Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-11-22
III Tho trenches aa Yorktown.
FROM UNPUBLISHED MSS. OF FOUR YEARS
IN TIE RANKS


the Firt Brigade, Yorktown il soiHoihieg mere !
thar q simply historic sp)t. where C3ynTa5
surrendered enc hucdr.d ycsfa &gH, 10 tic
veterans OF that grim brigade he aanH recalls
CID memories Ct Their 2su iiy@E, aad as
relrospse'ioh dishes by. it tt,"}s ba.k 10 lham
maty pictures that tcl; tf fearful aTtsps,
aid wonderful end uraIca.
have ty me- my ms5., "F6ur Years n the
Ranks. which hope will ba published soon.
AMI theG my oneules will liz cAninnGi, |
imagine.
| will add chapter lrou, it thai s.caIs Ct
Yorktown ia The spring Of lS6" | COPY :; y
1t was bright spring day il March, ard
tho brigade. which was resting on th0 ,Ia1i.
road few miles from Richmond. recuperalirr
from the loug march from Manassas. received
orders 10 march through tho Seven iiii;cG Ci;y
| ca r0uto to IcIktowr. The mcn, already TIED
Of the quarters, gladly icl! into ranks. L !7as
scene never to be iorro!toa by &ng I'D J0iin3?
| lsGh, who had cleaned his i,.u: ku!, ws.h,d h;s
| shirt and merdcd hia raGa Ia Ehow eli hotof,
un Rraadc DANES CT that city. |; Vas IS SAID
before ooo OF thcs, rarely lov&lg spTrs dsYa. y
| rec CT a summer soaSln, cut chGrt by the WA
| ing fail, that secipg It's charae edge; 10 a!n0ag
| the clustering days q! March, a"d b,ana,:
proudly III lis snany sp?rndcr.
| Tbs whole city wAF Gn :i.0 qs! vice, !aE nI2r
| Ig ri Of the Airy OF NrrIlrru Nlrgi;,ia ~ae
TO t!o iGr The first and tic last ti.Dc 5hru:h lis
! streets ; ell the w!ndoTH, haiGAa,a GH, ;jGTt-
| Goes of Main street were Gl2G with thy hca;Er
md fashion CT Richmond a::d R:c>.Aord h"a
the !ovclieat wamsn il tho war1 shcu. Che
sidewalks were .mGlt9 ai'h y.st, cuthrsias,
| tic crnwd OF rld rncn. boys AID pirs. with here
and there hot,i)line. wnGldcd soldier hut 70
mGla civilians could DO seer.
| Al, lc, il YVES Z gallant array, iag!ac!b!', =:
| thought then, rs they ma;che:i in saicfg:l ca
| uuln down tho thcroughtarc, @ !u'l bass ha7i
| to each brigade, auG q drum caris aad iiig IN
each regiment, Un they cane, L3nearcci'a
brigade in tho advance. stepping j.nn'i!@ % ti:e
iuuo Of the "Girl | left behind ne" As t#c
Sc7cntecBth reached the bot ct Main street.,
near Rockets, turned Enu Lacked hack :;
such sight Gs met my eye n"ithcr nor the
Ola Dominion City ever aaw bsScrc, rcr will
oVor $50 agaiu, fer az FIR as you could e!aroo
up tic street, ycu c:uid bchell ir nearly q
milo the dense column CT the CortcGrraie army
in marital array, with all the pride aud pGnorly
OF glorious wSr, the blasts ci the martial muse,
tho steady tramp Of the marching thousands.
The cleaning OF the FURNISHED harGcia u! tbs
muskcts, tho sclBtiilating SUI faces en- Tie
gittclirg, vibrating tay0nois, Ito waving f
hats. the tluttcr OF ters Of thousands CT hand
kclChiels. the roar tnl enthusiastic Shouts q
the multitude wrought into uncomfortable G.,
Clttmcnt by tho grand and splendid spectacle,
was O sight that was photographed in .hc u Gu
DRY CT every soldier that WIS IN The rasts inst
day.
