The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-10-25

uuE)uelG. III OlllS luotdICC DASCE
and l rode slowly more that mile
across the country before we found
a house that promised anything tc
eat. When we did find one it was
occupied by a half-dozen struggling
Ohio soldiers, to whom q fellow
feeling of hunger made US wondrous
kind, and we helped them punish
Confederate mutton until the great
vacuum from which we suffered was
filled. Our horses IN the meantime
had benefited by all the corn they
could eat, and we returned to the
head Of the column about midnight
feeling like lions refreshed, but
having a wholesome hope that the
general was. asleep This we found
to be the case, and as tents were an
unknown luxury / tied my horse to
my wrist and laid down on a re,
tired mud-bank, where I was least
in danger of being made thorough,
fare of by atray man or mule.
II awoke with the break of day
to see General Mcdowell standing
short distance away, evidently
regarding me as an interesting
specimen Of the average aide, Or
namented with Virginia mud.
Gas you have had your break
fast, captain he said, suavely, 4
wish you to take half-a-dozen caval-
rymen to help you, and ride on
across the river at Rappannock
Station and see to the prompt re-
moval of all trains back out of sight
from this side
.'If he had made me colonel on
the spot he could not have pleased
me better; not that / particularly
admired the duty, but because l
saw the hope of something to eat
at the end Of it..
"Rappahannock Station was SIM
ply one wild, chaotic mass of men,
horses and artillery, while q little
further on were the rear wagon
trains, the object of my solicitude.
Nobody knew where anybody else
was, and every one wanted to know
something no one could tell him.
by judiciously suggesting to
the division and brigade quarter
master that the air was likely to be
dark with q shell in about half an
hour, / had the satisfaction Of see
ing the last wagon speedily dis
appear behind the sheftering woods.
"This was destined to be a busy
day. The enemy was hurrying up
his troops, and by nightfan of the
30th the whole Confederate army
filled the woods on the opposite
side of the river. Our corps, that
is McDowelFs, faced them in the
center at the station; Siegefs corps
was on our right, and Banks and
Reno on the left, the whole line. ex-
tending about six miles. Batteries
were posted on every available po-
sition, pichets lined each river
bank, and both armies, grimly fac
ing each other were glad to spend
the night in needed sleep and rest.
The morning OF the 21st did not
have a chance to get aired before
the enemy opeIed on us with shot
and shell, his hope being most like
ly to dislodge our artillery, de-
moralize our Infantry, and. by
watching fa:arable opportunity,
push across the liver under cover of
his own fire.
'EThe echo OF the first Confed-
crate gun had not died away before
onr own artillery opened in a most
vicious and heavy cannonade
sweeping the opposite bank with a
torrent of iron hail, to cross which
his infantry would find much more
unhealthy than the Rappahannock.
''This was the first time / had
been under an artillery fire, and I
had an experience OF the whizzing,
shrieking, bursting shells, and the
the hurtling richochetting round
shot, which seemed to fill the air
with a pandemonium that could
presage nothing but sudden and
CHASTITY annihilation.
There sat the general on his
horse, spying about with his field
glass as though he had frst-class
box at the opera and was enjoying
the performance immensely, while
his staff; myself among the rest,
stood around and tried to grin
horribly ghastly smile
They're a little too high OBJ
served the general critically, as the
iron demons hOTled over our heads,
but in a moment added:
":Ah! that's better, much bet
ter as around shot took our order.
ly's leg off and . shell scattered an
aides horse to the four winds of
heaven. leaving The owner thankful
that he was not on him.
"All day long this racket went
on at the station, assisted by
lighter >cannonading up and down
the river. while along its banks the
pickets and sharpshooters kept up
a wary but persistent exchange Of
leaden compliments.
occasionally l was sent with
orders to this or that battery or
brigade, and I consider it due to
myself to say that l could not just
ly be accused OF fooling time away
in the transit. Once when 1 got
back to headquarters the general
was delivering a kind of lecture on
courage under circumstances SIM