Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-07-13
LOCAL.
AN AUGUSTA BA'PPLEFIELD.

AlS AOUUU1A LII i 110l ll1IDs
GEN. j. D. IMBODEN TELLS THE
STORY OF THE BATTLE OF
PIEDMONT.
Virginia being the great battle ground Of
the civil war, had an experience peculiar
to such situation. War was in her fields
were suddenly taken from the pillow, or
from their stores in the towns to march
straight off to a battle whose guns could
be heard in the homes they had just left.
Such was the case with the battle of Pied
mont, village some ten miles from Staun-
ton. What were called the Preserves we're
men too old and boys too young to go to the
field. It was in the first days of June,
thirty years ago. that the summons was
suddenly issued for these old men and boys
in Staunton and Augusta to go to the
field. They were formed into regiment
called Harper's Regiment of Reserves, and
marched away from their homes. They
were commanded as follows: Co, A, Capt.
J. M. Hardy; Co, b, Capt. R. l.. Doyle;
Co. e, Capt. j. M. sTempleton; Co. D.,
Capt. Peck; Co. E, Capt. Jno. N. Opie;
Go. T, Capt. Rippetoe; Co. e., Capt.
Byrd; Co. Fl, Capt. Hilbert; Co. I, Capt.
Bacon, and Co. K, 1t. Blue.
Those they had left behind could hear
the guns OF the battle they were engaged
in. When it was over, the following was the
sad list of men and boys of Staunton and
Augusta that had been killed and wounded
Killed-Lt. Col. Robt. L. Doyle, COM
handing Co. B, and private John Mere
dith of the same Company, Capt. J. NJ.
Co. E; private Jos. Grannitto of Co. II
Orderly Sergeant W. ". Moore Of Co. I,
and 1t Blue commanding Co. x.
The wounded in the same regiment were
1t. Steinbuck. 1t. Wright, and private D.
H. Snyder, of Co. A; Sergeant Helms, Geo
F. Myerly and VIM. Cason Of Co. Il; Cor
poral A. H. Lackey, James Walsh, A
II. Hanger and Jas. Mitchell of Co.
G; VIM. J. Rush OF Go. D; private Nc,
Cormick of Go. E; Capt. Rippetoe, A Stan
bus and J. Brown of co. F; 1t. J. A.
Symms, Chas. Ridgway and VIM. l.. Kay
ser of Co. G.; Robert Birtreit (mortally),
James Locker, w. Kerford, W. Reswick
and Harmon j. Lohr of Co. H; Taylor
Coffman, Jos. Baldwin, Charles Schinde,
Thomas Walls, and John Smith of Co. l.;
Sergeant Binford of Co. K.
The captured were Samuel Hunter Of c.
D. and Sergeant Taylor, and privates T.
Wilson, John Roebuck, J. Williams, P.
Mccormick, John Henry, VIM. Evans,
John Condor, Thos Bonworth, Thos. Kel
ly, Jas. Hackett, Henry Kress, r. "
Goodman and VIM. Kenney. For this list
we are indebted to Peyton's History of
Augusta.
One of the saddest deaths in the Reserves
was that Of Col. Robt. L. Doyle. lie was
far over military age, had lost one son,
Robert M. Doyle. in his seventeenth year,
at the second battle of Manassas, and had
another, Thomas S. Doyle, (now Principal
of the D., D. Il B. Institution) with the
Army of Northern Virginia. He had vol
unteered to command company in the
reserves. He was shot through the cheek
the ball coming out at the base of the skull.
He was set up against a tree by his men
and while still conscious was bayoneted by
the enemy. He and Col. Jones of the Goth
Va. infantry were killed very near each
other, and were buried side by side in a
grass lot in the village of Piedmont.
For the first time we give the history of
this battle on Augusta soil, told by prom.
inent officer in it, Brigadier General J. D.
lmboden, himself an Augusta man. 1t
was written originally as contribution to
a history OF Augusta county to he prepared
by the late Maj. J. Marshall McCue, but that
book was never published and the VINDI
GATOR has received it through the courte-
sy of Gen. Imboden for publication. 1t is
most attractively written and will be found
deeply interesting. A fit preface to Gen.
Imboden's narrative, is the following tele-
gram from him to Gen. R. Z. Lee:
NEW MARKET, May 9th, 1864.
''2 2. NJ, [Received 2:1O P. MI
"Gen. r. E. Lee (care of Gen. Cooper:
General Hunter commands the forces adj
s'vancing upon me. He occupied Mount jack
"son at noon to-day. His cavalry outnum-
'bers ours two to one; his infantry four to
cone; his artillery four to one. He is moving
con my flank, and will compel me to fall
'back. There is no point this side of Mount
Crawford where can successfully resist
chin, and there it is very doubtful, though I
"will do my best.
81. ID. IMBODEN,
'lBrigadier General"
GEN. IMBoDENs NARRATIVE oFTHE
BATTLE.
AS have never seen in print, detailed ac
count of Hunters capture of Staunton. which