Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-09-02


: ground to the rear and took thnps Gnietlv
. exchanging shots from his gun at intervals
: and keeping out a good line of dismountef
l skirmishers that checked our exhausted
7 infantry and cavalry.
D lit was not long before matters began tt
warm up, as fresh supply of wind was
obtained, and the game began, and the
fighting all that beautiful day was kent mr.
Q in echelon, almost as regularly az if :
q French general of brigade was exercisino
in tactics. A section of the battery tn tbe
front couple of hundred yards at the
gallop, supported by portion of the Other
troops, and hot engagement would follow
l for twenty, or ten, Or five minutes. as the
case might be, Imbodep resisting enouob
to check continuous movement forward.
and retiring as the other sections and DOR.
l tions of the command came up and passed
on to right or left, so that for most of the
time there was continuous fighting over
almost every inch of the way from Charles
town to point few miles below Berry
! vile, when the night came on and the pur.
suit was reluctantly stopped. 1t was of no
t'dse to go on, and not only Col. Wells. as
gallant man as ever wore strap and saber.
but every officer and man in the command
knew it. Yet up to the time the halt was
sounded, every soul had responded prompt
ly to the extent of ability or human en-
durance to every call made.
''Ihe whole days work was stern chase.
but occasionally, when Imboden was press
ed too close, and was in need of time to
keep the prisoners and plunder safely ahead
out OF the way, he stopped long enough to
give us sharp taste of fighting that showed
the metal that was in him. Once late in the
afternoon, at a point somewhere between
Fairfield BLACKSMITH shop, grocery &c.,
and Berryville, Minor had gone into battery
with all of his guns in a rolling field off to
the right OF the road, where Imboden made
what threatened to be a determined stand.
as the ground was all he 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 a steep
creek bank, while beyond, nearer his lines.
| was another wall, somewhat higher and
| from that a gentle slope upward to his posi-
ton, which was just at the edge of wood
ed lot, about thousand yards away from
our 'front.' Close by our right, and 400 or
5OO yards from the road, was q patch of
woodland that seemed to have been we'll
thinned out, and had thick second growth
OF scrub pine that you SO often see in Vir-
ginia, and apparently impossible. 1 saw
apparently advisedly, for had ridden over
to the margin of the woods and could see
no trace of road, either wagon or bride
path. The guns were well at work, and as
Minor was short of officers, was directing
one OF his sections, when, with whoop and
yell, out of that thick undergrow with, a lit |
tie to the rear, come couple Of Harry Gil |
lmore's squadrons, with that daredevil
sabreur leading them, straight down on us,
1oay with u fc a1,o,,
thigh, and looking as if there was whole
division of them. 1t wasn't more than fifty
yards away, and of course it didn't take long
for them to get there JOSH Our support
at the time was one of Coles troops and
two companies Of the 34th, and the rush was
so sudden and unlocked for-an episode
IN TACT, that the support gave way and Gill |
lmore MADE straight for the guns l was
dlsmounted at the time, and actually, be- |
fore anything could be done they rode right
over and past the guns, sabers slashing and
pistols firing as they went. had been tug
ging like blazes at my huge revolver-army
pattern, weighing as much as carbne, al |
most-but couldn't get the blamed thing
out, and as they rode over us a long-legged, |
red-headed fellow made vicious slash at
me over the wheel with his saber. prompt
~ lodged under the muzzle of the gun, and
he didn't reach ME, much to my satisfaction.
'Fours, left wheel, rang out, and back they
came before you could draw breath with |
any satisfaction, and when they did 1 laid
for the son of a saber that reached for me
before. for had got out my gun by this
time, and got around in rear of the piece by
the trail. didn't see my red-headed friend, |
but happened to look up suddenly Just as a |
handsome, -moustached youngster,
boy in looks, was making point to run
me through. Dern my buttons, gentlemen,
but if that saber didn't look as long as q |
fence rail and as bright as an electric light |
I'll let my pay this month go into the con-
science fund 1t seemed to me as if I lust
stood still half an hour looking at it; but
that was just fancy, for dropped fiat under
the gun axle and the boy swept on past
By this time the support had rallied and
began work, and in second or two we
wheeled a gun round as it stood, stand of
canister emptied couple of saddles, and the
thing was practically over. But it was
warm weather for the moment. AS far as
my own experience and observation goes
that dash of Harry Gillmore's was the |
haddsomest thing Of the kind that took place
during the war. You see, he and his men
knew every blessed inch of that whole |
country, and had just slipped around our
flank by any almost unnoticable bride path |
I'd like to run across that young fellow some |
time, if he pulled through the war alive, and |
talk that over. I would like to know just |
how he felt when he thought he had me so
sure"