Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-23


bring my command at double quick
to the Henry house. We had pros
ceedcd but short distance when Gen.
Evans ordered us TO move to our right
toward a body of woods, from which
a fire had been opened on US; but just
at this moment Col. James Chestnut,
acting as volunteer aid to Gen.
Beauregard, repeated the order ex-
tended through Ferguson. We moved
as rapidly as possible in the direction
indicated, passing obliquely across
the front of Jackson's brigade, and 10
a few minutes we were fighting
around Henry house, where Lee, Bar,
low, and Fisher had been killed or
MORALLY wounded Two guns of
Ricketts, battery, the horses OF which
| had all been killed, were near the
crest of the hill, abandoned; two
others, in the same condition. were a
| little lever down nearer the house,
and the remaining TWO he was stub
bornly fighting just beyond the gar~
| den of the house, on or very near the
Su6ley road. AS we passed the house
and while we were in the garden, the
command to ''charge bayonets" hav~
! Tag just been given, l was wounded.
The command was turned over to
Capt. James Conner, senior captain,
and was taken from the field. The
| legion followed the retreating enemy
as far as any of our infantry did, and
the men had been under constant fire
for eight hoers. These details are
| toot
may be offered showing how the mis-
take made by Jackson came about ma.
| turally.
In a letter to Mrs. Jackson, written
on the 22d of July, he uses the follow
ing language: "While great credit is
due to other parts of our gallant army,
God made my brigade more instru-
mental than any other in repulsing
the main attack" and on August 9Th
| he writes as follows: 81 know that
the First brigade was the first to meet
and pass our retreating forces, to push
on with no other aid but the smiles
of God, to boldly take It's position
with the artillery that was under my
command, to arrest the victorious foe
in his onward progress, to hold him
in check uahl reinforcements arrived,
and finally to charge bayonets, and
thus advancing pierce the enemy's
center" The world srecognizes the
distinguished part borne by Gen.
Jackson and his gallant brigade in
the battle of Manassas, and he spoke
with just pride of the services of his
men on that occasion. The same pride
that inspired there, his warm words
of praise prompts me to do justice to
my men, whose conduct and services
were as worthy of commentator as
those of any other troops.
The following extract from the re
port of Brig. Gen. Evans will throw
some light upon this point, as do in
deed the reports of Gems. Johnston
and Beauregard. Gen. Evans says
'The enemy were by this time in
such large forces that our position
was no longer tenable, and [ ordered
my command, now greatly scattered,
to fall back under cover, toward the
Lewis house. The commands of Gen.
Bee and myself were now completely
scattered, when we were timely COWS
cred by Hampton's legion and other
reinforcements."
Gen. Evans himself passed through
my command while he was on the
turnpike, as he was retreating, and [
know that this was the first COMEDIES
rate force that he met as he was retir-
ing. After the repulse of the enemy
on the turnpike they moved down the
Sudley road, crossed the pike at the
Stone house, and struck the left of
Jackson's line in front of the Henry
house. This explanation of the move
ment of the eneny-one that had
never seen given in any report of the
battle-reconciles accounts which
otherwise seen contradictory, and
while it proves the left Of Jackson's
line was engaged, the legion could
very well have been fighting in front
of his right, for his line, while nearly
parallel with mine was four times as
long
These facts are given simply IN JUS
tice to my old command, in whose
reputation and well~earned glory [
feel now the same pride that [ felt
when I had the honor to lead them,
On every field they did their whole
duty as soldiers, and on the first they
left more than one-ffth of their mum
Der dead and wounded. The Army of
the Potomac, to which the legion was
attached, had 9,477 on the field, OF
which number 624 were killed and
wounded. Of the 600 men of the legion,
121 fell. They surely deserved the
praise Gen. Johnson bestowed on
them when he speaks of ''the excel
lent conduct of the gentlemen COM
posing the legion"
Electricity in the MenagerIe.