Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-02-14
The Great Battle of Fairview.

The Great Battle of Fairview.
The following spirited account of the
great SNOWFALL fight between the Ver-
mont soldiers and the Jersey boys" in
the winter of 1868, is from volume of
war sketches, called "Blue Coats" no
ticed in the TIMES last week
The night of the Oath had enveloped
terra frma with its dusky shades. Many
waxen nose in the camps of the second
brigade snored sonorously, happily un-
conscious of its ruby discoloration on the
morrow. Many an eye placidly closed
in slumber was to be violently closed in
battle ere the approach of another night
fall. And many chronological bump
sparsely developed on the night in qucs-
tion was to be suddenly brought to an
age of puberty on the approaching day.
The eventful morning opened, Colonel
Morrison sent challenge to Colonel
Seaver of the third Vermont, to engage
in the open field at three o'clock p. M.
The challenge was accepted, ON the con-
dition that the fourth Vermont should
be included with the third. This was
agreed to by the colonel. Before the
appointed time some of our men were
detailed on fatigue duty, and at the time
of the engagement we were only able to
muster some three hundred men.
Nothing daunted by the superiority of
numbers, Colonel Morrison ordered Lit.
McCleese, of company G Captain Penn
berton being sick, , to fortify small hill
on our right, make as much ammunition
as possible, and pile the snow-balls in
pyramids. This arduous duty was hasti-
! ly performed. 1t was strong position,
a swollen brook at its base answering the
purpose of moat--too strong in fact,
for the Vermonters, and they declined to
attack us while occupying this miniature
Chepultepee. Commissioners were ap-
pointed, and after parley, the twenty
sixth were marched across the brook, and
formed in line of battle ON the field
fronting the Vermonters. The hills were
covered with spectators, and the eager
ness to witness the novel contest knew no
bounds. Companies A and b were
thrown out as skirmishers. Company Z
occupied the right, G was given the cen
tire, and II rested on the left. The colo
mel dashed over the field in all directions,
encouraging the men to stand fast, amid
the blue wreaths curling from "briar-
wood" nonchalantly held in his left hand,
and the adjutant danced about on spir-
tied charger, apparently impatiently
awaiting the hour of contest, the light of
battle dilating within his eyes, and quid
of "nasty plug" reposing beneath his
cheek. Lieut.. Woods of the ambulance
corps, and Lieut.. as mounted
aids to the colonel, while the sergeant"
and John X. Shaw, an aspiring Newark
youth of eighteen, acted as perambulating
aids. The line being formed and every
thing in readiness for the contest, red
flag was raised as signal, and in breath
of time strong body of the enemy drove
in our skirmishers, and fiercely attacked
our centre At the same moment anoth-
er strong force advanced against our
right, but only as feint for they sud-
denly wheeled to the right, and joined
their comrades in furious charge on our
centre. Major Morrison ordered up
company E from our right, but too late
to be Of any advantage, and they were
completely cut off from the main body of |
our army. Although fanked and press |
ed in front by overwhelming numbers,
our centre heroically contested the adj
vance of the enemy. Animated by the
presence of the colonel, they fought like |
veterans. and the white snow-balls eddied
through the air like popping corn
from a frying pan. But the enemy
were madly surging upon us in superior
force, and it was hardly within the power
of human endurance to stand such a per-
feet fen denfer any longer. Gradually
the centre fell back inch by inch, the line
then wavered two and fro, and finally the |
men broke in confusion and rolled down |
the hill followed by the victorious Ver-
monters. In vain the colonel breasted |
the current: in vain the major urged the
men to stand fast in vain did adjutant |
White, the ehivalric Bayard of the twen-
ty-sixth, implore the gods to aid.
The boys never rallied. Lieutenant
Woods made an attempt to rally them,
and form them in hollow square on for
titled hill to the right, but he was mis-
taken by the boys for Vermonter, and
x.xnlt<J fr,xxx IL 4