The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1870-12-21

4. j T.
skirmish, but apheaEy fght.hat was tax
ing place The Gonfederates had evidently
attacked in force aud With tLeinteition Of
annihila,ing the troops ieftin charge Of
Pennington and, in consequence, rein
forcsmeS.s we're hurried forward With the
utmost possible rspidity. 5ls'a3 sCrs
Bullau myself pushed on as rapidly as
ibie condition Of tue road would permit.
Just then, there occurred to me a very
brilliant notion. My English friend had
never seen battle; and consequently had
never been under fire. / wns somewhat
ofa veteran. and concluded it Would be
capital joke to lake my companion into
the fight far enough to trighten him thor
oughly. and to stampede him. My lively
imagination already took in!the spectacle
of bis burly form, as he flew, ike'anothcr
John Gilpih, from the hideous carnival Of
death that rSHatsa behind him. lss
1 am somewhat clear in the recollection
that Ihad a very hearty inward chuckle as
G'thus saw him, in fancy, flying madly to
the rear. bis form we'll forward to the
horses name, bis head Ii,,less, aid bis
cOuntehahse expressive Of deadly terror:
IL Was SO very funny that I isfolnitarily
burst intoia roarloflinghtct, and which 1
FASTENED to explain to my comPsaion as
having reference to the antics Of & balky
mule teatk, 1853 bsi tsTads' e l..
- -gi s.,p .lJ6sJ Iil, =,
In little while we reached The line
ofreseryes, 1t was drawn up in order Of
battle, with its left protected BY q stream,
and its right BY dense, iilnpassable timber.
On some ridges, batteries wsre distributed,
and 10 a hollow, a. short distance behind
the lins, vas gaiHietsed a tcgimcn. Of cav
airy" .'' - ""
: Immediately ii from! of, this,liue Of
battle was dense szaup,, .hrough-which
ran a corduroy road, and which Jed to
Farmington.. 1t was the only road that
led 10 the place, and was 50 narrow that
it was especially untitled either for adyan-
sss or rssreat. The logs fSFFiaiIg tko road
were some ten or twelve feet in length.
Alongside of this road were bitches filed
with water aud oozy mud On either
side extended the swamp, covered With
timber, and utterly impassaSls even for a
footman.T TSsF 30 .E9f 3ij
+ We passed through Tie limo q reserves res vs
and entered the east end ofthecut through
the swamp. Tho ahtance through was
perhaps three-fourths Of mile. aBeyotd
the ground was higher and cleared. In
this open space was Pennington; and there
was where the battle was raging.
i; Looking through thesista Of the swamp
We codla see dense smoke, ,in which were
the outlines Of ths' figures of men and
herses.o We could see hevivid flashes Of
cnhnoi as they tore through the smoke /,
and were now so close that the incessan,
rattle OF small arms were dis.incly heard
through the sonororSand quaking elamor
ofthe batteries. e's-E' 80 r-''
Q As we entered tho 4tSSamtt Van ttit was COM
paratively racaht.o All The reinforce.
ments that mad been ordered through had
gone forward Ambulanees we're coming
and going; a trooper dashed BY u; now
and then, as fast as tho log.rcad would
permit; and, atintcrvals, we met some
soldier, covered with blood, who was
mounted on mule, or supported by some
companion, and was pushing for thc rear.
The returning ambulaBcet we're filled
with ghastly faces and bloody uniforms.
Now and then a riferless horse galloped
wildly from out the smoke, and with dis,
tended nos,rils and swinging slirrup clat,
tered furiOusly away from the he'll IL
front Of as. -,-
These little occurrences were al
watched curiously BY my companion
but they seemed to have 10 pdt,icular ef
feA on hin ,,,ss-s.r.s f.rz .s'...
WEjit not about time he ,hOaId begin
to scare alittle =? ?FaabaBszi la.'3 a'.
We xero about halfway through
when caisson. whose horses were lashed
furiouily BY their driver, came tearing or
the road from the battlefield. Swayine
from side to side; and bounding masdly
above the ground, came the caisscn for
dozen jumps or so, and then it wa
swung wildly ever, and crashed, yront
side up, in the ditch, carrying the horse.
and driver with it, and then all reyolvei
itself into black and struggling mass il