The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-05-28

with their nostrilS under water from one bank
to the ether trying TO quench their thirst rs
they moved alopr. have seen men so exhaus-
ted from marching and overcome with sleep
drop on the ground when the army halted and
lose consciousness in Il moment of time.
have seen them go fast to sleep in minutes
time that the rumhlng Of the battery failed to
wake them when the march was resumed But
they recognized the Importance Of the forced
march and their grit and indurance were per-
fcctly wonderful. | never before nor since
knew our soldiers to make better time or
stragge less. Calvin lIumrhrics, the wag of
the Macbeth, came trotting along one day and
on being asked what was up. replied, "you sec
| have the advantage over the other boys 1:
when get tired walking run, and when |
get tired running walk, and in that way keen
rested all the time. Ills humor under trying
circumstances was much better than his logic
On the evening of tho 21th we left Jno. Watts
Gallman at house on the road, sick, and that
was the last we ever heard of him. Like many
another soldier, suppose he sleeps in an un-
known grave AS we were approaching Thor
oughfare Gap that evening, muskctry was
heard in that direction, and presently Absalom
lIumphries, member Of Gadbcrry's old COM
pany passed to the rear with bullet i'm his
shoulder, reported the Gap in the possession
Of the enemy. They had beaten us to the Gap
and imagined jackson situation was a very
pcrious one. We went into camp that night
with somo apprehension as to what the next
twenty-four hours would bring about but to
our surprise the next morning We found that
the enemy had abandoned the Gap. As we
marched through the Gap that morning, look
cd up to the towering heights of mountains that
rose up on either side Of that rock bed stream.
whose waters gurglcd through the ear. and
seeing that ii was n place Of great natural
strength was amazed and rcioiccd that the
Federa!s did not put few thousand soldiers
there with instruction to make it a yeri,able
Thcrmopylc. There is no " ay of estimating
the damages Lee might have sustained from the
heroic erdcavors of few thousand determined
men OH those hills.
When we passed north of the gap signs of
the coming storm Of battle began to multiply.
In two hundred yards Of the Gan. living by
the roadside, was the first dead Federal SAW
III that campaign. That evening, when we
ncared Gainesville, the booming of cannon WAS
heard in the direction we were marching. and
it had the happv effect of disro,,;ae all f.ars 90
to the safety Of Jacksons command cor we
were now conscious that our Stonewall was
still standing. \ little further on we passed
some beevcs the enemy had just killed partially
skinned and abandoned. These seemed TO bc
IN hy l,o b,or ~
of the ear anl by the seeing Of the eye, that we
were on warm trail and battlo eminent
We did not 20 much farther before the truth of
these signs was verified. On top of the hill
just north of the branch where We passed the
bceves, saw our troops filing through m open
field to the right of TIE turnpike and for.rin. a
line Of battle. ] could not understand the pro-
crastination that followed the formation OF our
line of battle. We had marched day and night
to get up with Pope and expected b,ttle
would be .rccipitatcd without delay Both
sides reminded one of two game cocks, dubious
of each other strength picking around hunting
for each Others blind side before delivering n
blow. But the blind side was not found and
the two armies made n Simultaneous forward
move to test the strength of each others posi-
ton. 1t was nearly sundown when they met.
and the shock OF battle was terrific and RACED
with Increasing fury till at last il died away on
the midnight air. The Macbeth did no more
than follow up longstrects advancing line,
passing over numerous dead yankees some Of
Jacksons bloody work done on the previous
day, when King interpoScd between him
and Longstreet. During the night Longst.cet
feel back to his original line of battle our
guns were parked on the summit of the highest
hill in the vicinity of the battlefield.
We arose next morning to find that we had q
magnificent view Of all that surrounding
country. We could trace OR line Of battle
from the frowning hills on our extreme right
held by LongStrcet men, TO where it entered
the woods in our front. and then TO the left of
the turnpike, we could see Jackson heroes of
the two dreviouS days battle still holding their
position along the unfinished railroad. defiant,
ready and waiting for the command ..up and
at them.
insert here n parcnhesis to show that Pope
lost his advantage over Lee and let his orpor.
tnnity slip when he let Jackson slip. On 2Gth
Pope command, under Reno, was in nine
miles Of Jackson who was then at hrsto sta
'ion. Long>Ucc: was between forty five and
sixty miles from Jackson, the route he had TO
march. GA the 9th jackson was nt Manassas
junction and Hooker near enough to him to
bring OH bloody fight in the afternoon Of th,,
day Mcdowell, Sisci, Reno and kcrney wcr,
all six miles west Of him and directly between
him and l.ong'trcct, who were still soutl, OF
Thoroushfere Gap, and at least twenty mile,
from Jackson On the 18th jackson made n