1t wGS quick march to WILLIAMSBURG W.
die not let tho grass grow under our icct you
may be sure. Magrudcr is 10 danger ut York
town. 30 the cry flew from lip 10 lip, and spur
lc1 tho tired soldiers Oh. We reached tho cIG
colonial town late in the night, aad ca.0pcd a
few miles from it. a brief res: add lEcn &c
reached the trenches ct Iork,cwn, and took orr
position.
A moro desoatc. dreary, abouiaatoa OF Ges-
citation plsc, to camp, and perform picket du-
~ it would DO impossible to fad 10 Virginia.
Oar duty was 10 guard tho outer li.c OF the
trenchcs ncar Dam No. /. The trenches rau
along q low. sTaupy region of wei, iCky
yolloT Gay soil, which held water ns sponge,
and stuck to ono Ike q mustard plaster. The
breas;works thank htavcu, We did not have
10 build; that irtcliOn was, at least spared US,
for Nlag1udtr's men threw them VI. They
were perfect in execution AID dtsgn. teir Z
fully six uud eight feet high ard BoIla in their
construction.
The Seventeenth took position Jus. on the
lett OF Dam No. |. Across tic way, 70: the,
hundred yards. were the Yankee picket iucr,
and further back were the heavy batteries CT
columbiad's and moriar regular mouutct siege
CUES. whOao poIderous roar could be heard ior
miles. and the sortam OF whose luso she'll, a.
thoy flew through tho air. shrickcd like tho
vail Of lost spirit. They gave III To rest by
day, and str,led us 1T ..,ght by sp2smudin
shUts Alter sunset VIC expected an atiack
every mlnnic, and TcrD not allowed 10 fsi cut
Of rank.
The liIs: night it ocnu.crcad 10 rain, sol 6
rushing, dll'luS ralp, but CsasglcSS, persistent
business like raip, that gayo no ptomis;; OF ever
letting up. 10 lew mo;0ou!5 everything Was
wot II I )ugh, and a shirtrlng line Of YgrHtchcs
stood with chsttcriHS toc,h and cralnHcd limbs
in line hugHiag their CUES. L. wa9 pitch dark,
not glcanI Of light, AID lc mako matters worse
tho treLche6 sJon became lid bed OF torrent.
OI c othH, OyeIcosis, and Blankets were acop
but sodddu garments, that soaked in the wattr
o5ly 70 let it d;ell ever the chilled hodica tn.
ucath. No ruo, tG lie iown. no !iro 10 war.u
the well nigh snrnld inIms, 10 cauit05t IN the
dark but ODo's own thoughts, AID tho waiting
Ter day to freak Like Inc wta;y Watchers 90
q wrecked vcascl eur only c-y wns will tho day
ccver come 1t seemed to rs ~ i; the Iight
had eis the earth. Those laeSa'd, slow hours
when Gre1chCd. huubGd. We stood that whole
night through without 2 wink Uf siccp, l. accfas
to me now like q iC::lUl nightmare that was
dreamed Lut ncvtr acted. ?'hc loss I'll >!.cp is
itself fearful torture, bat when ia addition to
that ono has 10 stan! up ell the 1.-Two lang h0us
OF l3pg night wet to the ski0, up tc your
knees 10 running water, and a..a1iHs CO tired
limbs all tho time. it shows hcw Strangely 500.
dcrlul is man d physical calucarco
Day broke at last, tut Tic rijiiess rain eamn
dove With tho same rcsoIuic never stop s.ylo,
az il 1t wished to drown both armies. ::l;co
solitny crackers w,tho1t mouthiul Ct any
thing else constituted our ralionG for sr3akfast
AID washed GoEn ty drink cf muddy yaier.
Tho lino to mad dropped anywhere in tho
Wet mud On tho edge Of the ditch and sent
tho scep of utter, perfect exhaustion. rho
rain kept or. Tie heavens above US sccm:a
to iro"n With ic'den gray angry lock as il VIC
wero respcEs bio Tor all this turmoil On earih,
I aud IT. WIS paying US back, Ninht coron srsin