The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-08-09

0uU Tic OOuleucldtC IOUlES, uOt DtOt
than two or three hundred in number
were posted q very considerable dis
tance behind us. quite at the head o
the rise from the ravine, the ascen
being crowned with a mask ed batter,
of eight or ten pieces. Our positiol
was a singularly unfortunate one. But
In the confusion and hurry, suppose
very little was thought about us; AM
we, like Moore's oak, were left wher,
we 1ay.n Nobody knew until after
ward that Mrs. General P "a persoI
of much consideration in those days
was one of the ladies thus singularly
situated. s w. sSs~ 4
SuddenIy-"Look yonder!" whis
pered France, her eyes intent, and hel
lips white.
1t was the Federal cavalry appearing
on the ridge ON the other side of the
ravine. M
At first there was a little desultory
firing, which, to our untutOred eyes
appeared to have no especial purpose
aud to accomplish none.
Then there was a silence-a breath
less silence 10 us--fOr few minutes
for, by the thrill in the air, the hush q,
expectancy behind us, the movemer!s
ordered, no doubt, but not understood
among lis-of excitement in front, we
knew that the stiffness was pregnant
with fate. A yell from the Federal
line broke ii.
Then there followed glorious aud a
fearful sight. If, when 1 reach the
golden rest of heaven, no other sight
or sountl remains with me from these
misty flats Of earth, that will! the
might and the power of it went into
my soul.
The Federal cavalry formed, and
charged the battery.
Like a fierce and furious torrent they
swept, yelling, down the hillside, and,
borne up again by the impetus Of their
descent, the thunders OF the horses
feet, the lightning of their flashing
sabres, the storm-cloud of war swirled
past us up the hill.
Then the cannon woke. For mo-
mcnt the charge faltered. The officer
leading it, half turned, ralIyiDg his
men. He rose in his siirrups, waving
his sabre about his head, cheering his
men On-magnificent wrath i'll his
eyes and i'm his ringing voice. At the
instant the warm words fell from dead
lips; the sabre flashed, and drupped
heavily from dead hands. The officer
reeIed aud fell like log; his foot
caught in the stirrup.
Then a sound, such as may be heard
in hell, perhaps, but has no other echo
Oh earth, spraDg with one impulse
from all those brazen thrOats. The
fury of death and vengeance was i'm it.
The cavalry tore forward. needless of
the laundering caDncn. They reached
the battery in a moment more.
Icovt red my face with my hands,
aud my sick heart tried to pray.
In five minutes the work was done
The guns were spiked, the position
taken, the hundred or two, put there
as a sop, had fulfilled their mission,
and were either dead or prisoners.
We were of the latter. For perhaps
fifteen minutes nobody took any e
peciaI notice Of us; only some German
soljiers strolled up, and walked around
us, regarding us curiOusly, and making
now and then short calculations in the
honeyed accents of their native tom
que. They appeared to regard us as
curiosities Indigenous 10 the country,
made to be stared at. Presently an
officer came up, saluted us very polite
ly, and inquired what we were doing
there. Mrs. p informed him, told
him who we were, and said, smiliugly,
that enleavoring to escape Sherman,
We had unintentionaliy thrown our
selves upon Stoneman's protection.
The officer said, "Yes? hum!' and
looked ut us ,scrutinizinsly. We were
very muddy-we girls-and we may
have blushed. He smiled.
Presently he remarked that we had
better come "farther up, and he would
see what provision could be made for
us. We followed him very meekly
and, arriving farther up" found the
said provision to consist of the soaked
trunk of fallen tree, aud an umbrella;
we were politely requested to seat oprf
selves upon the tree-which we dft@
with what grace was possible under
the circumstaDceS-amd a soldier was
stationed behind us to hold the UNI
brella. Upon consideration, think
this umbrella must have been intro
duced principally to suggest the large
resources of the Federal army. A
nation which provided such super
fiuities as this for its troops, would iu-
supply them well with every
requisite. The umbrella
was certainly snpeIfluOus, possessing,
AS it did, the unusual property of dis
tributing more rain to those beneath
its protection than was the portion of
outsiders.
Two or three other officers now
gathered about us, and began conver-
satiOn which was, on their part, chief
ly interrogatory. They were evidently
of us. They did not believe
Mrs. P trds Mrs. P-.> They
could not credit that we were mere
foolish refugees rushing from one dan
ger iutO another; or, as l heard an
honest Georgia "cracker' express il
"jumpin' Outen one ash
into another wus' asli-cOrner
don't know whether they su pected
masked batteries in or pockets, or
dispatches in our hair, but
evidently they were quite persuaded of
in Denmark being very rot
ten indeed. However, by dint of simple
and truthful answers, think our cross
luestioners were finally persuaded that
we might perhaps he what we repre-
sented ourselves. And, finally, leav-
ing a guard for us-think how hOnored
we felt, with drawn bayOnets OH each
side of us!-!hey busted themselves
about more important matters.
The freight-train, had, of course, by
Ibis time, been ransacked and partly
burnt. And, throwing my discOnsOlaie
eyes around, what did 1 now behold?
down the hill, upside
down, were my beloved trunks, the
bottoms ruthlessly pierced with bay
Dnets, and thus broken and torn off
their spotless (Oncp, alasD contents
strewed over the muddy grass, while
group of Germans aud COM
mon soldiers examined the various arti-
cles, grinniny over some, appropriating
others, and destroying what they did
not want. My serge-my brOwn-black
Observation-Disclosures beauty
my sweet alpaca, dirt cheap at three
thousand! My heart bleads tc recall
their fate. First, two miscreant. tried
hem on, amid Uprears of applause
md, not finding the fit perfect, they
hen deliberately tore them i'm strips
rom the hem tO the waist, and walked
,bout with hundred broad, black
strings dangling and flying around
heir army trousers. l have lived
through great deal of pain and Bit
erDess, but I don't know that / can
recall a more poignant moment than
hat.
Meantime the greater part of Stone
mans command pushed forward and
,ut,red tne town we had left-where.
no resistance was attempt-