Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-21
l BATTLING FIG HIT IN A NOUN.
TAIN.PASS

=
A BATTLING FIGHT IN A NOUN.
TAIN-PASS.
Defending Lees Flank ON the Geays-
burg Retreat.
Written for THE STAR by 7. J. Murray.
When the Army OF Northern Virginia started
out on the Gettysburg campaign, Corses brigade
Of Pickett's division. and perhaps the
strongest in numbers in the division, was
| left behind at Hanover Junction to de-
fend the line OF the Central railroad, from
| Richmond to Gordonstille. and Richmond itself.
from raiding parties Of the enemy. Trains of
| fat-cars were provided, and the consequence
was that on account of the frequent alarms from
reliable individuals, ; of whom the confederates
had fully as heavy crop as did their adyer-
saries, the greater portion of the time of the
brigade was spent on the trains running up
and down the road, first to one point,
| then to another, where the enemy
| was expected to strike 1t was harassing and
Wearlsome duty, and most of US wished heartily
| that it had been assigned to some other troops,
little thinking Of the terrible experience the re-
| malndef OF the division had undergone in the
celebrated charge up the bloody slope Of Gem
etery HILL One morning bright and early we
/
T. II. and over ThorntOn's Gap, In the Blue
Ridge, for Winchester, and it was not until We
arrived near Winchester that we learned our
army was falling back into Virginia We had
| met long lines Of prisoners returning from the
fatal field on our march, and until the time re-
ferred to it was believed in the brigade that
Gen. Lee had won a decisive and crushing vic
tory. OF course we were terribly disappointed
when the sad truth became apparent that he
had failed. but If there is thing that is char
| acteristic OF the veteran soldier, it is to take
whatever the gods may prOyide-whether good
| luck or bad luck, JOY or disappointment
philosophical stOicism.
PROTECTING THE RETREAT.
The brigade encamped near Winchester for
| some days, and then took up the march on the
back track towards Gordonsville. Now be it
| known. that while the army Of Northern vir-
ginia, with its long array Of trains and impede
| menta, was slowly deflng in retreat behind the
| mountain WALL the various mountain gaps. from
| Ashbys Gap to Thornton's Gap, inclusive,
swarmed with federal cavalry watching with
hawk-like keenness Of vision for a chance to
| pOunce upon Lees trains, or even to break and
stagger his infantry line. The truth is, that
besides the gaps proper there are many places
| IN the Blue Ridge between the points indicated
where horsemen can easily cross, provided they
are not encountered with artillery. A very for
tunate circumstance the latter for the 18th Vir-
gina regiment of COrse's brigade, as will be
y
swarming and audacious hOrsemen Gen. Lee
had but few cavalry, and those he had were in
bad condition; for during the Gettysburg cam
paign the cavalry Of the army had been literally
run of its feet to very little purpose, and pretty
thoroughly demoralized according to the gene
| raj understanding among the infantry Of its
status at that time
JCBAL EARLY UPON LEES CAVALRY
The cavalry of Lees army was as good ma
terial as ever existed. They were not only out
numbered by their, .adversaries. but the latter
were far better armed and mounted In the clos
ing yearseof the war. They fought gallantly
when they had ghost of chance and the re-
mark attributedt to grim old Jubal Early that he
would give any one reward who would show
him dead cayalryman" was inydious. Gen.
Lee, then, had to substitute infantry for cay
airy. Thus on arrival at Front Royal the 18th
Virginia regiment was detached from the brigade
and ordered to move into the mountain gap,
opposite that place, through which the Manassas
railroad passes Our commander, the major,
(eur colonel, Arthur Herbert, of Alexandria,
had some time previously been detailed to bring
into state of discipline a refractory regiment
who had shaved the tail of their colonies horse
and were in open mutiny against him, had
been duly notified that we had no cavalry in
front of us, videttes or otherwise, and that
we should probably have to fight for
| the gap before, We were relieved.
| In order to explain what follows 1t is necessary
| to state that the regiment had not one particle
Of confidence Ia the major as an officer, although
he was popular for his kind heart and affable
manners. Once before, during the siege of Suf-
| folk by LOngstreet, when the regiment was de-
tached and separated from the army by long
and deep mill dam, which could only be crossed
carelessness In posting pickets, he allowed the
regiment to be surprised in their biyouac and
| asleep under their blankets, it was only by
the individual pluck of the men fighting on
their own hook without line or order, that the
regiment was saved from being gobbled up
| body and bones. As it was. the enemy in their
charge threw down the majors tent and CAP
! tured his horse and saddle, while he was MAX
| Ing good time into the bushes in his stocking
| feet. He was killed in the i1xht-GOd rest his
sOul!-When Ben. Butler was bottled up."
A HOT DAY AND HOTTER FIGHT.
Well, to resume. On that -scorching hot
morning of July 22d, 1858, the Seventeenth be-
gan its march up the dusty country road that
| winds through the pass. Two companies were
detached to proceed up the railroad which runs
along, with high hills covered with scrub-bush
intervening. about half mile or 80 from the
county road The bulk of the regiment toiled
along amid clouds of dust. raised at every foot
fall! utterly unconscious Cat least we of the rank
and file were) that there was blue-belly within
a dozen miles of us. No men ever less expected
fight. Everything looked quiet and peaceful.
| and the eye was fairly wearied with the glim-
| mer of the heat as we gazed on the blue out
! line of the distant peaks. little before
noon we had attained about the center of the
pass. The regiment was halted just as we
| reached the point where the road made double
elbow. and we then moved into narrow fringe
| of woods on the roadside and stacked arms.
| Up to this time we had neither advance guard
or picket ahead of US; but here picket of six
| or seven nen under sergeant were ordered to
go about half mile further and take a good
| position for a look out. The men were per
| mitted to leave the stack of arms without warn
ing. Not even quarter-guard was placed, it
! recollection serves. Soon pretty much the
| entire command, officers and all, were scattered
over the adjoining fields gathering dewberries,
which grow in this section to SIZE luscious
ness, and profusion that is never elsewhere seen
equalied. Even the major whose home wa, at
Front Royal, deliberately rode off to see some OF
his friends 'pissanting after pies and whisky
| as our old general used to style such fOraging,
and it may here be remarked that we never saw
him for days afterward.
A SURPRISE AND RACE
The boys were all eagerly engaged in getting
outside of the delicious fruit Suddenly an
ominous and well-recognized rat-tap-tap sound
ed family up in the gap. which caused us all to