Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-01-11

The Regiment In the summer OF 1861
was admirably trained. Col. George II.
Stewart was a soldier by instinct and eslu-
cation, and he had passion for detail
which. while trying TO the scholar, was the
making Of the school. We were In the
first Manassas fight and in the fall in many
little skirmishes at Upton's and Mason's
Hill. All this was training for the Lieut..
Colonel as well Is the men, and be needed
1t more than any, for he was as ignorant as
the most, and had greater necessity and re-
sponsibility for skill. Therefore, when
Col. Stewart in March, 1862, became Brig.
adler. Lieut.. Col. johnson became Colonel,
and the Regiment under his command was
like finely tempered, highly polished To-
ledo blade. In his hands IL could be used
for offence and defence with perfect conf
dence and certain results.
During the winter Stewart had put the
picket duty On the Lieut. Colonel, who had
then got hold of the men and of confidence
in himself and in them, and they in him.
They were superb body. They had no
interest in slavery. There were Lot ten men
in the command who had any connection
with it. They did not believe in secession.
Very few ofthem understood what il meant
| But they did know that the Yankees were
invading Virginia. They felt that "blood
Is thicker than water" and at the first call
TO arms TO attack her, we rushed to her
side TO defend. They were the only vol
unteers In either army.
Fugitives from home, they could have
remained in the ConfederacY unmolested,
for they were not subject to the Conscrip-
ton; but they had came b. help, and the
the place to do il was in the field and there
they went and stayed until they were
forced out by an unworthy intrigue at
Richmond in August, 1862.
The Regiment was the advance corps of
Jackson in his Valley campaign and the
rear guard in MS retreat 1t was in the
Seven Days battle and never for a second
did ii lose its head or become ratified.
1t was superb in its seIf-control. On the
retreat up the Valley, pushed by Fremonfs
cavalry, our cavalry broke and ran all over
the country. The Marylanders were march
ing through Edinboro when the stampeded
horse flew by, leaving nothing between us
and the pursuing enemy. Col. johnson
jerked his regiment across the street and
literally drove back the Virginians with
the butts of his rifles.
Two days afterwards, going back with
Ashby and Ewell TO attack Fremont's adj
vance, the 5sth Virginia in front, in the
dusk in the woods, broke at a voIley poured
into them and ran back like flock or tur-
keys. They were running over everything,
and Col. Johnson rode out in front of the
cOlors. stand fast, First Maryland Steady
Battalion! Virginians, form behind that
WALTZ And, as they got together, the Ma
rylanders went forward to take their places
/ in a run to the front
As they rose little rise in the woods, q
volley took them full in the face, knocked
down 80 men, and men at ihe colors, IN
Ill Dan. Sharks grasped them and raised
them; killed; Ashby, Capt. Mike Robert
son and Lieut.. Nick Snowden, of Company
ID. The Colonel had gone down, his horse
was hit three times and killed dead, but the
rider was on his feet in a second and shout.
ing, forward Corporal Shanks w-togeth.
er we went to the fence, and there 'potted'
the Yankees as they flew across the field.
The Regiment had the compliment of a
general order by Ewell. complimenting
them for that exploit They had yet an
other from Gen. Jos. Z. Johnston in the
preceding June. A fine thing was done by
the Regiment at Cold Harbor June 81, 80.
II got on the field after sun down and in
tie dusk. Everything was broken and
coming back. The ground was so full OF
dead and wounded that you could not
march, but had to step between the bodies.
A six gun battery, 600 yards off in an or
chard, was getting the range, and heavy
fire Of musketrY from an earthwork, or ri.
fe pit, in front was pouring over our heads,
and things looked very shaky. The Colo
mel ordered, Battalion, halt! Right dress
order arms,-shoulder arms,-present
arms-all through the manual as solidly as
if on dress parade, and Dan Shanks stood at
his colors and dropped them at the present
as coolly as If hundred pesticoats were
looking on. Then the command, For
ward, guide centre! Right shoulder, shift
arms, double-quick, charger And with a
veil they went over the earthwork and af-
ter the battery, for il had limbered up IS
soon as it saw the charge. At this Dress
Parade of Battle, or as prefer TO call il,
"The Manual Before the Battery" Dan
Shanks carried the beautiful flag that he
had held up a; Harrisonburg when Ashby
was killed and at those close quarters the
flag drew the fire. In all that circle OF
Of knights he was the kindest, the
courtliest, the gentlest, the bravest Plant
the budding cross of st. Mary's over his
grave-thas for thousand years it viii
bloom in perennial beauty in testimony Of
as chivalrous, as brave, as true knight as
ever rode with Sir Galahad on the quest
or followed Arthur 10 Avalon.
BRADLEY T. JOHNSON.