Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-09-09
AT CEDAR MOUNTAIN.
A Veterans Description of What He Cor
siders the Hottest Fight of the War.

siders the Hottest Fight of the War.
One of the most gallant charges mad.
J during the war, and one that came neal
being much more successful than l.
seems possible, was the charge of Craw
ford's brigade at Cedar Mountain, Va,
August 9, 1862. General Crawford wa.
an assistant surgeon in Fort Sumptel
under Major Anderson, and got a com,
mission as Brigadier-General early ir
the spring of 1862, and was assigned to
the command of first brigade, first di.
vision General A. S. Williams), OF
Banks corps early in June. The brig.
AIDE was composed of the Fifth Connec-
ticut, Tenth Maine, Twenty-eighth New
York and Forty-sixth Pennsylvania. and
reached Culpepper Court House July 90.
On the 9Th of August General Pope, who
had just reached there, sent the brigade
to support Bayard's cavalry, which was
being forced back from the Rapidan by
the advance of Stonewall Jackson, and
1t took position near Cedar Cor Slaugh
ter) Mountain, about seven miles from
Culpepper, on the Gordonsville road. A
little past five O'Clock p. m. on the next
day. after the Confederates had got theil
line established, and artillery firing had
been rapid and continuous for some two
hours OF more, General Banks (who haG
command on the field) ordered Craw.
ford to charge on one of the Con-
federate guns that was stationed
in the road. His brigade at
that time was on the right
OF the road, the other brigade of the di-
vision being about mile to the right
and rear, and Augur's (second) division
beng on the left of the road. The Tenth
Maine was detached by order of General
Banks to the support of battery T. Fourth
U. S. artillery. The three remaining
regiments were formed in the woods, on
a ridge overlooking a wheat field about
700 yards long and $50 yards wide, with
the grain cut, and in shocks in the field.
On the opposite edge of the field the
woods again commenced. and aVirginia
rail fence was standing. The Forty
sixth Pennsylvania held the right of the
line, then the Twenty-eighth New York
and the Fifth Connecticut on the left,
1900 officers and men. In the woods
opposite were Garnett' (second) brigade
of Jackson division of the Twentv-frst,
Forty-eighth. Forty-second Virginia reg
iments, and the First Virginia Cor Irsh)
battalion, with the Tenth Virginia from
Tallaferro' third brigade of the same
division on the left. The Stonewall bri-
gade was in reserve in the rear of
Garnet, and a. P. Hills light
divs on was coming up to rem
der help where it was needed. On the
left of the road was Taliaferro's brigade
with two Virginia regiments-the forty
seventh and forty ighth. Next on
their right (our lefD was Early with his |
brigade, and other brigades still further
to our left. CARROTS men were formed |
facing at right angles the twenty-first |
Virginia and the right wing of the
fourth facing south, or toward the Gull |
pepper road, and the rest of the brigade |
at right angles facing east to the wheat |
field. When the order was given to |
charge, the line rushed forward, scat |
tered the forty-second Irish battalion |
and the tenth Virginia rushed on through |
the woods, leaving the forty-eighth Vir-
glnia to their left, came to within thirty |
PAGES of the Twenty-first Virginia, gave |
them a whitening fire in the rear, SIAM !
battery; then a part of them crossed |
into the field in the rear of Taliaferro, |
put his brigade to flight and half of !
Early followed suit; then finding that
they were likely to be surrounded, they |
recrossed the road, met the StonewaIl |
brigade, had desperate struggle with
them, finally sending them to the rear
as fast as they could run, and then met
Branch with his brigade of A. P. Hills
division, and were forced to fall
back to the woods by the wheat field, |
and those that could, crossed the wheat
field again. Meantime the brigades of |
Archer and Fender came up on Branch's
left. The Tenth Maine is ordered into
the wheat field, loss 173 killed and
wounded out of All in about ten min
utes, and then, with the remnants of
Crawford's men, are forced to retire.
The loss in the brigade was 867 officers
and men out of 1,767, including every
field officer in the three regiments that
the enemy in the woods.
Probably not once in hundred times
could such results be obtained from SO
small force. Soldiers who were in
that fight, and afterwards at Antietam,
Gettysburg and in the
old ''Red STAR division that went with
Sherman from "Atlanta to the Sea-
say that nowhere did they see so hot
light for the time it lasted as this of
Cedar Mountain.-H. A. Trip, Co. F.,
Tenth Maine, IN Toledo Blade.