St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-28

Had the rest of the command moved
up on hearing the low, there might
nave been a show to release both of us,
but they did not come. By the time the
soldiers had given up the search for
jim, our comrades were oD the back
track for the Potomac.
was retained at the picket-post be-
cause Mosby's lieutenant was there, and
because he hoped to bribe or frighten
me into furnishing him information of
value. l was, therefore, in position to
see the result of Jim Shanks' work,
single handed and alone. When he
broke away he disabled one man by a
blow from his caIbine. In his flight he
Killed one and wounded two others.
Wounded and dead were brought to the
pIcket-post, and saw them. Mosby's
men were terribly incensed, and but for
the fear OF an attack by our force,
whose strength they did not know,
believe they would have hung me up in
their first rage.
1t was the guerrilla chieftain's last
dash into his beautiful valley. He was
gathering forage and hurrying it back
to Lees lines, and many farmers were
robbed of their last ear of corn. In three
days more they would have been out of
the valley entirely.
AT the first signs of daylight, and
when the old church on the hill was
hardly visible through the gray of the
morning, came bullet which bored a
soldier through and through, and drop
ped him dead in his tracks. 1t was from
the carbine of Jim Shanks. Hiding un-
der the steps, he had only waited foI
daylight to open the fight anew-not
waiting to be hunted out and captured
All was excitement in an instant, and
as soon as Jim's location was betrayed
the guerrillas scattered and formed q
skiImish link. The fire of this line was
concentrated on the steps, and was as
rapid as if opposed to a line of battle
The firing had just begun, when one OF
the skirmishers fell away from a stump
with "A bullet in his head. In three
minutes another was shot through the
chest. Jim Shanks had forty rounds OF
ammunition, and he fired slowly and
with precision. [ could see splinters fly
from the steps every time a ball struck
and knew that many of the bullets
were driven through the boards. For a
long twenty minutes Jim held that skir-
mish line of thirty-fve men at bay
killing three and wounding two,
counting his shots, and he fred lust
twentyOne times.
A reinforcement of about 20 mounted
men finally came up, aud hitehing their
horses under cover of the hill the men
took the skirmish line. Just as the fir
ing began anew, Jim Shanks suddenly
left his and s., l..
down the road. Every skirmisher rose
up, aud there must have been at least
one hundred bullets fired at the running
man i'll the next minute. | saw them
blow up the earth all around him, and
one OF them sent his cap sailing into the
air. As he got in line with the horses
the fire slackened, while the men saw
his plan and rushed forward. Jim was
in no hurry. Resting his carbine over a
saddle he wounded another of his pur-
suers, and it seemed IL full minute be-
fore he mounted and rode off toward
Leesburg. There was a rush for the
horses, and away they galloped after
the recruit, firing as they rode.
The strange luck that had stood by
ed him to escape s had h6 e saiat seiaettlhgdT lhT g
ter horse. After gallop of halfan hour,
he found his pursuers gaining, and in
trying to get into the field his horse fell,
rolled over the poor fellow, and the
pursueTs found him dead when they
rode up. His clothing was fairly rid
died with bullets, aud yet his flesh had
not been scratched. The church steps
were as full of holes us a cOlander, and
about the same distance apart, and yet
Jim was not wounded. Mean-spirited
obstinate and do red us a tent mate, he
had the courage of lion and the gal
lantry of Il knight, and the first and last
grave ever dug for Union soldier by
Mosby's men was followed out for re-
cIuit who had never been at the front.
- DPfrOjf Free Press