South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-01-11

4S"s.y - my company walked up TO
the brow Of the hill. bat so,u returned
with the exclamation, sBoys! there is
the prett'est sight from the top Of the
hill sou ever saw They are coming
up On the other s:do in four ranks.
aud all dressed in red. When We
heard that. I and several Others jump
cd mp and started I'D sec, but Col.
Cummings ordered rs to stly ia ranks
while Daily remarked shat We would
see them soon enough Sure enough.
IN few seconds the head If the col.
umn made lis appearance. with three
officers on horae-back in front. and
mar ching By the fans with tire iuteu-
ton ot fanking ono Of our batteries
(the lfockbfi,ige artillery apt. PEN
dleton.) In . few minutes they es-
pied US laying there aud heard one
OF the officers cay, Hello! what men
are thsselA<At that moment some OF
ous mesE -, pet&aps, had the sbnck
fever without orders commenced FIR
ing some scattering shots, aud the en-
envy poured volley into as, but as
we were laying down, the balls went
over ous heads harmless.
Then came the command, tAtten-
ton Forward March! Charge Bay
onets! Double Quick!' and away
we went like an avalanche
ing everything before us-but the en-
envy broke anI lied and, just AZ we
got over the brow of the hill, we
found four pieces Of artillery taking
position and Numbering, but before
they could lire shot we were a.
mongst them aud shot the horses
down. an1 a good many OF the men
were shot ut their guns.
We were halted, aud one of nv
company. Thomas Furlough, who Ia ad
belonged to the artillery in the Mexi.
can war, threw down his musket and
said, Boys, let's torn the guns on
then.' and that was the last sentence
that ever passed his Fps. for Just then
he WAS shot dead. While this vas
going on the enemy were throwing a
force on our lett bank in the pines.
and they commenced pouring it into
Us from the front aud an enfi!ading
fire iroal the fl INK. and were cutting
ne To pieces, when We were ordered
back, aud halted at our first POSITION
: here we were reinforced by the 9th
Virginia regiment and North Caro-
lima regiment which made our line
longer, when we were ordered
to charge again Then we swept the
field. The enemy were panic-strick.
en-, and the route became general !:
we did not follow them far, for fresli
troops were coming in all the time,
aud we had lost severely, and were
considerably demoralized.
l then took stroll over the battle
field to see who OF my comrades were
dead and wounded, and found my
friend William J. Blue, laying on his
face dead. | Turned him over to see
" here he was shot. He must have
been shot through the heart. the place
he wanted TO be shot If shot at ALL
lie must have been killed instantly,
for he was in the act OF loading his
gun, one baud grasped around his
gun in the other he held cartridge,
with one end of it in his month, in
the act of tearing it off. [ sat down
10y him and took hearty cry, and
then thinks cit does rot look well
for d soldier to CT > but | could not
help 1t. I then stuck his gun i'm the
ground ~ his side, marked his name.
Co., and Reg, on piece of paper,
pinned IL on his breast aud went OFT.
| then saw three officers short dis
lance from me, looking through "a
field glass, | very deliberately walked
up to them and IA Sed to- look tirouyh
1t, and one of them handed it to me
when looking through it saw about
two miles OFT in large field what
took to be about 10, 900 of the enemy;
the field appeard to be black with them
[ ret rned the glass, saving Nv G ID
have we all of them to fight yet.' When
just at that nom, mt 'Pendleiou's bat
terry turned their guns on them and I
SAW the frs! shell strike in the field.
| don't think il was five minutes un-
til the field was vacant. | felt con
siderably relieved for [ had enough
of fighting for that day. We had
gained great victory, the enemy
were comp etely routed and panic
stricken, and never halte1 until they
arrived ut Alexandria aud Washing
ton.
Ny company numbered fifty.f G
rank and tile when we went into SER
vice, and By 80 many having the
measles aud other sickness we went
into the fight with only tweuty-seveu
men, and out Of that number we lost
five, killed and six wounded. The
killed were William J. Blue, Thomas
Furlough, James Adams, John w /.
Marker and Amos Hollonback, woun D..
del, Sergt. william Mon. gOmery,
John Rioehart, Robt. G. Grace. Ed
81 .rd allen. A. A. Young. and Jos d.
eph CadwaIlador. Tue Regiment
went into action with ahorf dE0 nor,