Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-04-05

INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.
The Story Of Three Hundred as Worthy Of Song
as the LigAt Rrirade

The Story Of Three Hundred as Worthy Of Song
as the Light Brigade.
Few Americans ever dreamed that
among the dark and gloomy pines of
Charlottesville was enacted tragedy
worthier To live in epic verse than the
charge Of the Light Brigade at Balak-
lava. Only once in all the histories OF
the war have | seen it mentioned. and
tonight my thoughts brood over the
nameless graves OF those unsung heroes
till my soul cries out in protest against
favoritisms of historic fame, and for
these humble heroes / must crave the
meager justice of a passing mention in
the ears of their countrymen.
1t was the night Stonewall Jackson
received his death wound. He had
completely surprised Howard $ Eleventh
corps, and was driving them in the
widest confusion along towards the
centre o. our line. In the rfgh. they
passed through woods, just beyond
which, in clearing, lay four Of Sickles'
batteries. and flying artillery battery
and the Eighth Pennsy lvania cavalry of
General Pleasanton. The batteries
were not in position but were packed. :
awaiting orders. Through their lines
dashed the panic-stricken fugitives,
hotly pursued by Jackson's immense
corps of over twenty thousand men.
Infantry, artillery, ambulances, pack
mules, negroes and stragglers, the
worst scared men I ever looked upon,
came tearing pastlike mad. The batteries
had no commander, but each captain,
excitedly acted for himself Battery
left wheel Fire to the rear. In bat
terry: Caissons pass your pieces, trot,
marchr' and frightened buglar caught
only the word s'trot,n and sounded it
and no more 1t rang out clear above
the worse than Babel; many took it
for a general stampede signal, and
across the field, and down a bill. and
over a stone wall near its foot, in that
famous ravine, dashed several cassions
and few guns. Elk prolong TO fire
retiring with canister-load. y
On came the fugitives; nearer and
nearer through the sounding woods
came that Confederate yell and the rush
of Stonewall Jackson's victorious le-
gions. Sickles was almost mile
away, pushing through the woods with
his splendid corps. Not a Federal
musket was in sight except what the
Eleventh corps men bore to the rear as
rapidly as legs could carry them. We
must make our fight against those
tremendous odds alone-iive batteries
of us and three hundred cavalry-not
over six hundred men all told
On swept twenty thousand confeder-
ates. and we not yet ready to fight.
Our line was confusion worse con-
founded; guns stood pointing whittier
socver the excited cannoneers listed.
and at the first fire one half of us would
blow the other into eternity, and Stone
wall would have Hooker's headquarters
and double up the whole army--a
cheering prospect that The sun had
set behind the woods, and through
them, yet faster in the thickening
gloom rushed Jackson's troops
Suddenly out in front. of our guns
rode the familiar form of General
Peasanton Above the din arose his
shrill voice: 'Align those piecesr' 1t
was work of many minutes, and
Stonewall was now just upon us. Time!
oh, for ten minutes time! How to get
it, There sat Major keenan,, with his
three hundred horsemen. Here was a
sacrifice, which, if every man was a
patriot like Arnold WInkelried, would
give us those precious minutes. Gen
eral Pleasanton said quickly to Keenan,,
major, you must charge into those
woods with your men and hold the
enemy in check until l get these guns
into position. You must do it at all
COST keenan, says: 1T is just the
same as saying you must be killed.
but, with a smile, he said, General |
will do it,
Oh. what sight was that. Would
to God some American Tennyson
might see that sight and lift those hum
BILE names into Immortality Three
hundred troopers with deep set spurs
and flashing sabers rushed at the Threats
of twenty thousand armed men. No
body had Numbered, but somebody
must die for the arrny--that was all!
So mad blow did they strike in
Jacksons very teeth that he stopped
his onward rush to reform his lines.
Surely there must be more coming-no
single regiment could be charging his
army single handed-and when no
other bold riders came, then it was
that brave Keenan, died at the head of
his regiment. and the whole platoon
died with their feet in their stirrups.
But they did not die in vain Ten
minutes purchased at the fearful price
to us was costlier still to Jackson.
When he came j again, flesh and
blood could ne stand up before our
terrific CAMS er fire HIS veterans
quailed before the sirocco of death. He
rode up to rectify his lines. was mis-
taken in the gathering darkness for one
of our cavalry men, and was shot by
his own men.
Our ''three times thee" had hardly
ceased to ring, when Sickles, who had
rushed ahead of his veterans hurrying
to our support, rode up among our guns
and called out: "You have done nobly
boys, Stand firm, and in ten minutes
I'll have ten thousand men here who
don't know anything but fight" He
was as good as his word, and quickly
the old Third corps filed in behind the
guns, and Jackson's famous corps had
received its first defeat.
Three hundred men made Therm-
opye live through centuries; six hum
dred men at Balaklava rode to fame in
sight of the whole world, but the cyni-
csm of America has left to slumber in
unknown graves, beneath the pine
groves of Chancellorville, band of
men whose deed was rs great and
worthy of name rs those which poets
have sllnU THROUGH ALL aces