Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-08-30

returned to the head Of the column
about midnight feeling like lions re-
freshed, but having 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 retired
mud-bank, where was least in danger
of being made a thoroughfare of by
stray man or mule.
Il 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, ornamented with Vir-
ginia mud.
GAS you have had your breakfast,
captain" he said, suavely, I wish you
to take half-a-dozen cavalrymen to
help you, and ride on across the river
at Rappahannock Station and see to
the prompt removal of all trains back
out of sight from this side
"If he had made me a colonel on the
spot he could not have pleased me
better; not that I particularly admired
the duty, but because saw the hope
of something to eat at The end of it.
"Rappahannock Station was simply
one wild, chaotic mass Of men, horses
and artillery. while little further on
were the rear wagon trains, the object
ofmy solicitude. Nobody knew where
anybody else was, and everybody
wanted to know something no one
could tell him.
"By iudiciously suggesting to tn
division and brigade quartermaster
that the air was likely to be dark with
shell in about half an hour, had the
satisfaction of seeing the last wagon
speedily disappear behind the shelter
ing woods.
"This was destined to be a busy day.
The enemy was hurrying up his troops
and by nightfall of the Both the
whole Confederate army filed the
woods on the opposite side of the
river. Our corps, that is McDowelrs,
faced them in the center at the station;
Siegel's corps was on our right, and
Banks and Reno on the left, the whole
line extending about six miles. Bat
teries were posted on every available
position, piekets lined each river bank,
and both armies, grimly facing each
other, were glad to spend the night in
needed sleep and rest. The morn
ing of the 21st did not have a
chance to get aired before the enemy
opened on US with shot and shell, his
hope being most likely to dislodge our
artillery, demoralize our infantry, and
by watching favorable opportunity,
push across the river under cover of
his own fire.
"The echo of the first Confederate
gun had not died away before our own
artillery opened in most vicious and
heavy cannonade, sweeping the oppo-
site bank with torrent of iron hal,
to cross which his infantry would find
much more unhealthy than the Kappa
hammock.
This was the first time 1 had been
under an artillery fire, and 1 had no
experience of the whizzing, shrieking,
bursting shells, and the hurtling re-
chochetting round shot, which seemed
to fill the air with pandemonium that
could presage nothing but sudden and
ghastly annihilation.
There sat the general on his horse,
spying about with bis field glass as
though he had first-class box at tn
opera and was enjoying the perform
ance immensely, whilehis staff, myself
among the rest, stood around and tried
to grin horribly a CHASTITY smile
".Theyre little too high observed
the general, critically as the iron
demons howled over our heads, but in
a moment added:
"4Ah that's better, much BETTER
as round shct took our orderly's leg
off and she'll scattered an aides horse
to the four winds of heaven, lsaving
the owner thankful that he was not
on him.
"All day long this racket went on
at the station, assisted by lighter can
nonad ng up and down the river,
while along its banks the pickets and
sharpshooters kept up wary but per-
s:stent exchange Of leaden compli-
ments.
Occasionally I was sent with orders
to this or that battery or brigade, aad
csnsider it due to yself to say that
1 could not justly be accused of fool
ing time away in the transit. Once
when got back to headquarters the
gen; raj was delivering kind Of lee
ture on courage under circumstances
similar to these, and in support Of
point he had made remarked:
90 think it is Emerson who says:
A great part of courage is the cour-
age of having done the thing before
"sThsn 'spo:e if fellow gets his
heal knocked off few times he'll
cease to take much discomfort to him
self over the process growled the
corps missionary, who had an abiding
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