Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-29
LOCAL.
WAR AND PEACE.

WAR AND PEACE.
SOME INTERESTING MILITARY REPORTS
OF TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGo.-sOMI
THINGS ABOUT THE MEN IN BUSINESS
Suits TO-DAY-wEST AUGUSTA ARTIL
LERY, 9TH VA, SID VA, AND 9TH VA
FOLLOWING sToNEwALL JACKSON.
&C., &C., &C.
It is hard to realize when we look at thu
well-dressed, black-coated, middle-agec
men of to-day who talk business in stores
dispense law from the bench or bar, OF
preach the gospel from the pulpit; or when
one sees the steady going farmers VINO
crowd the town on court days-that nearly
every one of these men have been soldiers.
and very ragged and hungry soldiers at that
and participants in one OF the most glgan'
tic wars that the world has ever seen. We
rarely ever think of the contrast; indeed
the men themselves seldom 60 back to it,
except in the periodical ''war story" fever.
which stories are so delightful when re-
lated by ourselves and so intolerably Dor
ing when listened to from others. There
is nothing more dreadful to newspaper
man than the war-story man, and moth ing
makes him more cautious about Publishing
a war item. Only last week we published,
BY mistake, the statement that Gen. Terry
was once commander of the Stonewall Brig
ade. Twenty-one persons called to correct
the mistake, of whom nineteen told us about
who they were and two told US about who
Gen. Terry was. But we have just laid
down book in which the names OF 80
many old soldiers around Staunton and
Augusta appear, that we have determined
to make column of war stories, prefaced
by the warning that If they are contra
dicted, it is done at the risk to the dis
senter of gainsaying that trustW orthy
witness, the Official Report. 1t is the last
volume issued of the "OAicial Records of
the Union and Confederate Armies, Series
l., Vol. XII, Part l., Reports AS our
readers know, the United States is pub
fishing, from the original manuscripts all
those reports, and this, the Twelfth vol
ume, contains large part of the history
of Jackson's Valley campaign, in which
the names of many of this county and vi
cinity appear. The first is the official re-
port of the first experience under fire of
the
WEST AUGUSTA ARTILLERY,
at the battle of Kernstown, as follows:
CAMP BUCHANAN, VA,
March %, 1862.
have the honor to submit below re-
port of the part my company sustained in
the engagement with the enemy on Sun
day evening, March %:
Soon after the arrival of our forces upon
the field was ordered to proceed with my
battery to high ridge on the left OF the
Valley turnpike, and running parallel
with the one occupied by the forces OF the
enemy.
In order to reach this position the bat
terry was compelled to cross a long, low
meadow, completely commanded by the
enemy's guns, who fired upon us an inces-
SAINT fire OF shell and shot. While crossing
this open valley driver and other pri-
Yates of the piece were struck and knock
ed down by fragments of shell, which
somewhat retarded the rapid movement
of one section of the battery. Proceeding
forward as rapidly as the wearied condi-
tion of the teams and nature OF the ground
would permit, brought my battery into
position on the ridge above named, and
opened fire upon the enemy.
Maintaining this position. heavy can
nonading was kept up for nearly three
hours, when the enemy. under cover OF the
thick woods and high stone wall which
skirted our left, advanced his infantry to
within very short distance of our posi-
ton unperceived, and commenced rapid
discharge of musketry upon the men
working the pieces.
Owing to their position and the nature
of the ground, found it impossible to do
them any damage with artillery, and per-
ceiv1ng them pressing US closely, l deemed
it prudent to retire from the position then
evidently impossible for me to hold l re-
pret to have to state here that just as one
piece of my battery was being limbered up
and starting from the field, one OF the
horses attached to the piece was shot by
musket- ball and killed and the piece over
turned. Serlt. Charles s. Arnall, who had
charge of this piece. after making every
exertion to bring it off, was compelled to
abandon it, cutting loose the three remain
ing horses and bringing them away, al,
though the enemy had by this time reached
sNs~AA
SO PAGES distant.
In retiring from the position on the
ridge caisson of one of the pieces, already
broken, became SO badly damaged as to be
immovable and had to be abandoned.
The casualties occurring in my company
during the engagement are as follows:
Total number wounded, 7: killed. none.
While I greatly regret the loss OF the
one gun and caisson, l am pleased to bs
able to report that the nOn-cOmmissloned
officers and privates of my company, while
under heavy fire from the enemy's guns,
fred these their first shots with GOODNESS
and precision highly gratifying to me, and
with evident effect and damage to the
enemy.
was assisted only by one commission
ed officer. First Lieut. j. G. Marquis, who
performed his duty with judgment and
bravery; Second Lieut.. T. ]. Burke being
absent as recruiting officer. and Third
Lieut., William Blackburn absent on sick
furlough.
have the honor to remain, general
very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAMES II. WATERS,
Commanding W. A. Artillery.
r. J. WINGATE,
Adjutant- General.
A MILITARY JUDGE.
In this battle was the Rockbridge Artille-
~. which lost one of it's pieces, non COM
missioned officer and 10 prlvates wounded
and one man missing. The official report
is made by Capt. YIN. McLaughlin, the
present Judge Mclaughlin of the Circuit