the advice of these daring and patriotic
young girls had been followed our forces could
have retreated to the pass in the mountains but
few miles distant where they might have made
determined defence.
obi. appointed in the result of their expedition
| they returned home, encounterng even more
difficulties on the road than they met with at
first The Federal commanding officer offered
:. ra,vard of q thou "a nd dollars for the cantnrn