The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-06-14

me dark and gloomy pines of Chancellor
vile was enacted n tragedy worthier to live
in epic verse han the famous charge of the
Light Brigade at Balaklava. Only once in
all the histories of the war have 1 seen it
mentioned, and tonight my thoughts brood
over the nameless graves of those unsung
heroes till my soul cries out in protest
against favoritisms of historic fame, and for
these humble heroes l must crave the inca
ger justice of a passing mention in the ears
of their countrymen.
1t was the night S%toncwall Jackson re-
ceived his death wound. He had completely
surprised Towards Eleventh corps, and was
driving them in the widest confusion along
toward the centre of our line. In the fight
they passed through n woods, just beyond
which, in n clearing lay four o fSickles' bat
t%eries, and q flying artillery battery and the
Eighth Pennsylvania cavalry of General
P~leasantOn's. The batteries were not in
position but were packed, - awaiting orders.
Through their lines dashed the panic
stricken fugitives, hotly pursued by Jack
sons immense corps of over twenty thous-
and men. Infantry, artillery, ambulances,
pack mules, negroes and ~stragglers, the
worst scared men l ever looked upon, came
tearing past like mad. Batteries had no
commanders, but each captain excitedly
acted for himself. "Battery-left wheel.
Fire to the rear. In battery: Caissons pass
your pieces, trot, march ~ and afrightened
bugler caught only the word %'trot," and
sounded it and no more. 1t rang out clear
above the worse than Babel; many took it
for a general stampede signal, and across
the field, and down a hill, and over n stone
wall near its foot, in that famous ravine,
dashed several cassions and a few guns.
Fix prolong TO fire retiring" with CAMS
ter-load."
Nm Z, ma t1n F,-sNt,.Ar. .-I -nnuz-
through the sounding woods came that
Confederate yell and the rush of Stonewall
Jackson's victorious legions. Sickles was
almost n mile away, pushing through the
woods with his splendid corps. Not a Fed
eral musket was in sight except what the
Eleventh corps men bore to the rear as
rapidly as legs would carry them. We
must make our fight against those tremen-
dous odds alone-ive batteries of us and
three hundred cavalry-not over six hun
drcd men all told.
On swept twenty thousand confederates.
and we were not yet ready to fight. Our
line was confusion worse COMPOUNDED guns
stood pointing whithersoever the excited
-cannoncers listened, and at the first fire one
half of us would blow the other into
eternity, and Stonewall would have Hook
ers headquarters and double up the whole
army-a cheering prospect that! The sun
had set behind the woods, and through
them, yet faster in the thIckcning gloom,
rushed Jackson's troops.
Suddenly ont in front OF our guns rode
the familiar form of General Pleasanton.
Above the din arose his sllrill voice align
those pieces!n 1t was a work of many
minutes, and Stonewall was now Just upon
us. Time! oh, for ten minutes time! How
to get it! There sat Major Keenan,, with
his three hundred horsemen. Here was n
sacrifice, which, if every mar was n patriot
like Arnold Winkelried, would give us
those precious mute General Pleasanton
said quickly to Keenan,, "AIajor, you must
charge into those woods with your men and
hold the enemy in check until | get those
guns into position. You must do it 1T all
cost" Keenan, says at is just the same
Us saying you must be killed. but with a
smile he said, General, l will do it,"
Oh, what n sight was that! Would to
God some American Tennyson might sec
that sight and 1T those humble names into
immortality a! Three hundred troopers with
deep set spurs and flashing sabers rushed
at the Threats of twenty thousand armed
men. Nobody had Numbered, but somebody
must die for the army-that was all!
So mad n blow did they strike in JAG =
sons very teeth that he stopped his
onward rush to reform his lines. Surely
there must be more coming-no single regi-
ment could be charging his army single
handcd-and when no other bold riders
came, then it was that brave Keenan, died
at the head of his regiment, and the whole
platoon died with their feet in their stirrups.
But they did not die in vain. Ten min
utes purchased at that fearful price TO MS
was ~costlier still to jackson. When he
came on again, flesh and blood could not
stand up before our terrific canister fire.
His veterans quailed before the sirocco of
death. He rode up to rectify his lines, was
mistaken in the gathering arkness for one
of our cavalrymen, and was shot by his own
men.
Our three times three had Ehardly
ceased to ring, when Sickles, who had
rushed ahead of his veterans hurrying to
our support, rode up among our guns and
called out: "You AVE lone nobly, boys!
Stand firm, and in ten minutes TlIhaYe
ten thousand men here who d~on'tlknow
anything but fight" He was as good as his
word, and quickly the old third corps filed
in behind the guns, and Jacksonis famous
corps had received its first defeat.
Three hundred men made ThermOpylD
live through centuries; six hundred men
at Balaklava rode to FAM in sight of the
whole world, but the cynicism of America
has left to slumber in unknown graves, be-
heath the pine groves of Chancellorville a
band of men whose deed was as great and
worthy of a name as those which poets
have sung through all ages.