Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1889-06-20

4 Great Charge.

This Is the season for recountlng war
incidents. Rev. William Meade Dame
was the orator on Confederate Memorial
Day in Baltimore, and he gives the fol-
lowing account of day in the Wilder
ness in 1864:
"May 10 the enemy assaulted all our
lines and tried TO throw men into an in
terval between our works. We had the
pleasure of hammerIng the fanks of these
men all day, but charge was in store
for US. We heard a yell, and thought to
see our men capture a Federal battery,
but instead we saw column Of ten Fede-
raj regiments dashing gover our breastwOrks
not over 200 yards distant. They bayo-
neted two of the Texans who were asleep.
Gregg's Texas brigade was at the point
assaulted, and you know they were all
men, but they had to break.
HOW 1T WAS REFUSED.
"Our commander said, Boys, the road
over which Gen. Lee must retreat is not
over 200 yards in our rear. We must
stay here. We did it. We had our
guns checked with rails. We fired each
piece six times per minute.
"Our guns were loaded up to the muz-
zle with canister. We kept the enemy
back. They were not more than forty
PAGES off at the outside, and at every dis
charge we swept them oft, The head of
the column went down at each discharge.
Finally they Ainched and then retreated.
TO THE RESCUE WITH \ FRYING PAN.
"At the time the assault took place
captain was frying a piece of meat, (an
occupation in which we would all like to
have been engaged. The attack called
for such prompt action that he put him.
self at the head of his company and lead
it into action waving the frying pan over
his head, and came back frying-pan in
hand after rendering valuable aid in re-
polling the assault. He had, however,
sustained serious loss by the disappearance
of the meat. The Texas yell told US
when he return charge was made and the
enemy driven out. We had our pay.
Gen. Gregg came and bugged every man
at the guns, cried over us, and said, Tex
as will never forget the Richmond How
itzers.'
"Gen. Lee said the First Richmond
Howitzers saved the Army of Northern
Virginia from disaster.
4 SURPRISE TO BOTH ARMIES.
"That night and all lhe next day we
fought the same way. On the night of
May II we were prepared to move. Three
of US sat up talking of home. Later we
partook Of little corn pone and coffee
and a smoke and were about to lie down.
1t was almost day. walked up to where
our guns had been the evening before and
looked, though for no special reason, into
the pines opposite. | looked again into
the dark, lowering break Of day, and
feeling of uneasiness caused me to call
first one and then the other Of my com
rades. Suddenly there was a lifting Of
a cloud, and we saw an immense body Of
Federal troops preparing for an assault.
There was no time for waking our men
up in detail ! was No. and had on
my equipments. / let the gun loose. She
slipped back into her former position. /
dropped in friction primer, pulled the
lanyard, and drove the load Of canister
into the enemy. In the stiffness of that
early morning hour it seemed as if the
gun could have been heard all over the
United States. In less than two minutes
the whole line was up and contending
with the surprise party, and in little
while they were defeated and driven hack.
Soon after the crash Of our gun the noise
of May ~ commenced, and the roar of
artillery was all day long. Through
scenes like these we went all that month.
Once we went nearly three days without
food. 1t was through such times that the
comrades whose virtues we would mark
and whose memories We would keep green
endeared themselves to us. The greatest
boast we can make is that we were the
comrades Of these dear, heroic dead"
There Women Hare the AdrantGge.
What an art it is to perspire graceful
ly How delicious not to perspire at all +.
Women understand these things so much
better than men. No change Of temper
ature, however sudden, finds them unpre-