The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-03-30

NJ Quad in Detroit Free Fress.l
spent the whole day in riding over the fields
of New and Old Cold Harbofs. Mcclellan s
first great battle with Johnston brought on his
second with Lee He fought Johnston at Fair
Oaks in the last days of Maybe confronted
Lee at the Harbors in the last days of June
II is a country OF farms and forests, and hills
and plains. Autumn was dropping its ripe
apples on the half-leveed breastworks erected
twenty years ago, and the wild grapevines
covered many scar left Oh the trees by ball
md bullet. Here are the swamps in which
The dead and wounded We're sucked slowly
lown by the treacherous Ooze as shot and shell
flew above them-here the slopes and fields
tcross which Death rushed with bloody hands
clam his victims by the thousand. AT the
top of this hill, where Federal cannon thun-
Tered destruction. a flock of sheep crop at
the short, dry heritage. Down there where
the little creek steals softly under the green
banks and noisly rushes over the pebbles, the
dead lay in heaps and the wounded crept to
The stream III such numbers that the waters
were damned back and eddies of blood went
circling round Here behind Powhite Greek
where Porter was massed, a school boy woul,.
Icll you that infantry would have terrible
advantage. All along this ridge is grand
sweep for cannon, and in the ravines below
whole division can find safe cover Here alc
scars TO make you wonder. Great limbs Topped
nff-trees cut in two-rocks broken and shat,
tered-scars Of bullets on every trunk and
limb which was growing here on that June
day. 1t is the only other spot in the world
resembling the place at Port Republic where
the Federal guns were massed, and over which
men fought and died like demons. There wer,
thickets and jungles in the paths as battle
lines moved that day. They are yet. AS |
sit on the old earthworks along the Gaines
Mill road to smoke cigar at MONDAY, down
in those dark swamps the owls scold each 9th
er and the frogs call out as if evening had
come. You would wonder that farmers
vet ii Was here that batteries came into posi-
lion at a gallop-whole divisions charged
thousands of men marched fought and died.
War may seek the green meadow or the dark
jungie-the hilltop or the dense forest.
THE WARNING BELL.
Mcclellan had been warned of the approach
ing hurricane His cavalry pichets had been
driven in from the left bank of the Chickar
hominy Meadow Bridge had been seized bi
the enemy the green grass at Beaver Dam
/, /,
ing out beyond the Federal flank. The bell
had tolled its warning-a warning which rose
On the air above the shrieks of the wounded
and the roar of musketry and cannon. The
warning was:
Fall back-shorten your lines-mass your
artillery on the ridges-hide your infantry in
he ravines"
Mcclellan had obeyed Jackson had struck
him like thunderbolt, but he was not paral-
yzed. With grim GOODNESS he issued the or
'ers which massed men and cannon where
they could not be f1anked.
THE FEDERAL PICKET.
Down this winding road leading past the
Mill the Federal picket boiled their coffee and
munched their bareback at noon on the 9th
of June, with the birds singing in the trees
and the air filled with the lazy hum of perfect
peace. Jackson's cannon sounded in the dis
tance but here all was quietness and peace
strange figures appear in the road-in the
fields-in the woods. 1t is the advance of A
P Hill. In thirty seconds the peace is broken
by the pop of musketry and the cheers of
men The Federal picket gives wav. fighting
1t every step, and sounding the alarm-the
Nonfederates push on with confidence which
proves that battle lines are following. From
the McGhee house to Powhite swamp the
alarm runs up and down the Federal lines
Lee is attacking
THE FEDERAL POSITION.
Here on this ridge was the artillery. The
Federal line ran to the right to that farmhouse
half-hidden among the cherry trees-to the
left to that bluff covered with trees and under
growth, while cavalry were massed on either
flank Along the base of the ridge Is "a ravine
the bed of creek now dry. A division OF
infantry occupied the rayne. Half way up the
ridge I can trace an old breastwork of logs
tantry. On the crest of the ridge l can find
the old rife-pits and the breastworks thrown
up for artillery. On that June day the ground
in front of this ridge was mostly clear Here
and there was thlcket-here a glade-there
a swamp-here few acres of forest
there five acres of open ground To reach
the ridge every Confederate must make fair
target of himself He must meet the terrible
fire of three lines of infantry rising one above
the other, and the cannon beyond will use
nothing but grape and canister. 1t is
stronger position than Lee had at FredercAs-
burg-than Meade had at Gettysburg-than
Mcclellan had elsewhere in his campaigns
Civil engineers have said it was the strongest
position of the whole war.
THE FIRST ONSLAUGHT.
A. p. Hill had the dash of Jackson in strik-
ing swift blow Hardly waiting to form a
lind of battle, he pushed his troops to the
front in assault. There was no spirit of reck-
lessness in that move He knew the Federal
position and its terrible strength. 1t could
not he flanked. Could it be carried by direct
assault? The way to answer that query was
to advance. There was no hating to parry
and thrust and look for weak link in the
chain. Gathering his division in hand Hill
flung it square at the ridge. Twelve thous-
and Corfederates, 1900 Of whom had never
seen Federal soldier-moved as one man
moved as the tornado which levels forests and
blots out landmarks. The moment that gray
mass swings into view 10000 muskets open
fire-fifty pieces of cannon shake the earth
and send their echoes into Richmond and
beyond.
Can flesh and blood stand such a fire! The
air screams with its burdens Of death, and the
awful roar sways the tree-tops as IN an au-
tumn gale. There is arush OF feet-a cheer
and out from under the smoke-cloud tha'
gray division dashes into the ravine--dashes