Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-04-16
THE BRAVE THREE HUNDRED.

worthier to live in epic VERSE than til
famous charge of the Light Brigade a
Balaklava. only once In all the his
tories of the wal have | seen it men
toned, and tonight my thoughts broo,
over the nameess graves OF those III
sung heroes till my soul cries out il
protest against favoritisIns of histori
zane, and for these humble heroes
must crave the meager justice Of a pass
a ing mention in the ears Of their coun
trymen.
!, 1t was the night Stonewal Jackson
received his death wound. He la,
completely surprised Howard sElcventl
corps, and was driving them in til,
: widest confusion along towards tn,
Q centre Of our line. In the fight they
passed through "a wood, just beyond
which, in clearing, lay four OF
Sickles' batteries and IA flying artillery
battery and the Eighth Pennsylvania
cavalry of General Pleasanton s. The
batteries were not in position, but wcr,
packed, awaiting orders.
Through their lines dashed the panic.
stricken fugitives, holly pursued by
jackson immense corps of over twenty
thousand men. Infantry, artillery, am.
balances, pack mules, negroes and
stragglers. the worst scared men ever
looked upon, came tearing past like
mad. Batteries had no commanders,
but each captain excitedly acted for
himself. l'attery-lett wheel. Fire
to the rear. In battery: Caissons pass
Your pieces, trot, march," An alright
ened 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 general
stampede signal, and across the field,
and down "A hill, and over q stone wall
near its foot, in that famous ravine,
dashed several cassions and Il few gun,
Fix prolong to fire retiring" with
canister load
On came the fugtives, nearer and
nearer through the sounding woods
came that Confederate yell and the
rush OF StOneWall jackson 5 victorious
egions. Sickles was almost mile
away, pushing through! the woods with
| his splendid corps. Not Federal mus
kct WAS i'll sight except what the Elev-
rnih corps men bore to the rear as rapid.
y as legs would carry them. We must
ma Sc ",lI fight against those tremendous
odd, alone-tive batteries of us and
three hundred cavalry--not over six
hundred men all told.
On swept twenty thousand confeder-
atrs and we were not yet ready TO fight.
Our line was confusion worse confOund.
cd guns SIT cd pointing whithersoever
he excited cann0ncers listened. and at
til" first fire one half of us would blow
the other into eternity, and StOnewall
would have lIooter's headquarters and
doubt" up the whole a 'my--a cheering
prospect that The sun had set behind
The woods, and through them, yet faster
in the tllickcning gloom, rushed Jack
sons troops.
Suddenly out in front of our guns
rode the familiar form OF General
Pleasanton. Above the din arose his
Shrill voice: "Align those pieces !"
1t was a wsrk of many minutes, and
Stoncwall was now inst upon us. Time
OH for ten minutes time! How to get
it There SAY Major Keenan,, with his
three hundred horsemcn. Here was a |
sacrifice, which, if every man was "A
patriot like Arnold Winkelricd would
give lis those precious minutes. General
Pleasanton said quickly to Keenan,,
- Major, 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 at all |
cost Keenan, says: at is Just the |
same as saying you must be killed,
but with smile he said, General | |
will do it. "
Oh, what a sight was that Would |
to God some American Tennyson might
see that sight and lift those humble
names into immortality Three hun
dred troopers with deep SET spurs and
flashing SabreS rushed at the threats of
twenty thousand armed men. Nobody
had Numbered, but somebody must die
for the army-that was all .
So mad a blow did they strike in
.jackSon's very teeth that he stopped
his onward rush to reform his lines
Surely there must be more coming-no
single regiment could he charging his
amy single handed-and when no
other bold riders came, then it was that
brave Keenan, died al the head of his
regiment, and the whole platoon died
with their feet in their stirrups.
But they did not die in vain. Ten
''"u'eS purchaser Ill ,'ih' iearlal l'rlce
When he came on again, flesh and
blood could not stand up before our ter
rifle canister fire. His veterans Quailtd
m r. r.rt;fy his ,in.S ,vas ,n;stakan IN
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