Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-12-21
WAR "reminiscences.

] WAR "reminiscences.
aADE-JUNIUs TINsLEY-THE WORK OF MAI.
HOTCHKIss.
sc. sc. sc.
Senator John W. Daniel delivered an ad-
dress on the late 1t. General Jubal A. Ear
ly, before the veterans Of Camp Lee at
Richmond. on Thursday night. In the ad-
dress were several references of local inter-
est to our Staunton and Augusta readers.
Speaking Of Early's remarkable march
frem Cold Harbor to meet and defeat Hun
ter at Lynchburg-Hunter being at Lex
ington, forty miles from Lynchburg,
when Early left Gold Harbor, in Hanover
county, Mr.. Daniel said:
cat l o'clock, June 18th, Early reached
Lynchburg. Not moment was to spare, for
as Ramseur's and Gordon's troops went at
quick time through the streets of the town,
Hunter was in sight advancing in line Of
battle on its southern border, and McCaus-
lands and Imb0dens brave but weary caval-
rymen were being driven back. The few
| troops OF Breckenridge under Wharton, in
val1ds from the hospitals, the old men of the
town in an eXtempore battalion of silver
| grays, and the reduced cavalry brigades of
lmboden and McCausland, and the battalion
of cadets of the Virginia Military Institute
constituted our whole force The post COM
mander, General Francis Nichols, of Louis
ana, since Governor of that State, one-armed
and one legged, rode out upon the lines to
cheer the men with the news that the rein
| fOrcements were coming AS Hunters skirm-
| ishers were pushing close to the town, and as
| the cavalry were falling back before them, a
few pieces of artillery near the toll gate, I'M
eer Lieutenant Carter Berkeley, were doing
| their best to stop the OncomerS. In this con-
ditiOn Tinsley, the bugler of the Stonewall
Brigade, came trOtting up the road, sounding
the advance, and behind him came the sklr
mishers of Ramseurs Division with rapid
strides. just then the artiIlerists saw through
the smoke the broad, white SLOUGH hat and
black feather of .'Old Jube,'' who rode
among them and looking toward the enemy,
exclaimed: mo buttermilk rangers after
you now, damn you,' an expression not to
be found in tactics. but of a kind sometimes
mixed with gunpowder
Poor Tinsley his last bugle call, like the
bagpipes of Lucknow, foretold the rescue of
Lynchburg; but on that field he found in
soldiers duty and with soldiers glory,
soldiers DEATH
The Tinsley alluded to as bugler of the
Stonewall Brigade, was Junius B. Tinsley,
President of the Augusta Female Seminal
~ OF Staunton. He Was private in Com
pany L. West Augusta Guards). of the
5th Va. Infantry, and was killed on the
skirmish line. He was not the bugler of
the brigade, nor indeed anything but pri-
vate soldier Of the line, and met his death
the only soldier killed in the action-in the
| line OF skirmishers.
Maj. Daniel, describing the battle of &C.
dar Greek, which began with decided victo
ry for the Confederates and ended in disas-
ter, said:
GAS the sequal shows Sheridan had conclud-
ed that EARLY was pretty we'll used up, and
had gone to Washington. General FL. u.
Wright, of the Sixth Corps, who commanded
in his absence, was informed on the 18th, that
Early had retreated, and the Federal army
lay with feeling of security on the north
bank of Cedar Greek; but Early was only
crouching to spring. Unable to attack the
fortified position Of the enemy, he determined
to take him by flank, and by surprise if posi-
BILE. He had sent General Gordon, with Cap
tain Hotchkiss, chief engineer to the signal
| station on MaSSanutten mountain, to exam
inc the enemy's position, and General Pegram
to examine the creek on the enemy's right.
Hotchkss returned with sketch designating
, the roads on the enemys left and rear, and
| with information that it was practicable to
move the infantry between the base of the
mountain and the Shenandoah river, into
which the creek there empties to ford below
the mouth of the creek. Next morning Gen
eral Gordon confirmed Captain Hotchkiss's
report, expressing confidence that an attack
could be successfully made on the enemy's
left and rear, and EARLY resolved to move
over the ground designated by Hotchkiss's
sketch, to the assault
At the banquet which followed the ad
dress of Maj. Daniel the following occur
red
"StOnewall Jackson was the next toast an
nounced by Chairman Ellyson, and he called
upon Major Jed HotchkiSS, of StauntOn, who
narrated several incidents in the life of that
great cheftain. He told very pathetic story
of the blessing of a child by Stonewall Jack
son, upon the simple request OF modest
Virginia woman.
''Major Hotchkiss then went into the work
being done by the Antietem Commission, of
which he is a member. He spoke of the plac-
ing into position of the bronze tablets at
Charlottesville and Appomattox, and refer
red to a recent visit he made to battlefelds
with General "Stonewall JIM Walker.
General "Stonewall JIM had been asked
where the stone wall was which constituted
his cleft" The General replied that he had
!. never said that it was q stone wall, but a
stone ledge, and, sure enough, the three lime
stone boulders were there to mark the spot.
An interesting incident, in which General
Walkers horses head was shot off. was told
by Major Hotchkiss. He said that immedi-
atel after this ball came along and, graz
| ing Walker on the sno,ilder, rolled him over
into corn-row.
"The General was being carried to the rear,
when he said: whats the matter with me
boys? Is there any blood on my shoulder?
Are my clothes torn? Well, get out. then,
and let me 60 back to my post" (Great APP
plause.)
GreenviIIe's Egg Boom.