Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-06-11
ON THE SKIRMISH LINE.
WHERE THE SOLDIER Is HIS OWN
MASTER.

MASTER,
Some Interesting Incidents that Oc-
CURED During the Late War
The Gettysburg Skirmish.
On the skirmish line during the civil
war there was greater opportunity for
the display of physical endurance, agil-
ity, cool courage, great daring and clear
intelligence than in the closed line Of
battle. For in the skirmishing order the
inen are extended in single rank, with
intervals between them varying accord
ing to the ground and circumstances
from ten to one hundred feet, or even
more. A skirmish line, therefore, is a
line of individuals, each man to certain
extent by himself and forced to rely
upon himself. There-T5 discipline, it is
true, and order, and skillful officer. has
plenty of opportunity on the skirmish
line to show what he is made of; ne, err
theless, each skirmisher has an amount
of liberty which the same man could not
have in line of battle. He can stand up,
or kneel, or sit, or lie down. he can bur-
row hole in the ground to fire from, or
he can pile up fence rails or other avail
able material for his own personal de-
fense; he takes aim as he pleases, and
fires rapidly or slow as it seems best to
him. All that is required is that he must
advance or retire, or move by the flank
with his line and maintain his relative
position with his comrades to the right
and left. Whenever the line halts, or
an occasion otherwise offers, there is al
ways general rectification of the align
ment; the men individually move for
ward, or to the right or left, until the
line is tolerably straight and the inter
walls again evenly distributed, and this
is done spontaneously, without waiting
for orders.
The change of skirmish line, leading
the advance of an army, to mere picket
outpost line was very simple and of fre-
quent occurrence The writer remem-
bers many instances. One Sunday in
September, 1868, when Meade was manGu-
vering between Culpepper Court House
and Rapidan Station, CarrolPs brigade,
of the Second Corps, was thrown out in
the direction of Raccoon Ford, on the
Rapidan, but strong Confederate force
on the north bank covered the ford and
barred further progress that way. The
ground was low and fiat, with stretches
of wood and cleared field alternately.
Carroll's skirmishers, having taken pos
ition on the outer edge of grove of
oaks, kept up for some hours of the
forenoon an effective fire with the Con-
federate skirmishers similarly posted on
the face of the opposite grove. The
bullets flew through the air, now with a
dull whirr, now with a cutting "whiz, u
like the fit of bee; now with mellow
"meow," like the tone of cat Just be-
fore it spits at its fellow feline, accord
ing to the size and shape of the bullet
and its speed, and from time to time one
of these would strike the trunk
of an oak with a whack that made
the skirmisher standing behind the
tree look out to see what "Johnny" was
getting his Grange" 1t was like many
other unimportant skirmishes in which
these men had been engaged-skirmishe
not mentioned in the newspaper reports
of the day and not likely to be recorded
by the historian. Yet it was none the
less exciting and dangerous. But ever
the heroics--the unrecorded heroics o.
war could seldom make men deaf to the
STILL small voice of the stomach begging
for meal of vituals, or sor some sort OF
an apology, at least, for meal. 1t soor
became evident to the veteran soldiers,
Federals and Confederates alike, that
neither side would attempt any further
advance at this point, and that the bust
ness of these contending skirmish lines
| had therefore become merely that oil
watching one another 1t was a clear
day, bat cool, and hot coffee would be
relished, but for this fires were necessary
and the only available fuel was worm
fence running through the open ground
between the two groves. "Ho! Yanks !'
came a shout from the opposite grove
"what's the use of shooting now?" An
swer was sent back: "Ali right; well
stop if you do" The fight ceased or
the instant at this point, though the
booming of artillery down the river told o.
an engagement there. There was rush o.
blue jackets and gray backs to the fence
and it was curious to notice that in thu
contention for the fence rails, which wa
constantly cause of fisticutfs among
soldiers, there was less greed against thos,
of the opposite army than against thos,
of their own. Rather there was con
tent;on of courtesy between the two
Yank and Johnny Reb helped one an
other to unlock the fence and detach th
rails, chatting meanwhile in friendl,
H.
in which they had happened to be en-
gagged again:t one another There wa
but one exception to the good will; tina
was when Federal and Confederate
having each grabbed the same lot .
rails, and neither being good-natureC
enough to give way, the two let go o
the rails and clinched one anotherin deat
earnest. A group of men of both uni
forms separated the two, however, an
drove them back from the fence to th4i
own sides. There was quiet for the res
of the day, but at midnight, as the Fed
erals were enieavoring to withdraw iron
the position quietly, the movement WA
overhead by the others, who came on a
a run into the wood, and the short peac
ended in blaze of musketry, amid whicl
the Confederates were driven back unit
the Federals could complete their with
drawal.
A few days after the battle of Malvern
Hills, that is to say, the 4th of July, 1856
while McClellan's army was taking u
its new position around Harrisons Land
ing, on the James River, the brigad
referred to above, just brought from tn
Shenandoah Valley, where it had forme'
part of Shields division, was engaged il
holding back Ewell's Confederates, VIII,
were attempting to make reconnois
sance of the Union position. The Con