The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-09-18

I
he had secured in the way of arms, am
munition, accoutrements and supplies,
| and had started them off to the south
ward on the Berryville pike to place
of safety. He had expected call
| from the ferry and was at home.
''By the time we arrived oar men and
horses were pretty well knocked up by.
the sharp pace at which the column
had been forced along, for Wells vas
possessed OF as much energy ard dash
as 1mboden, and would have made a
| brilliant mark in the history of the war
had lie not been killed year after the
battle OF Cedar Greek. While we were
tagged cut ImboGcn's msn and horses
had rested, SO that when our guns were
numbered and began pumping case
shot at him, he quietly and easily took
ground 10 the rear and took things
| quietly. exchanging shots from his guns
at Intervals, and keeping out good
line of disinounted skirmishers that
| checked our exhausted infantry and
cavalry.
at was not long before matters began
warm up as a fresh supply of wind was
obtained, and the game began, and the
| fighting all that beautiful day was kept
up in Echelon, almost as regularly as
If French general OF brigade was ex-
ercSlng in tactics. A section of the
battery was limbercd to the front q
couple Of hundred yards at the gallop,
supported by a portion Of the other
troops, and hot engagement would
follow for twenty, or ten, or five min
ut"s. as the case mi ght be. lmboden
resisting enough to check a continual
movement forward, and retiring as the
other sections and portions of the com
mand came up and passed on to the
right or left, 50 that for most of the
time there WAS continuous fighting
over almost every inch of the way from
! thariestown to Il point few miles below
Berryvilie. when the night came on and
the pursuit was reluctantly stopped. 1t
was OF no use to go on, and not only
| Col. Wells, as gallant Il man as ever
wore strap and sabre, bat every officer
and MAN in the command knew it.
Yet. up TO the time the halt WAS sound
cd, every soul had responded promptly
to the extent of ability or human en-
iurance to every call made.
The whole day work was Il stern
chase, but occasionally, when Imboden
was pressed too close. and was in meet!
OF time to keep the prisoners and plum
der safely ahead out of the way, he
stopped long enough to give us a sharp
taste OF fighting that showed the metal
that was III him. Once, late in the
afternoon, at a point somewhere be-
! tween Fairfield BLACKSMITH shop, gro
ceiv. etc., ant! Bcrryvillc. Miner had
cove into battery with all its guns in 4
/ rolling field Off to the right of the road.
! where Imbo,tcn made what threatened
/ to be determined stand, as the ground
was al h" could have wished for if he
had picked it out. Just in our front.
crossing the open ground diagonally
from the pike, was :, stone wall about
/ three feet high. running along the edge
Of Il steep creek bank, while beyond,
nearer his lines, was another wall.
somewhat higher, and from that gen
tie slope upward to his position. which
WAS lust at the edge of :. wooded lot,
about 1000 yards away from our front.
Close by our right. and 400 or 800
yards from the road, was u patch of
woodland that seemed to have been
well Trimmed ont. and had 4 thick see
ond growth Of scrub pine that You 50
often sec III Virginia. and apparently
. Impossible. | say apparently advi>edly
for . had ridden over the margin, OF the
woods and could see no trace of :. road.
either wagon or bride path. The guns
were We'll at work. and rs Miner was
short OF officers was directing one OF
! his sections, when: with Il whoop and L
! yell. out OF that thick underground, 3
little TO tic rear. came couple OF
Harry Gilmore $ s4uadronS, with that
daredevil Sabrcur leading Them
straight down on us. every man with
his sabre roInnacl at the thigh,
, and looking rs il there was <, whole d.
vision oi them. I, wasn't more than
lift; yards away: it didn't take long for
them TO 's'rt there. Josh. Cur sup
',s;l; at the time WAS one Of Cole" s
trnt, and two companies of the
E>....:>,-fruFtil. and the rush WAS SO
~li>i.ip! and unlocked for-;rn 'ei;i>Ode.
III fHct-th"t the support gave way,
ana Gilmore made str;ti ght for til" gums.
was di-lno,nteA at the time. and
H;.tu;,il :. before anything could be
done. they rode right over and past tee
as they went. had been tll"ging like
tern. wei hing rs much as c;,rbinc al
most !ut couldn't get the blamed
thing ont. and IL they rode over lis a
lonm-lprced. rcd-hcadrd fellow made 1t
vicious slash at me over the wheel with
lis sabre. promptl; lodged under
the m!lZzIe OF the gun. and he didn't
reach me. much to my satisfaction
'EourS. LETT whccl:' rang out, and back
tee. cam" before they could draw q
breath with any satisfaction, and whe!,
they did laid Tor the son OH sabre that
reached for me before. for had got
ont MY gun by this; time and got
around in rear of the piece by the trail
ddn see my red headed friend, but
ha,penci to look up suddenly, just as
Il handsome, dark motstacled Young
s;cr. mere boy in looks,
WAS making Il point to run me
through bern my buttons, gentle
men. but if that sabre didn't look as
long rs :, fence rail. and as bright as all
electric light III let my pay this month
30 into the conscience fund. 1t seemed
to me us if Just stood still half
III Hour looking AT it: but that WAS just
fancy, Tor dropped Hat under the gun
axle and the boy swept on past. BY
tlli, time the support had rallied and
began work, and in a second OF two
we wheeled a gun round as it stood. a
stand of canister cmpticd couple OF
saddles. and the thing was practically
over. But it WAS warm weather for the
!! moment. A. far as my own experience
and observation 20 that dash OF Harry
G!lmorc', was the handsomcSt thing OF
the kind that took place during the
; war. You scc he and his men knew
every blessed inch of that whole coun-
try. and had just slipped around cur
flank By an almost unnoticeable bride
path. Id Ike to run across that young
, fellow some time, if he pulled through
, the war alive, and talk that over. |
would like to know just how he felt
, when he thought hs. had me SO sure.