New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-06
GENERALS UNDER FIRE.
..,.,,,ecrNnrs or THE CIVIL WAR.

pEMINIsCENCES OF THE CIVIL WAX.
u tbo familiar battle picture of the last genera
'son the general with drawn sword mountea gu
. prancing charger, was represented as direc'ins
-bis army who were moving forward WIN ucau'na'
.aoularlty aud with bayonets fixed to spit the iucA
la. epemy in the left-hand distance. some deao
we na,,ercd about in the foreground and almost
s,nder the hoofs of the charger wounded hero
ra;ses himself ON one elbow and waves his hana
.esct;onately and periodically at his general
Tho nrostrate figures, with an overturned cannon
.ona an abandoned drum, represent the damage 81
Gar suffered in the tray. But there has come
reaction. The popular impression now seems ~ 70
that modern science ana improved weapons n"'0
mt an end to the grandose and heroic IA ""i
AS to the generals, almost every one uii.'' =.
been In the thick of several haro-io"S"' 80
himself. believes that their part Is 'oieiaoi' o.,
.nd comfortable one. that they issue their oruere
g., sor,o faroff point or sheltered spot ana th't
they take their observations with the aiu vi po".
fpl field glasses alone Perhaps TINS newer poPui''
idea of war is due to the rather FAMILIAR way III
which some professional war correspondents ha'0
-a,otsa what they saw. or thought they saw
through fieldg glasses.
AZ the Battle of fredericksburg December 49,
1862 tho open fields stretching out from the Guy
IN the foot of Marye's Heights were swept by the
Ere of sixty pieces of Confederate artillery 1t was
across this open that the Second Corps, from noon
IN dpsk division after division, moved against inc
bs;obts. its lines advancing, under the sweep OF
buIlst she'll solid shot and canister. with as much
steadiness as If on drill Though the heads were
bent instinctively down, just as one wouio walk
against a peiting rain. 1t was seldom that any
waveripg was noticed during all that milo wih.er
afternoon Columns issued from the various streets
of the city. and as soon as they had cleared inc
houses and instructions were deployed Forward Ut
nv the flank and so they moved out line aiter nue.
the Stars and Stripes never looking so 0eautiiu 10
tbs writer as they did that day through the smoke
of that fearful sacrifice of life. Late in the after
MON brigade of new troops, advancing in excel
Ient stvl, from the city, suddenly hesitated unler
tbe awful fire and seemed to break up into knots
and groups. Evidently they would not run, but
they could not make up their minds TO go oh'
Just as the wicked shells were bursting furlouslY
about Them urging them to go back, stately ola
general in all the panoply OF his rank with SHINING
epaulets and dignifed cooked hat galloped up I'D
front of them and, speaking few encouraging
words led them on, with his sword pointed to the
enemv. inst as in the old pictures. That general
was General Barry Chief of Artillery of the Army
of the Potomac He had been directing some
batteries into action when he noticed the conhuot
of the advancing brigade and rode up to restore It's
confidence in itself. 1t was worth wMle 10 see' no.
long after. Captain Thomas bring his battery (of
the 4th u s. Artillery up the road, turn 1t to the
left into the field, and then wheel 1t piece by piece
into action, under the venomous. well-directed
noint-blapk aim of the Southern artillery. Men
and horses rolled to the ground. but Thomass Bat
terv held its own till dark and never ceased to fire
Captain Thomas lost his life. but it was not until
acme years later, under Candy, fighting the Modoc
Indians In the Lava Beds
Fredericksburg was full of stirring Incidents
The writer might tell of party of eleven Infantry
men who crawled out along fence till they were
close enough to pick off the euemys csnnoneers'
ten of the infantrymen being killed outright or
MORALLY wounded. and one surviving to die not
long ago at the Soldiers Home in Dayton. But this
paper is to deal with generals only as the writer
chppcsd to see them under fire.
Tn, Iay before (September 49, 1862 the Battle
Of Antietam the Second Corps was on the rear face
Of the high ground near Antietam Creek In lines OF
brieades massed Along the crest our artillery was
carrying on duel with the Confederate guns
mile off near Sharpsburg. cheer broke out
among the troops to the right and sweled III sound
~ it approached us until it was taken up by our
own brieades The cheer was in recognition of
General Mcclellan, who, with his staff, came can
tering along tue rear of our lines. But the solid
arms not only cheered but made succession of
deep bows as Little Mac passed them by. As he
lifted his cap he smiled pleasantly, ana perhaps
Ses amused for the unmilitary ducking of heads
was caused by the screaming shells and solid shot
which the cheering drew from the enemy. The
same phenomenon was repeated all along the lines.
rhe instant brigade set up cheer it would begin
to duck. -
The next day one Of these brigades was on it's
knees, not praying but fighting. at the sunken lane
near Roulet's house. The Copfederates of Stone
wall Jackson's command crouched IN the ditch of
the lane while the Union men, unsheltered in any
way could see all around them the blades of grass
Quiverlgg as IL crckets were hopping in the white
clever; but the crickets were bullets. The Union
brigade general, NATHAN Kimball, afterward Lieu
se rnt-Governor of Indiana, had gallantly led his
men to the position, and now, as he saw how
rapidly they were being killed and wounded. and
that there seemed nothing for him to do for the
present but to pray, he prayed. He kept to his
saddle and paced slowly along up and down be-
hind the line, regardless of his exposure. fer
vently repeating. over and over again, "God save
my poor men,
Whether Stonewall jackson was killed by Union
or Confederate bullets at Chanceilorsv lille will
probably always be disputed But no could easily
hapo boon killed before by thu Union men, had
these chosen TO kill him. One day during the pre-
ceding winter perhaps in February. the writer was
in command of picket relief on the opposite bank
of tho river from fredericksburg aud little higher
up. Tue picket lines of the two armies were on the
opposite banks within sight and haing distance of
one another. There was an irregular. unauthor-
lied but tacit truce between the pckets. The day
was cold but clear A. loud cheering began among
the Confederates some distance off, and we called
out to those Just opposite for an explanation. The
answer was shouted back: " Stonewall is comingp'
and surely enough a: horseman rose the next
minute into view from the hoilows followed by a
at al and cavalry !. trnff In nlo o.