The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-03
UNDER FIRE.

3 VI LIS 1t t4tl he purchaser Il lltlAE IdTW
/ IN Virginia, about three miles from " ash
ington, ID. c.. access to which was had by
/ the way OF Georgetown and the aqueduct
bridge. lie gradually failed in health,
however. and died. leaving a widow
/ Mrs Cages aud two girls and two bows.
Al the breaking out of the war in 1901,
Mrs. Gayes ana her elder daughter. who
was about 10 years of age, took decided
stand in favor of the Union cause 1t
required not little moral courage to do
this; but there was no element of fear in
the makeup Of any member of the family.
AT first their home was within the Con
federate lines. and communication with
! Washington was very difficult and haz-
ardous. Mrs Cages was ridiculed, and
sometimes threatened but ii ayailed moth.
ing.
After the Confederates were driven back
a few miles, in 1861 fortifcations were
constructed around Washington for the
protection of the national capital They
consisted of a chain of forts arranged in
nearly a circle. The line crossed the Po-
tomae near { hahn bridge, above George
town, extending thence down to Airing
ton heights and some distance below, re
crossing the river about half way between
Long bridge and Alexandria and so on
around until the circle was complete
! Within this line. aud about mile and a
half from Fort Smith, situated on little
eminenee was Mrs. Cages modest home
pro. ected now from the enemy, but suffer
ing more perhaps from her friends.
| Many regiments were encamp'd d near by
and little by little her timber and fenaes
and stock and crops disappeared. -
there was scarcely anything left save 50
house and the land Even the cook-st SO
was missing one morning Nery frequeI 20
at night she was aroused by the beating -
the long roll, the shouting oI words OF
command, and the tramping of regimeAts
as they swiftly formed in line of battle 10
meet the expected enemy On such oc-
casions all the members of the family
would hastily dress, secure about their
persons what Valuables they had. and
patiently wait. During all these try--:--
years she ard her daughter were devoted
friends @f the nica cause, and their will
ing hands were untiring ia doing some
thing for the soldiers
1t was midsummer morning in 1864.
Out in the fields and over in the city it
was scorching hot But in Mrs. Gayes'
house, protected as it was from the rays
Of the sun by the abundant foliage of the
great oaks which surround it, the heat
was not oppressive. Mrs. Cages was in
the sitting room reading a paper. The
elder daughter was in Washington.
near Il years Of age, was playing with
the dog on the porch. 1t was a peaceful,
quiet picture of Virginia country life.
Suddenly there came a loud, whistling,
screaming sound, followed by a terrific
explosion directly over the house
why" CALCULATED Mrs Cages, as she
started from her seat, what heavy clap
Of" thunder she was about to say but
the unmistakable humming, twanging
sounds which followed close upon the ex-
plosion. with the falling of leaves and
broken branches from the trees, told her
it was a shell from some heavy gun.
"lt it possible the rebels are making an
attack" she said
The children now came running in from
their play, and one of them cried out:
"Ch. mamma the lightning has struck
the tree Mrs Gayes went out on the
porch and looked and listened. but
nothing unusual G5uid be seen or heard
1T was a shell, said she. Il expect a
gun at once of the forts went off acci-
dentally
well. " said Charley, when they load
their guns | wish they'd POINT them
toward Richmond They ought to be
ashamed of themselves
Il don't think We shall be troubled
and more. said the mother as she
returned to the sitting room, followed
| by the children She had but just
resumed her seat. when another shell
buried itself in the earth few yards
from the house and burst, throwing up
clouds of dust and dirt
wv hat can il mean?" said Mrs Caves
Il know what 1t means, mamma" cried
Charley. That New York regiment
which has been sent over to Fort Smith
/ has put up a target in our field, and the
fellows are firing at it. | wish was a
general. Id put every one of them in the
guard house
The boy was right in his surmise, and
in few moments another missile thrown
from one of the huge siege guns with
which the fort was armed struck quar-
ter of a mile away. and came bounding or
ricocheting toward the house, striking the
| ground at short intervals in its mad
/ course something as a stone when thrown
violently upon the water skips along the
surface. With shrek like demon it
| plunged through the garden. destroying
everything in its path, filed the air with
| dust, gave two or three more skips and
screeches. and finally burst over near the
road. MIS- Cages turned pale.
| ~Come down into the cellar with me,
| all of you, she said, and they obeyed with
alacrity. After she had quoted Eliza, the
| negro servant, who was alternately pray
luB " uG 8oOl 1OIL anu " 11lSSUS
| Cages to save her, she said:
Charley, you must run up to Mr. Pier
sons : just as fast as you can aud ask him
/ to go around 10 the fort and have the
/ fring stopped. And you remain at Mr..
! Persons until | send for you Don
| come back You are not afraid to go, are
| you. -
No. mamma, I'm not afraid. -
| answered the brave little fellow. as he
/ ciasped his mothers hand a little tighter.
- knew you would not be; and now as
! soon as the next shell comes l wasn't you
| TO 60. Nv hen it came she kissed him
and said, Now. my brave boy, rum"
| She would have gladly gone herself.
| but she thought it better to remain that
she might be with the other two children
| in ease the house should be struck and
| burned 1t cost Der struggle to send
| her son forth on such perilous errand
| and Ter face was very pale as she kissed
/ him. Away sped Charley through the
| garc an. giancing with wonder at the
| great burrows the shells had plowed.
| climbed the fence and started to run with
/ all his might toward Mr. Pearson's house.
/ which was half mile distant He had
scarcely left the garden fence. however,
when another shell came tearing through
the shrubbery he had just passed and
/ burst close to the house The mother
/ heart ood still for an instant
and there was cause for it. One
/ OF tho flying fragments struck poor
/ Charley. and he fell to the ground
/ with cry OF = b, mamma" Down IN
| the cellar the mother heard the cry of
her wounded boy. and in a moment she
/ was kneeling BY his side 1t was a SAD
I sight for 8 mother 10 look upon. The
/ cruel piece Of iron with its ragged edges
/ had striped gfeat piece of flesh from
the back of his ankle upward, completely
severing the cord and laying bare thu
bone He was lying upon his face, anc
the blood was already staining the green
grass where he had fallen. Speaking
words of encouragement she removed
his shoe and the fragment Of stocking,
and hastily bound up the wound with
strips torn from her clothing. In this
way she sfanched the flow of blood and
auieted his fears. though she could not
alleviate his pain
Now, Charley. must go up to Mr..
| Persons myself, for a shell may strike
the house. and then Mary and Robby
viii be burned I'll put you behind that
tree, and you will not be in much
danger
But you Il run, mamma, won't your
+ And the tears trickIed down Charley
cheeks. though he tried very hard to keep
them back The tree was a large chest
nut. and its generous trunk afforded q
pretty ample protection against the
shells. two of which had struck near by
while Mrs. Gayes was binding up the
wound Arriving at Mr. Persons. she
dispatched him in great haste to the fort
while she, with swift feet. returned te
harley. Becky and Berry Pierson. aged
10 and IS. with true girlish heroism, re
turned with her notwithstanding The
Ibursting shells On the way they passed
several negroes sheltered behind stump,
and stones. and Mrs. Cages vaialy beggee
them to follow her and assist in the re
moval of the wounded boy They found
f harley - behind the tree and n,