The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-02-03
THE TRUE STORY OF THE MODERN
R0McEvAllES.
As Told by q Candidate for the Gu
bernafOrial Nomination to
an AstOnished Voter.


wanted sharp work. 1 intercepted a
dispatch from General BuRBRDGE to
General GnTNER, saying that he in
tended to attack and destroy the salt
works on the 10th of October, and
gave the number of his men at ten
thousand.
"Dash it to dash, that was the best
news 1 ever heard. had only
hundred and fifty men-all the ball
lance off on Throughput they were
regular dash-rippers, you can bet your
bottom dollar.
81 ordered dress parade, and read
the dispatch to them. then made
them dash of a speech-a regular
heart-stirrer, blood-boiler, such as no
body outside of dash but me can make.
I told them the dashed Yankees were
coming, and that dash would probably
be to pay. 1 spun to them a whole
dashed lotot eloquent stuff about LEON
IDAs and his spartan band at the pass
of Trigonometry. told them the eyes
Of their mothers, wives and sweethearts
were upon them-that the fate of the
Southern Confederacy would hang up
on their gallantry that day.
"For, you see, l knew that old LEE
had got himself cornered in way he
could not get out of short of a surren-
der. 1 knew that dashed fool HOOD
had got the tother army destroyed,
and 1 was conscious that the whole
dashed fabric rested on my shoulders.
''The boys were just as wild for the
fight as | was.
"Well, the morning of the 10th of
October, 1864, which my own good
sword has cut from the calendar of or
binary days and pinned upon the scroll
of fame as the epoch of the grandest
victory known in the history of arms,
arrived, and so did BURBRIDGE and his
twenty thousand men.
"They hadn't more than got in sight
till my dashed braves were spelling to
begin the battle.
"But you see there must be system
attic work on such occasions, and am
a dashed of military genius. l told
'em to wait until the dashed Yankee
had made his dispositions, and then
we would go in and whip dash out of
him by detail.
"BURBRIDGE was not backward in
taking up his positions. He posted
twonty-two thousand infantry on some
rising ground on his right. He then
put twenty-five thousand infantry in
position on his left, and held back as a
reserve force thirty-fve thousand more
of infantry and twenty-five thousand
cavalry. Besides these he had two
hundred and forty pieces of artillery.
"You may well look astonished, my
honest friend. Things wore dashed
bilious look. But then each one of my
men was equal to thousand Yankees.
And then they knew that was there
to head 'em. If old Bob LEE had
been in my place, he would have re-
treated on Richmond, but dash my
soul to dash if there is such word as
retreat in my military dictionary.
"When 1 saw that the dashed Yam
kee had made all OF his dispositions, l
turned to my braves and shouted,
e'Boys follow mel" and charged full
upon the enemy's right, and before
13URBRIDGE could realize what / was
UP to, had routed it entirely, and cap
tured sixteen thousand prisoners and
eighty,four guns, leaving twelve thou
sand Yankees dead as dash on that
portion of the field. l then charged
his center and reserve, and soon had
them flying in every direction. Here
L captured nearly thirty thousand pris-
oI,ers and one hundred and seventy
FIVE cannon. 1t was then that 1 dis
covered that the enemy's left, having
witnessed the destruction of their right
and cente r, had fled from the field and
were out of reach; leaving all their ar
tillery be hind them, amounting in all
to two hundred aud forty-fve pieces.
l had tie dead Yankees counted and
buried, and they amounted to just for
ty>fye thousand. He also left his
wounded behind him, and they amour
ted to sixty-eight thousand. Next
morning 1 started the hundred and
twelve thousand prisoners and wound>
ed, and the five hundred and forty
guns had captured, to Richmond, as
present to JOHN BRECKENRIDGE,
who was Secretary ofwar.
"That, sir, is the exact truth about
the battle of Saltville. 1t was the