South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-02-15
Four Years In the stonewall
Brigade.


BY John o. cAsLER.
Private Co. A. 81 Va. IneAatry, Stcsswail
| erie.as. ls.. Devisies ID. Corps, Army OF
[coarIKuED.1
That night ono Of my comrades
came in and said he had been strag.
Cling down in the front and had found
. Yankee who was lost, and had turn
ed him over to the guard, but before
be did 80, the man had given him a
small pocket.pistol and it was the
most curious pistol he had ever seen,
and was showing it to the boys. 1
was about half asleep, but reused up
aud asked him to lot me see it, and
while hooking 1T aud working With
| the trigger, to see how it was con-
structed. it suddenly went off and
camc near shooting tue fellow in the
foot who was sleeping with me. He
I. reused up and said, You had be tier
mind how you crack your pop-guns
around here
The neat day the army was march
ed back to the rear short distance
and went into camp; everything
quiet with our cavalry in front, and
detail mado to bnry the dead and
gather up the guns. was on the
gun detail and we gathered them up,
loaded them in wagons ard started
with them to the rear, and just "a we
were starting for camp some sol1iers
who were Struggling over the battle
field commenced running and saying
the Yankee cavalry was charging. =
We looked aud saw them coming and
for few moments it caused quite a
stampede, but it turned out to be q
flag Of truce come to bury their dead
and get some wounded. But % We
went to camp the stampede had gam.
ell strength as it went and we found
wagons hitched up and pulling for the
rear and the troops out IN line oil bat
tie, but it soon settled down. Gen.
Jackson fought this battle with his
corps and gave General Pope Il fore
taste of what was to follow if he re-
NAMED in Virginia long. We re-
manned here two days and then march.
ed back to our old camp near Cor.
louisville, and General Pope fell back
across the Rappahannock.
Tho enemy being heavily reinfor.
ced commenced advancing their ca
valry again as far as Orange Court.
house, when General Lee came up
from Richmond with III whole army,
when ON the Goth of August we gain
took up the line Of march and crossed
the Rapidan river and on to the Rap
pahannock. We lay along the south
bank of the river for several days,
and tho enemy OIL the north bank,
skirmishing with cavalry, infantry
and artillery, each army making out
they were going to cross. and each
army failed in every attempt, until
one morning General Jackson started
to the rear with his corps, and as we
passed through n small village we
were ordered to leave our knapsacks
in some vacant building, and some
were left to guard them; VIC then
knew what was out, the same az il
Stonewall had told us, it simply meant
"a forced march and fans movement.
We then turned our course westward
up the Rappahannock river, and after
marching somo distance VIC crossed
the river and turned east towards AL.
exandria. After marching two days
land nights with very little rest we
struck the Orange and Alexandria
railroad, captured some trains of cars,
and leaving General Eweli's division
there, we went OH few miles to Ma.
nassas Junction, captured several
more trains, large amount o! COM
missary stores aud several suffers,
Dispensing aud capturing brigade OF
the enemy that was guarding that
point We were now completely in
General Pope's rear and between his
army and Washington City and Gen.
eral Lee, with the greater portion OF
our army, in his front at the liver
We had no wagon train with rs ex-
cept ordinance wagons, medical wa
CONS and ambulances and had started
with but three days rationJ, and if we
bad failed to make these captures we
would have been in desolated couu-
| try without rations; Int we all load.
ed ourselves with provisions aud re-
manned there all day. Tho soldiers
were at liberty to take all they want
ed, except the suffers stores which
were put under guard for the officers.
But we would form in solid mass
around the tents aud commence
pushing ono another towards tho CEN
ter until the guard, who was not very
| particular about it,, would give way
and then we would make the good
things fly for a short time until some
officer would ride mp with moro guards
and dispersc us. But we kept it up
until We bad gobbled up nearly every
thing, whom we would look around
| for frosh eunnlias I thon wont 10