St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1883-04-14
.[Comp osition, Ly a student of Covington
High School,
A FIELD OF BATTLE.

The last sunbeam of q summers
day touched gently on the distort-
ed landscape. and lent softness to
the scene Of the late contest and
carnage. The twice famous battle
field was now Observation-Disclosures
"a scene of arid desolation. The
last curl of smoke which had rolled
and lowered DER tie plains, had
been borne away and dissipated,
and the inevitable rain, following
the conflict, had washed the air
clear of its sulphuric burden.
''There were still to be seen, here
and there in the woods, trees re-
Gently felled, where no ak had been
applied, and in the fields there
were burrows not traced by the
pillow. Fires were sill smouldering
among the debris Of the abandoned
camps, where. but a few days be-
fore, had bivouaced the Hero of the
brilliant Valley Campaign. and his
famed ''foot cavalry"
On this once fertile soil, now
trodlen like a highway, had three
Federal leaders surged in vain
against the invincible "Stonewall,"
and, at last, the "War-horse of the
South" coming to the aid, and
Stuart, returning from his guard of
the mountain passes, the opposing
forces gladly sought shelter within
the Notifications of their Capital.
Jackson's grim struggle to main
tain his ground had lasted two
days.
It was late in the afternoon of
eultry August day. The Confederate
forces were divided and arranged
80 as to form an o5tuse angle along
the pike and in q newly-formed
railroad cut. The skirmishes of
the morning we've chiefly directed
upon the left flank of Jackson's
army, and his divisions engaged,
being poorly supplied with ammu-
milton, after repulsing three des-
perate attacks, were forced to re-
main mere spectators of the wild,
fercely beautiful scene that burst
upon their view. The remainder of
,Jackson's enfeebled army, preparing
to make one final charge, advanced
down the gentle slope toward the
opposing columns at its base. The
artillery van flashed fercely back
the lurid rays of the declining sun,
as if returning the fiery glance of
that fastsisiag eEk. From the
woods in the rear, the sharp, ring
ing report Of q Parrot gun broke
upon the air; another, and then
another still, but clearer and less
distant. A few seconds, then sue
ceeded the familiar futter and
screech OF rife-shell, bursting in
the rear of the enemy. The sound
infused new spirit into the ex-
hausted Confederates. Longstleet
rapidly nearing, the forces united,
and the enemy's ranks were soon
disordered and panic-stricken. At
this moment, Stuart's cavalry dash
ed upon the scene of action. Their
sabres, now flashing ard glistening
in the dying rays Of the sun. soon
took deeper hue, The panic vas
soon converted into route, the
army into a rabble. The rushing
crowd OF fugitives ignored every
endeayor Of their leaders to again
rally them on the field of battle,
and the yictors following in close
pursuit, the field Of bloodshed was
left to the darkness and the dead.
Gazing on in calmness, with the
smblems, the weapons, the victims
Of the arch-enemy, Death" on
every hand, the glory of the cam
paign is TOR the moment lost to view,
and the heart echoes the aphorism
Of the worlds greatest General,
"After defeat, the saddest thing is
victory" Anna L. HAWKINS.
Paralytic strokes, heart disease,