Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-19


skirts Of the village. Rev. DR.. Dabney,
then chiefo staff, says "Tlie General
had barely time TO mount and gallop
toward the bridge, with part OF his
staff, when the way was closed two
others of his suite, attempting to follow
him few moments after, we're cap
tured in the street; and one or two,
pereeiving the hopelesspess Of the at,
tempt, remained with the handful Of
troops thus cut off" life Of Jackson,
page AID. What next happened is
best told by General W. b. Taliaferro
and Colonel Poague, then captain OF the
Rockbridgc Battery. The official re-
ports of these officers were written a
few days after the battle. General
Taliaferro says:
son the morning Of the 9Th my
camp on the north side Of the Shenan-
doah was disturbed by the sound OF
artillery close under the hills below us,
and apparently in the town of Port Re-
public. l immediately ordered the
brigade TO be formed, and as it was
about to be formed for inspection the
regiments were speedily in line. | re-
ceived orders to move the regiments as
they were formed down to the bridge,
which was done. On reaching the
crest Of the hill overlooking the town
and river perceived that party Of
the enemy, consisting of some cavalry
and two field pieces, had penetrated
the town, and that piece was
planted at the mouth Of the
bridge, commanding its entrance and
the whole distance through it.
found Major-Genersl Jackson on
the hill in person directing the fire
Of some of our pieces, and he ordered
me to charge across the bridge, capture
the piece, and occupy the town. We
were exposed TO considerable fire from
the enemy's guns in crossing the hill,
and the Thirty-seventh regiment lost
three men but that regiment Colonel
Fulkerson), with the utmost gsllantry,
after delivering q fire, charged across
the bridge, captured the piece, and
chased the enemy from the village. kill
ing and capturing several Of them
Captain Poague reports:
"0n the morning Of the Sth. in ODE
disnce to directions from Brigadier-
General Winder, FASTENED from camp
with one of my Parrot guns, the first
hitched up and ready to move, in the
direction Of the bridge at Port Repub-
lie, about three fourths Of a mile dis
tant. Under the direction of Major
General Jackson in person this gun
was placed in position in the wheat
field near the bridge, commanding both
it and the country beyond the Shenan-
doah river. This piece drove the enc
my's cavalry from beyond the river,
and fired two shots at a siX-pOunder
stationed by the enemy at the farther
extremity Of the bridge, when the can
noneers abandoned the gun and re-
treated across the river, taking the
timber with them"
Colonel Poaguc says in letter to me
in 1879:
~ recollect well the incident you ask
about. General Jackson, finding one Of
my guns ready to move, directed me to
hasten with it towards Port Republic,
he himself going along and posting it in
the field overlooking and commanding
the bridge. Twas surprised to see gun
posted at the farther end of the bridge
for | had just come from army head
quarters, and, although had met a cav
airyman who told me the enemy were adj
vancing up the river, still did not think
it possible they could have gotten any
guns into the place in so short time.
ii thereupon occurred to me that the
gun at the bridge might be one Of Car
rington's, who was on that side, and
whose men had new uniforms some-
thing like those we saw at the bridge.
Upon suggesting this to the General he
reflected a moment, and then riding a
few PAGES to the left and front Of our
piece he called in tone loud enough
to be heard by them, Bring that gun
up here; but getting no reply he
raised himself in his stirrups and
in a most authoritative and SEEM
ingly angry tone he shouted, Bring
that gun up here, | say!' AT this they
began to move the trail Of the gun so
as to bring it to bear on us, which,
when the General perceived, he quickly
turned to the officer in charge Of my
gun ard said, in his sharp, quick way,
'Let 'em have it, The words had
scarcely left his lips when Lieutenant
Brown, who had his piece charged and
aimed, sent a shot right among them,
So disconcerting them that theirs in
reply went far above us, and in few
minutes, seeing our infantry approach
ing, they left the place, and, as was
informed, abandoned their gun before
crossing South river"
This account is entirely consistent
with that given by Captain j. IL. Wood
in General Imboden's article. 1t would
appear from Captain Woods statement
that after the gan incident Jackson left
Posgue, and riding back alone met
Colonel Fulkerson, and afterwards Gen
eral Taliaferro.
/ have seen statement from Captain
(or LieutenanD Robinson, who COM
manded the Federal gun at the bridge,
confirming Poague's account, but can
not now lay hands on it.
General Imboden's mistakes about
Manassas and his unjustifablc allu-
sions TO some of his brother artillery
officers there have been so thoroughly
corrected by others thai it is needless
and might be considered unkind to pur-
sue that subject. w. A.
An ArtTuI Canine-The Reasoning Of q
Newfoundland Dog.