The National tribune., 1883-09-13

near Chantilly, or the road leading there, we
were halted by some general-I do not know
who-and ordered down the road toward Chan
tiily, where we were placed in support of a bat
terry. do not remember the name of the battery,
but that was one of the most trying times we
passed through; we were out of Tations, and q
wagon attempted to bring Us supplies, but
it was too hot work. That was most fearful
night. The thunder and lightning and rain
made the shock of battle unusually terrible.
Yes, Mr. Editor, the TweGty-third New York
was there.
Fraternally, yours, GEO B. MORGAN.
THE FIGHT Ar-LEETowN.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
l notice that in your Chronology of the War
you mention the fight at Leetown, Va July
3, 1864, by the First New York cavalry and
Tenth West Virginia volunteers. Colonel Alul-
hgan's regiment of Illinois troops was there
also, and two sections of battery B, First West
Virginia artillery, under command of Captain
John V. Keepers, of which battery l was
member, and l propose to give history OF
that fight according to my best recOllections.
L was camp guard the night before the Sd of
July, and was the only man awake in camp at
the time the firing commenced, which was
about O'Clock in the morning of the Sd.
was standing watch over some feed which was
piled up in sacks on the right of the pike run
ming down the valley, and about half mile
from the b. & o. +. r. Henry Adams now of
1ronton, Ohio, was corporal of the guard that
night, and had laid down on the sacks of feed
and gone to sleep. leaving his watch with me,
so that | could awaken him at the proper time
to relieve the guard. Everything seemed to
be very still and quiet as | walked my lonely
beat on that calm July morning, and the men
were all peacefully sleeping In their tents, little
dreaming that an enemy was stealing on them.
How they ever got so close to Us without being
discovered has always been a mystery 70 me.
The first warning that | had of their presence
was the report OF a cannon at no great distance
from camp. 1t was not until the second or third
report that was aware of what was going on.
| then Immediately awakened the corporal
and ran to the officers tent and awakened the
| captain and lieutenantS, and then the orderly
| sergeant, and next called upon the bugjer,
| who Immediately sounded the assembly, and
| the men turned ont at doabe-quick. From
the time the first shot was ire1 until the horses
were harnessed and hitched to the guns not
more then fifteen minutes elapsed 1t was
| then getting light enough TO see objects at
short distance. The captain selected position
| about a quarter of a mile from our old camp
and on the opposite side of the pike. The rebels
| had battery in position awaiting our approach,
| and then the fun began, and it was kept up
| for about three hours, when we changed our
position in order to draw the JOhnnieS out, and
| in doing so gave them possession of our old
camp which we bad left so hastily in the
| early morning. From our position we could
| plainly see the rebels feeding their horses from
! the pile of feed that had been guarding dur
| ing the night. The artillery fight was kept up
until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when
| the rebel infantry charged on the battery, but
was gallantly repulsed by the Tenth West Vir-
| ginia and Mulligan's regiment. A few more
well-directed shots from Corporal Worthing-
! toms, Bakers, and Lambert's guns silenced
their battery and the victory was ours. / was
the only man awake in our campwhen we were
| attacked. The above mentioned battery served
! in the West Virginia campaign for three years
and nine months, and l have neyerseen its name
mentioned in history. hope to hear from some
other member of the company. / am a member
| of Dick Lambert Post, No. 165. Ironton, Ohio.
| SAMUEL YANHORN,
Battery B, 1st w. Va. Art.
ARABIA OHIO.