Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-09-19


away.
General Imboden, with half dozen
shells, vollcy or two of carbine and pis-
tol shots, and considerable dash, had
scoopcd in pretty nearly as many as his
own force numbered. Our folks were
never very proud of that part of the days
work.
"Well, in not much more than two
hours after the first shot was fired, Col.
Wells had pushed his command so hard
that we jumped into Imboden, who had
been hastily improving his time in gath
ing together his prisoners and the consid-
! cradle quantity of plumber lie had secured
| in the way of arms, ammunition, accou-
trementS and supplies, and had started
them off to the southwark on the Berry
Vile pike to n place Of safety. He had
expected call from Harpcr'S Ferry, and
was at home.
''By the time we arrived our men and
horses were pretty well used up by tEe
sharp pace at which the column had been
forced along, for Wells was possessed of
as much energy and dash as Imboden, and
would have made 4 brilliant mark in the
history of the war had lie not been killed
q wear after at the battle of Cedar Greek.
| While we were tagged out lmboden' :
men and horses had rested, so that when
our guns unlimbcrel and began pumping
case shot at him he quietly and easily
took ground TO the rear and took things
quietly, exch mging shots from his guns
at intervals, and keeping ont good line
of dismounted skirmishcrS, THAT checked
our exhausted infantry and cavalry.
at was not long before matters began
to warm up, as fresh supply Of wind
was obtained, and the game began, and
the fighting all that beautiful day was
kept up en- cchclon, almost as regularly
as if French general OF brigade was eX-
crcising in tactics. y section of the bat
| terry was limbcrel TO the front 4 couple OF
hundred yards at the gallop, supported
| by portion Of the other troops, and hot
engagement would follow for twenty, or
ten, or five minutes, as the case might be,
lmboden resisting enough to check con-
| tinual movement forward, and retiring rs
the other sections and portions of the
commanG came up and passed on to right
4 or left, so that for most Of the time there
was continuous fighting over almost every
! inch of the way from CharleStown to =
point few miles below Bcrryville, when
/ the night came on the pursuit was reIuct-
antly stopped. 1t was Of no use to 80 on,
and not only Colonel Wells, as gallant 4
man us 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
promptly to the extent of ability or hui
man endurance to every call made.
''rhe whole days work was n stern
chase, but occasionally when lmbodcn
| was pressed too close, and was in need Of
time to keep the prisoners and plumber
safely ahead out of the way, lie stopped
long enough to give us Il sharp taste of
| fighting that showed the metal that was
| in him. Once late ia the afternoon, Mt a
point somewhere between Fairfield and
Berryville, Miner had gone into battery
with all his guns in Il rolling field of to
| the right of the road, where lmboden
made what threatened to be determined
stand, as lie ground was all he should
have wished for if lie had picked 1t out.
Just in our front, crossing the open
ground Giagonally from the pike, was \
| stone wall about three feet high, running
along the edge of n steep creek bank
while beyond, nearer his lines, was an
other wall, somewhat higher, and from
| that gentle slope upward TO his position,
which was just ut the edge of wooded
lot, about ! 900 yards away from our
/ front. Close by our front, and 400 or 800
yards from the road, was pgtch Of wood
' land that seemed to have been well Tim
! ned ont, and had thick second growth
of scrub pine that you often see in Nir-
ginia, and apparently impossible. | say
apparently advisedly, for | had ridden
! over TO the margin of the woods and could
see no trace of road, either wagon or bri-
die path. The guns were well at work
and as Miner was short Of officers / was
directing one Of his sections, when, with
a whoop and yell, out of that thick un-
a. a a
couple of Harry Gilmor's squadrons, with
that daredevil sabreur leading them,
straight down OIL Us, every m&n with his
sabre pommel ut the thigh, and looking as
if there was a whole division Of them. 1t
wasn't more than fifty yards away, and Of
course it didn't take them long to 'get
there, JOSH Our support ut the time was
one Of Coles troops and two companies Of
the Thirty-fourth, and the rush was so
sudden and unlocked for-an episode, in
fact-that the support gave way and Gill
NOR made straight for the guns. was
dismouuted at the time, and, actually, be-
fore anything could be done, they rode
right over and past the guns, gabres
slashing and pistols firing as they went.
| had been tugging like blazes at my huge
Ievolver-army pattern, weighing as
much az a carbinc almost--but couldn't
get the blamed thing ont, and as they
rode over US long-legged, red-headed
fellow made vicious slash at Inc over the
wheel with his sabre. promptly 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