The morning call., 1891-08-30

ne L. ou.lmlah9 squarely In our mont az
pace called Yellow Tavern on the morning
VI Inc nth, thus precipitating fight.
AT YELLOW TAVERN.
The battle of Yellow Tavern is scarcely
Known In history, yet, considering the num-
DerS engaged, it was the greatest cavalry
encounter of the war. For hours $4,000
horsemen, the flower of both armies, en-
gagged in fierce combat. The battle lacked
the precision Of an infantry engagement
being fought in every way, mounted and
dlsmounted, under cover and in the open
country. Forest and field for miles rang
with the din of 9alloping squadrons rattle
OF carbines. elashing of sabers and scream
ing OF Shell. Custer was in his element, as
with a squadron of his brave Michigan lads
he rode straight through a troublesome
battery, bringing off two of its guns. At
Yellow Tavern Stuart's star, which lad
hitherto shone respondent, sank, never to
rise again. The gallant leader was borne
from the field mortally wounded, and ex-
PRED on the following day In Richmond.
OF all the Confederate cavalry command
ers, Stuart was the most distinguished. He
was Wiling to engage only in open and
manly warfare, petty thieving and maraud-
Ing or the killing OF Il few pickets on an out
post being foreign to his nature. He died
respected alike by friend and foe. AS re-
suit of the battle the enemy's cavalry were
badly defeated and driven from the field in
disorder. Among the Confederate killed
were General James B. Gordon, brigade
commander, ana Colonel Pate, a
prominent pro-savery agitator dur
ing the civil war in Kansas. l have
never seen any official report of the
battle, and, therefore, am unable to form
any estimate OF the losses on either side.
We spent the afternoon burying our dead,
caring for the wounded and making prepar-
atoms Tor nj ght march. After the signal
defeat of the rebel cavalry at Yellow
Tavern Sheridan again deliberated over the
propTlety Of attempting dash into Rich
mond, now only five miles distant Its in
habItants We're panic stricken and the Con-
federate Government had packed up its
archives preparatory to flight.
IN CONSULTATION.
Consulting with his division commanders.
he concluded to follow out his original in
stTuctlons to pass around Richmond to the
eastward and communicate with General
Butler at the James. Accordingly at a late
hour OF the night we set out on a road lead
Ing to the Mechanicsville pike, General
Wilson having the advance. At / o'clock
In the morning Wilson, having passed with
IN the first, butted against a second line of
out fro IN the city under General Bragg. A
sharp fight ensued, both sides losing
heavily. The Contederates also tried to
blow, us up with torpedoes planted
In the road over which we had to
pass. The torpedoes were connected by
wires, which being struck by the horses
feet produced an explosion, killing several
animals and wounding a number of the
men. Sheridan halted the column and had
the prisoners dig up and remove the tor
pedoes from the road. General Wilson
being unable to force a passage to the
Mechanlcsyllle pike, we crossed the Chicka-
hominy at Meadow Bridge, having another
lively fight there, in which the enemy were
MoIsted, after which we proceeded leisurely
TO HaXallS Landing ON the James and re-
ported TO General Butler, the writer having
the honor OF conveying the message inform
plies and resting our horses few days, we
returned to the Army of the Potomac in time
to open the battle of Cold Harbor.
The muSter-out rolls of the cavalry regi-
ments show that that arm of the service had
1885 men, including GIL officers, killed in
action. From this statement it Will be seen
that our cavalry did It's full share of hard
fighting during the Civil War. These losses
distributed over a hundred battle-fields,
however, bear no comparison to Anderson
vile, with its 17,c00 Federal graves. Above
the gateway OF the Georgia prison-p pen
might appropriately have been written the
words which Daute's hero found inscribed
oyer the entrance to the abode of lost souls:
THE CONFEDERATEs. -.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here
Some time since the managers of the Cen
tury Magazine loaned the use of its columns
to irresponsible Confederate writers. who,
IN order TO palliats or excuse the frightful
atrocities perpetrated upon Union prisoners
at Anderson1ille, endeavored to make il
appear that the Confederates were starved
and otherwise ill-treated by the United
States Government while in captivity.
The truth of the matter is that while
i'll Federal prisons they were fur
nished with better rations, both as
regards quantity and quality, than were