The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-04

into CONSCIOUSNESS, suddenly uasueu iol " al
to the support of his favorite Lieutenant lL
whose division was the famous Stonewal
Brigade ,r-,
Night put an end to the conflict and Genera
Gregg commanding our origaae' ~as n ordepIx
came down to Col. Marshall, COMMANDING lne
Rifles. with an order from General Gregg tG
send an officer with NE OF linen men 10 the heio
The detail fell TO my lot, ana aiter runhlng
the gauntlet of several armed sentTles, nnai
y saw IN the distance What 1roSea 20 ns a
Going there for the necessary lnioLlna
tlon, / found the old hero under the hands OIL
the surgeons, and there almost IN slgnt OF tne
place of his BIRTH he spiersa @ s .ne ,Toepa1
Disabled as he waS physically, he rejolned
his command In the course Of time and served
his country faithfully to the end
| Thus began the three days heavy fgntlng
for the second time on the famous plains OF
| Manassas. - .
Friday morning dawned brightly. TO the
| Confedera tes IL was the sun OF AuSterllG.
II will be remembered that turning back
from Centerville in a Southwest direction
and crossing Stone Bridge the afternoon be,
our backs upon Washington. Each army was
thus between the opposing army and Its cap
itol. During the entire night succeeding Cen
eral Ewell's drawn battle with the enemy, the
rumbling OF the artillery could be heard pass
| ing around our left flank, and In opening the
fight Friday. the second day, 1t was necessary
! to aboutface with our faces toward Washing
! ton. The enemys position having been re-
| versed from that Of the evening before, with
| their 1aces toward Richmond.
Gregg's Brigade took position on the ex-
| treme left of our line, within the angles or The
rail road where we had halted the evening
before and at the exact place that we had seen
| General Jackson as l have described him
whilst Ewell was engaged in our front.
About nine o'clock, General Gregg ordered
| Colonel Edwards, with the 18th, 10 move across
| the railroad track In the direction OF Center
Vile. Very soon the enemy In overwhelming
| force was encountered by the 18th. and they
we're forced back within the railroad angle
where the other regiments OF the Brigade and
Thomas Brigade of Georgans were In posi-
| ton.
as TIE 18th came in. A terrible volley OF mus.
kerry directed at the retreating 18th swept
through the trees over our heads, and the Rdes
almost to O man fell to the ground. Colonel
| Marshall, its gallant commander, with rare
presence of mind, and to cover what might
appear in the eyes of the old Roman Gregg,
as 1inching, cried out IT,, IN stentorian +, tones
to be found In Hardee or any work on tactics;
but 1t was an inspiration, and from that day
| to the close OF the war, on the march or IN
winter quarters, whenever a sudden, unex-
pected volley of musketry was heard, the cry
could be heard far and near, "Lle down
Rifles"
Alas, my comrades, how many brave men
and true, did in the course of that eVentful
VI,
rise again. Among them OF our own Reg-
ment, were the gallant Marshall, brave, faith.
full Lieut.. Col: Ledbetter, Capt. Miles Norton,
OF Company E. the heroic Davis OF b, and q
host OF untitled braves. whose names l VIII
not enumerate. but whose devoted heroism
we will hold in everlasting remembrance.
In proof OF the casual ties OF the Rihes that
day, it is enough to say that before It's close,
McDuffie Miller, Capt. OF Co: 6. was In com
mand of the Regiment. It's field officers ki III.
ed and the Captains Of a. b, &, ID, r and r
| cd 10 M
were killed, disabled or unavoidably out OF
place.
| During the day we received and successful.
ly repulsed five distinct charges upon our po'
sition. Awaiting the sixth charge, well re-
member that Capt. Adams OF Gen. A. +. Hlll's
staff, dashed up TO Gen. Gregg and with the
commanding Generals compliments desired
10 know OF Gen. Gregg If he needed any rein
forcements. The old hero replied with bis
compliments to Gen. Hill, "my ammunition
Ia about exhausted, but shall hold the posi-
tion with the bayonet. l need no reinforce
AS Adams rode off Col. MCGOWAN of the
14th, afterwards our Brigade Com nander, be-
loved then as now by all Of US, having over,
Capt. Adams, called to the latter and said to
| him, you tell Gen. Hill for me to send help
down here and send 1t quick. He may have
said p. d. o. but as Horse Shoe Robinson said
"as to that disremember." The help, how.
ever, did come and not moment too soon 10
the shape of the two Brlgades Of Gen. Field
and Extra Billy" Smith, They filed past us
and to our front by iogrs filed to the left an, ana
Those two Brigades were scarcely In position
when the sixth. and, believe. the most vio-
lent assault of the day was made and recelv.
ed by the two fresh Brigades. We had been
| formed as n supporting line In their rear, with
orders from Gen. Gregg in case the troops In
| front were forced back to open our ranks, lei
them pass through, deliver one we'll directed
voley and meet the pursuing Federals with
| the bayonet.
In reforming the Rifles, Capt. Miller com
mandlng, Company F. was found TO have NO
commissioned officer and Company 3, hav'
| Ing two, Lieut.. Robertson and myself, Capt
Miller asked me to take charge OF Company
+. In doing so, asked for the ranking Ser.
geant and was told no sergeant was present
and found none. They were all high privates
but they deserve to stand each OF them In the
| 'front.' rank.
What higher proof Of fidelity and devotion
! To duty could possibly be furnished than
this. There they stood-this company of pri'
| vate soldiers-without an officer, com mission.
| ed or non.commissioned TO 60 or stay as they
pleased, for If absent there was no one TO re-
port them.
If every French soldier carried a Marshal's
baton In his knapsack these brave boys. from
no hope or expectation OF reward, were equal
ly faithful to duty, and from sense OF duty
them and when | rejoined the com mand that
winter at Fredericksburg l found that at OK
| Hill aud Sharpsburg, nearly all OF them had
| been killed. I meant TO preserve their names
| for no roll was ever more honorable. one OF
them, l remember, was aStribling and he was
made Corporal for the time.
| ] have said that we received and repuised
five charges of the enemy that day, but our
losses from these bore no comparison TO the
fatal fire OF the enemy's sharp shooters. Mar.
shall and Ledbetter and Davis were killed by
| these.
Under their CALLING and destructive fire, l
| remember that appealed to Col. Marshall,
him, "Davs has just fallen and they are KILL
ing my men like sheep. Can't you alter the
alignment, or make changer" He rep lied,
"My orders are to hold this position and
| have no authority TO make the change" BE.
| fore / got back to my place he was shot
through the head, and l believe the words
above were his last.
The next day was Lopgstreet's great day,
who had followed us through Thoroughlare
Gap, and about one o'clock, p. M, Saturday
with his egions arrayed and stephen d. Lee
| who served his artillery, swept from the field
the braggart Pope and his entire army.
| So ended in victory the great battle OF the
Second Manassas, and SO eEds my very imper-
| feet sketch Of that great event.
to recount many OF the hardshlps that we,
the survivors, endured to the bitter end; the
agonles OF the final catastrophe Mt APponat- t
| tox and the return In April, '65, of those of us
who escaped capture, to our desolated homes.
| Let me remind you of an incident OF Apo
mattox. 1t will assure you Of the esteem
which your peerless commander, General
Lee had for you as the soldiers of his In
yincble army, even down 10 the close.
A Federal officer Of high rank, with his
pockethandke erchief improvised as flag OF
truce, dashed into our lines at full speed, on