Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-28
.TARHEELS' THIN LINE
canrpELps HrGHLAsDERs OUT
DONE BY NORTH cAHoLIsIASs.
An Incident OF tho Battle Of Win
chester That SURPRISES the Ninety
Third Regiments Famous stand
ON the Morning of Baiaciava.
General Bradley r. johnson, In the Bal

Al the battle OF Balsciava occurred an
incident which Kinglake has painted In
words and thus immortalized. The High
land brigade. the Forty-second. The
Black Watch" the Coldstream Guards.
the Grenader Guards, and the Ninety
third, Sir Collins old regiment, were In
posltlon. which threw the Ninety-third
Just along the crest OF a slight rise OF the
ground. The Russian artillery had be-
come annoying and the Ninety-third lay
down just behind the crest where they
were better sheltered and concealed. a
division Of the Russian horse was moving
toward the left Of Sir Collins whole line,
and It's head OF column nearly even with
the British. when ct once four sduadrons
OF Russians, 400 men. swung quickly out
OF column and struck a gsllop toward the
English position. Instantly the High
landers rose from the ground, ana Win
their tall forms and towering black
plumes looked like line OF giants. Inc
Ninety-third was not In touch with either
OF the other battaIlons OF the brigade, so
they stood and took Il, and when the
Russians got within 300 yards opened nre
on them and drove them back. Tney
never repeated the charge. This scene
has been celebrated in song and story as
'Sir Colin Campbelrs Thin Red Line"
II was witnessed by the allied armies.
English, French, and Turkish and sim
ply astounded the Russians, for both
sides saw It.
WILD RANGERS.
But l myself, and thousands Of others.
T<L, aratiDa .Rriganp
do a thing on September 10, 1864, which
far exceIled in gallantry, in firmness, and
I'm heroism this feat OF the thin. red
line" and / have never seen descrip-
ton OF II In print, and l do not think II
was referred to In the reports. i am
sure Bob Johnston did not. for he
was as modest as he was handsome and
brave.
In September. 1864, Early's army was
lying about Winchester. We had been
through Maryland. had terrified Wash
ington into Ats. and gotten safely back
to Virginia with thousands of horses and
cattle and hundreds of wagon-loadS OF
plumber OF every kind, mostly eatables.
l had a cavalry brigade OF wild South
western Virginia horsemen. as brave and
as undsciplined as the Virginia rangers
Colonel Washington surrendered at Fort
Necessity, or Andrew Lewis fought Corn
stalk with at Point Pleasant. I was
bivouacked-we had no tents that sum
mer-about three miles north of Win
chester. on the Valley pike, and pioketed
from the Valley pike to the Berryvule
pike. running east from winchester.
General Robert d. Johnston, OF North
Carolina, had brigade OF 800 TO 1000
muskets on the BsryvilIe pike, on the
top Of the ridge running across the road.
My pickets were a mile in advance OF his
I'm Ash Hollow" Sheridan. with 5000
infantry, and 10000 cavalry. lay eight TO
fifteen miles beyond our picket-line. from
Berryville, and Ripon 10 Charlestown
and Halltown, In Clark and Jefferson
counties, Va. Now, every morning the
Yankee cavalry would rush my pickets
In on Johnston's posts. He would stop
them until | got up, and then I'd drive
the Yankees back and re-establsh my
original picket posts. This done. I'd send
my command back to camp.
/ had about 500 mounted men, and I'd
ride up TO Bob Johnston's headquarters
which were wagon under a tree, one
camp-stool. and frying-pan sizzling with
bacon and a pot OF rye coffee and some
sorghum. I'd get my breakfast, but after
a week Of this proceeding IT either be-
came monotor Us or my appetite showed
no signs OF weakening. don't know
which. one morning I dlsmounted after
my usual morning call 10 Boots and
Saddles!' and swung myself very COM
fortablY into Johnston's single and only
camp-stool. I smelled the bacon and
shifted the coffee and waited. In a few
minutes the cook handed me q chip for a
plate and tin cup OF red-hot coffee, so
hot you had to set the cup on the grass,
and then Bob spoke up.
DO you TOO BAD.
Says he: Bradley, you let these Yam
KEGS do you too bad. You've got 80
scared OF them that you all run the
very first dash they make at you"
rs that so, Robert?' said /. That's
a pity, but / don't know how to help It.
l do the best | can. How many Yankee
cavalry do you think you are good for?'
We'll" said he, i've got 500 muskets
present for duty. BY weeks time as
the boys get back from the hospital. Til
have 1000. Well, with 1000 muskets |
think l can take care OF $500 Yanks on
horseback"
"All right" says 1. walt and see.
hope you can"
So / got my breakfast and went on
nightly tickled at the concelt OF the
Tarheel for Sheridan's cavalry. with
Custer, Torbert, and Devens. were about
as good soldiers as ever took horse or
drew sabre. We had drilled them so
that in three years we had taught them
to ride. They always were willing enough
to fight, and they learned the use OF the
sabre from necessity Wei. things went
on as usual. Every morning Sheridan
would send a regiment out 10 feel Early.
10 drive In his pickets 30 as 10 make sure
where he was. and TO know where to ind
him when he wanted him, and every
morning ia ride over 10 the Berryvlle
road, re-establish my lines. get my break
fast of Johnston and come back 10
sleep.
BY daylight, the 18th OF September, a
scared calvaryman Of my own command
nearly rode over me as I lay asleep on
the grass, and reported that the Yankees
were advancing with a heavy force OF
infantry, artillery, and cavalry up the
Berryville read. Early was up toward
Stephenson's depot, and Johnston and
were responsible for keeping Sheridan
out OF Winchester, and protecting the
Confederate line of retreat and OF COM
munication up the Valley. In two minutes
the command was mounted-we always
saddled up and fed an hour before dawn
and moving az a trot across the open
field to the Berryville road. and To John
ston's assistance.
1here was not fence nor n house nor
a bush nor a tree to obscure the view
Way off, more than two miles. we could
see the crest Of the hill. covered with a
cloud OF cavalry, and in front OF them
800 yards in front. was a thin, gray line
moving OF In retreat solidly and with
perfect GOODNESS and self-Dossesslon. As
soon as / got to realize what was going
on | quickened our gait, and when within
a mile broke into a gallon
PLAIN AS DAY.
The scene was plain as day. A regi-
ment OF cavalry would deploy into line.
and then their bugIes would sound the
Charge" and they'd swoop down on the
thin, gray line OF North Carolina" The
instant the Yankee bugles sounded North
Carolina would halt. face by the rear
rank, walt until the horses got within 100
yards, and then fire as deliberately and as
coolly as II firing volleys on brigade drill
The cavalry would break and scamper
back. and North Carolina would about
face" and continue her march IN retreat
as solemnly and with as much dignity as
II marching in review. But we go, there
Just In time.
Certainly, half dozen charges have
been made at the back OF the retreating
line, and half a dozen times the charging
squadrons bad been driven back, when
the enemy sent his line with a rush at
the brigade OF Tarheels, and one
squadron oveflappcd the infantry line,
and was Just passing II as we got up. In
another rniu1te they'd have bean hAhIrA