Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-04-14

, nj NIL IL, 1907
mont's left wing foot by foot, crushed his
enter back on his right WING, and With
another full brigade he would have won a
complete victory in half an hour more
But he had no more men, and he had to be
satisfied with holding his ground. This
he bid until dark, when he was ordered
back to Port Republic with his main COM
mand. Fremont had bsen checked-now
for Shields!
FIGHT AND FALL BACK"
And yet the road to Port Republic was
not to be left open to Fremont. A single
regiment was left in his front, and it was
to stay there. If driven back 1t was to take
another position. If driven from that it
was to take another, and if driven to the
river it was to fire the bridge. You smile
at the idea of thousand men checking
the impetus Of an army corps. Ride from
Strasburg to Cross Keys and you will pass
fifty places wher hundred men could
check 10000. If the advance of an amy
is regiment. the army must halt until
that regiment breaks through or rides over
an Opposing force. AT the turn OF mar
row mountain road, shut in by walls of
granite which fox could not climb, ten
r0en may hold an army until the ten are
corpses.
SHIELDS IN POSITION.
Shields had heard the fighting at Cross
Keys and hurried up. On the night Of
9Th of juno he was near enough to see the
twinkle of the lights in the humble time
stained houses of the village in the forks
Of the Shenandoah. Then he must have
learned that Fremont had been checked on
the other side of the river, and that he
was face to face with Jackson. Banks,
Milroy or Fremont would have retreated-
Shields remained. If he had failed at Stras-
burg. he was on hand now. Over there is
Cole Mountain, where his left rested, and
where his park of artillery was so admira-
bly, posted. Down here is the Shenando-
all, where his right rested, and between is
a cornfield and potato patch. No gener-
al could have massed his army to more ad
vantage, and Shields was to prove that his
men could fight better than they could
ALI night long he was getting In
to position and strengthening the weak
points, and scarcely had his men snatched
a hasty breakfast when they caught the
ripple of Jackson's banners moving down
upon them.
WAITING THE ONSLAUGHT.
jackson smiled grimly as he surveyed the
Federal position. He was again face to
face with the man who had beaten him at
Kernstown. He saw that Shields meant
fight, and he must have honored him for
it. He who had boxed Federal armies
about from end to end of the Shenandoah
now found in his front a general who
would not give an inch. Over the river a
single regiment was holding Fremont
Here, under the shadow Of the mountain,
Shields was waiting the onslaught of Jack
sons whole army. The prepouderance of
numbers was with the Federals, but &C unit
ing only the men called into action it was
an even thing, though Jackson must at
tack. He coolly and carefully surveyed
every foot of the Federal line from noun
tain to river, and he could not discover a
weak point. It was short, strong line
and to attack any point was to meet a
cross-fre Shields would not leave such a
position to attack Jackson-Jackson could
not delay for fear that Fremont would
come up behind him. Already the morn
ing breeZs brought to his ears sounds which
told that the single regiment left to fight
and fall back over the mountain road was
being pressed Shields was waiting the
onslaught.
THE ATTACK ON THE CENTER.
Jackson hoped that the grand dash at
the Federal center would break it. The
ground from mountain to river was then a
wheat-feld, with nothing to obstruct a
charge. The great Confederate fighter
picked out five regiments of his best troops
and hurled them against that wheat-feld
with shock that made the earth tremble
as sudden as thunder peal, artillery
doomed. musketrY crashed and ten thous-
and men shouted and cheered. Over the
rolling ground-over barren strip-into
the waving wheat marched the 5000 men
in gray with ranks unbrsken. A doubls
line Of battle waited their coming with
never a tremor. Then sheets Of flame
leaped over the wheat-down from the
mountain-side up from this river, and q
cloud of smoke covered all For twenty
five minutes there was lighting to KILL
That centre would not give an inch. Again
and again the lines in gray hurled them
selves forward Until bayonets drank blood
and blue and gray died together, but each
time they were forced back, and every mo-
ment the cross-fre grew hotter. The Fed
eral artillery used nothing but grape and
canister, and every gun had fair range.
DRIVEN BACK.
All at once the fire of musketry slacken-
ed and wild cheers were he trd above the
sullen boom of cannon. Jackson's 5000
we're falling back! They had struck the
Federal center, but they could not break
it. More than 400 dead men were lying on
the trampled and bloody wheat field as the
Confederates fell back. When the gray
lines retreated the blue advanced. They
met three fresh regiments, and yet they
were not checked. Like a great wall Of
fire those lines swept on through the wheat
driving the foe and capturing such artlle-
~ as was not hurried off. Jackson was
being driven!
"YoU MUST TAKE THOSE GUNs!''
The Federal infantry fire was terribly
of the Federal cannon a hurri-
cane of death. Unless that park Of arti-
lery on the Federal left could b. taken
Jackson was defeated. It was brigade
Of Louisiana troops which dashed away
for this purpose. closely followed b. tw.