Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1885-08-26
CALIFORNIA WARRIORS. !
THE GREAT SHAM battle
AT TRIBE HILL

An appeal" Correspondent
Vivid Account Of the Fight.
| Triple HILL, Aug. 23d.
To THE EDITOR OF THE APPEAL
In pursuance with your tele
graphic request I visited SAINT:
! Cruz yesterday, and was present al
q spectator of the great sham bat
tie, in which the flower and chiyalry
Of California took such gallan,
part. Nothing but the great event
was talked of for days. The hack.
men had a secret meeting the
night before and raised rates up to
the notch of the occasion.
THE EVE OF BATTLE.
The night before was indeed a
scene of busy preparation, all night
long could be heard the soldiers
hard at work, disputing over the
plan of the battle and the struggle
Of the various regiments trying to
secure eligible locations on the fiat
of the battlefield, showed what a
lively interest they took in the
fight. The sound of the armorers
at work, driving the faucets into
the beer barrels, was noticeable I'M
til after midnight. No one slept
that night, that anybody knows Of.
The Sergeants, particularly, had a
hard time SOLDERING up the men for
the next days work, and then turn
ing in and SOLDERING up themselves
Your correspondent fell into good
hands, and was on his pins prompt
ly at eight in the morning.
THE EvENTFUL MORNING.
The sun rose on a slightly clouded
sky, but Gen. Turnbull ordered the
sky cleared at 9 o'clock sharp, and
the Almighty complied. The other
Generals rode up and down the lines
telling the men to be firm and the
day was theirs. The soldiers
cheered Justify and signed an agree
ment, witnessed by a Notary, TO
stand firm in their tracks until the
last blank cartridge was fred. Col
Dickinson massed his regiment in
front of a lost ditch, and all agreed
to lie down and expire in it to slow
music if the enemy won.
The Chaplains all along the line
attempted morning prayers, but
we're retired on half pay. Your
correspondent hired Methodist
Chaplain to pray for him and the
bill was four dollars. Later in the
day he ascertained that the Presby-
terrain Chaplains were serving news
paper correspondents with spiritual
consolation at cheaper rates. At
the time Of paying the first bill we
never expected to see the setting
sun.
THE BATTLE BEGINS.
The battle was billed for 9
o'clock, but did not come off as ad-
vertised as Gov. Stoneman had mis-
laid his clean shirt, and was obliged
to borrow one finally from Private
McGinnis Of the Dandy-fifth. I
loaned him some socks and a collar,
neither of which 1 have seen
since.
The Fourth Regiment was blue
messed on Triple Hill with its
pickets up against the fence. The
First artillery was oyer in Santa
Cruz, at the hotel, playing billiards
when the first rude rumble of the
distant guns warned them of the
opening of the battle. Hastily
rushing out without paying for the
last nine games, they few to the
CORY field.
AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE.
The scene, at this moment beg |
CARED description to some extent
The Provincial regiment, com
manded by one of the finest dane
ers in San Francisco, and some ar
tillery, held the Hill with sort OF |
first mortgage grip, and the Third
brigada came up on the dead run
and playing an appropriate dead
march, to forclose.
About five minutes before the
word of command the big guns be-
gan to below defiance at the foe |
below, and in an instant the smoke
If the musketry mingled with the |
smoke of the cannon on terms of |
perfect equality. |
I was between the two fires. Of |
course, I want the reader to bear
IN mind that they used nothing but
cartridpes else I would have |