Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-08-15
STORIES OF THE WAR.
MARCHING TO THE BATTLE OF THE WILL
DERNESS.
A Vivid Picture Of a Great Army Moving Forward
u Battle-A Night Walk Over the Scene
Of Sharp Encounter.
Etnnt nnkeson IN Nc1r York Star.

of the battery 1 served with ate breakfast
and struck their camp at Brandy Station
before sunrise. 1t was beautiful morn
ing, cool and pleasant. The sun rose above
an oak forest that stood to the east OF us,
and its rays caused thousands OF distant
rifle barrels and steel bayonets TO glisten as
fire points. In all directions troops were
falling into line. The air resOunded with
strains of martial music. Standards were
unfurled and floated lazily in the light
wind. Regiments fell into line on the
plain before us. We could see officers sit
ting on their horses before them, rs though
making brief speeches to their soldiers, and
then the banners would wave, and the
lines faced to the right in column OF tOurs
and marched off; and then the sound OF
exultant cheering would float to- us. Short
trains of white-capped and dust-raislng
wagons rolled across the plain. The heavy
artillery regiment of Germans serving rs
infantry, which had been camped to our
left during the winter, fell into line. We
light artillery men laughed to see the bur
dens these sturdy men had on their backs
All of the enlisted men of that regiment
had one fat inapsaok strapped on their
broad backs, and many OF them had two.
4 sturdy, kindly race, the Germans, ana
tenacious in holding on to property; but Ill
those days they were ignorant Ofthe power
of Southern sun, and OF the mysterious
property it possesses to cause men to loathe
personal property which they have 10 carry
on their shoulders, and to cast it careleSSly
by the roadside. Jellet, the gunner of the
piece served on, joined me Us | stood
LEANING AGAINST \ COOL GUN,
watching the Germans make ready for a
campaign. He smiled and said signili-
cantly: 'Thcv will dump those loads be-
fore they camp tonight A word of COM
mand rang out in front of their regiment.
They faced to the right and marched to-
ward Ely's ford of the Rapidan and towards
the wilderness that lay beyond. Boots
and saddles" was chccTily blown. The
light artillerymen stood to their guns.
The horses were harnessed and hitched i'll,
the drivers mounted, All we marched of to
take position in tho column directly behind
the heavily laden, bcer-iattcd Germans
We were in high spirits, indeed, we were
risky and walked along gayly. The men
talked of the coming battle, and they sang
songs about the soul OF John Brown, alleg-
ed To he marching on, an indication OF u
desire to hang Jetf Davis to sour apple
tree. The Germans were, Us usual, full OF
song and exceed mglY noisy. | lnGbly
expressed a wish that the contingent from
over the Rhine would shut up. Iellet
SagcIy advised he, saying, 'Waiti take 1t
easy. know the road we are to march
on. Thorc will ho no singing in that rcgl-
mcnt this afternoon. But Jcllet, the
dear old hos, was always advising impa
ticnt Young men ITO take it easy" 'to
wait Il bit" and "dUn't fret and. rs
there was nothing else to do, the young
men invariably followed Jcllet's advice.
We marched toward EIy's ford pretty
steadily lGr 4 couple OF hours. As we drew
near it we saw that the trnops were begin
ming to Jam around its approaches. They
were being maSScd quicker than they could
cross. This was the inyariahlc rule in the
army of the Potomac 1t did seem that
an exercise of common intelligence could
have brought the troops to crossing places
in proper order, 50 tha. tilc crossing cou Id
have been contiguous and without canning
but they never were 80 handled,
THE AENY GOT !NT9 \ IAM
ut every GICSsing place, from the Rapidan
To the james river. We halted short
distance from the ford and impaticntly
waited for our turn To cross. Once over
the river WE would be in column and in
our proper place | noticed that the sturdy
oad-hipprd infantry in our irnht were
sitting OH their knaLSncks, engaged III
mopping their faces with red handkrr-
chiefs. And also noticed that rs the sun
swang higher and higher ruWard the zenith
THEN songs refined within their heavy
threats. | mentioned these, 10 me, inter
cSting facts tOJcllct, and he tapped his nose
with his index tin"cr and
said; Wait BIT. We will layl in pro
visions for those fellows soon" And then
he smiled as he laid down the military law
designed TO guide the conduct OF light ar
on the march: 'Net food,
honestly if YOU oln, but get it; and ever
remember that we cannot have to" much
Of it in the battery
4 staff officer rode out of the apparently
confused mass of men damned around the
ford, and gallOpcd toward us. As he
passed the German soldiers they slowly
arose and, rcsuming their back-brcaklng
burdens, marched of. The staff officer
rode to us, and told our captain 10 follow
the Germans closely. This gOld-laced
youth of the staff had look of Importance
on his face that xladc us all smile. Ills
manner WAS rs though lie that morning,
and before breakfast, had
couple of Notwithstanding
dragons. We crossed the Rapidan on II
pontOOn bridge, and filled our cantccns
and drank deeply as we crossed; Then we
over narrow strip Of valley land;
then came long. steep hill that led up to
the comparatively level table land OF the
This was the hill that caused
the Germans IL part with their personal
Spare knapSackS, bursting with
were cast aside near its base.
Blankets, clothing, musical instruments,
spare boats and innumerablc articles of
utility outcroppcd about half way
up the hill. This float sharply indicated
that the lead, when we discovered it, would
be q rich one. Near the top of the hill We
FOUND MANY wELL-FILLED HAVERSACKS,
and we picked up every one of them and
hung them on the limbers and CaissOns and
guns. The mine was rich, and we worked
il thoroughly. Now we began to come on
who had overloaded them
selves or who were soft and unfit to march
in their gross condition. These men, with
flushed faces and shirts open at the neck,
gazed envionSly at us as We light artillery
men walked iauptily by, We felt it a
duty to tendcrly inquire into the condition
of the exhausted mems health, and did so
but they, the ill-conditioned
persons, resented our expressions of love
and pity rs though they had been insulting
remarks.
On the upland we marched.briskly. /
saw no inhabitants in this region. They
had fled before our advance, abandoning
their homes. The soil was poor and thin,
and the fields We're covered with last years
dead grass, and this grass was burning as
We passed by. ! saw the burning grass
fire fences and sweep into the woods: and
| wondered, "A tiny whirlwinds formed and
carried revolving columns ofsparks through
the battery, if the caissons and Timber