Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-10-30
Mahone's I,osinu Firht.

most stubborn fights"
The New York and Michigan men
had been talking about the fierce bat
tie which took place on the Weldon
Railroad, few miles to the left of
Petersburg, thirty-two years ago to-
day-the day upon which am writing
about it-Aug. 81.
guess the Michigan man was right,
though Malone had been in many q
hot place and shown great skill and
doggedness in pushing his enemy be-
fore that hot day in August, 1854.
1t was the third of series Of fights.
General Grant had sent General G..
x. Warren with the Fifth corps to
take the Weldon Railroad, one of Lees
important lines of communication. His
command left the line in front of Pc
tersburg early on the morning of Aug.
IL, one of the hottest days of the year.
That afternoon Warren charged and
took the Weldon Railroad at what has
ever since been known as the Yellow
House, not far from which General
Meade had his headquarters during the
winter Of 1S64-5, and up to the time
the army broke camp for the last cam
paign that ended at Appomattox. The
Confederates had been taken some
what by surprise on the 18th. The
next day, a rainy, gloomy, drizzly day
1t was, too, Malone drove back three
Of Warren's brigades and came very
near turning the Fifth corps command
er's victory of +he day before into a
serious defeat. For an hour or two
there was savage work with both ar
tillery and musketry. The list Of dead
and wounded sickened the hearts of
the men who were on the eve of being
mustered out at the end of their three
year term.
On the Goth both armies rested, but
early on the 21st there were evidences
Of coming clash. Cutters division,
which soon after became Crawford's.
occupied line Of works in a semi
circle, in an open field, not far from
rather dense forest. The men had been
in line long enough to put up substan-
tial breastworks. Malone, with his
large division Of hard-hitters, was in
line through the woods, and in front
Of Cutters troops 1t was a bright,
snnny day, the wind blowing briskly
from the west. Scattering firing in
the woods warned our boys that the
Virginians, led by that dashing gener-
al, one Of Robby Lees pets, would soon
try titles with the Fifth corps division.
The skirmishers We're driven in and
tumbled over the breastworks, and a
moment later, three or four lines deep,
came Mahone's troops, moving up as
If on gala excursion. Suddenly there
burst forth from every Confederate
throat that old familiar sound, the rebel
yell, and in another instant sheet of
lead from Cutters men swept the field
and stunned. checked and drove back
Malone and his dauntless followers.
The field where the volley struck them
was covered with dead, dying and more
or less badly wounded.
Brigadiers sent word to the CON-
manders of regiments to keep their
men in position, ready for action at a
moments notice. In brief space of
time q second charge was made with
a like result. Cutters division had
been slaughtered time after time, COM
ing through the wilderness and else
where, because it had been caught
without breastworks, and by Malone
and his men. This time they held the
cinchers, behind breastworks, and won
an important victory. Cutters men
were so well protected that they fought
with little loss. 1t was not common
experience for them. They had done
most of their fighting in open fields
or in charging the enemy's fortifica-
tions, as the enemy that day charged
theirs.
Colonel Morrow Of the Twenty-fourth
Michigan said. after the Confederates
had been driven back the second time:
General Malone ought to know that
he cannot drive this division from it's
position with ten times the troops he
has; but If he will pound away until
his men are all gone he can't blame us.
We are here to give him this sort of a
reception"
The Confederate General Hagood.
who commanded a brigade that charg-
ed well to the left Of Cutters divi-
sion, had narrow escape from cap
ture. His brigade rushed down to the
line at point where there was a de-
preston, and the union troops were
90 situated that flank as well as a
front fire was pouring into them. While
they stood there fighting and apparent
ly undecided as to the next move a
member Of Cutters staff, Captain Den
mis- B. Daley, dashed up to Hagood
and domQ ndod hio fuornolSo<o .,,,...,.,
der. Hagood drew his revolver and
shot Daley, and then hastened to retire
his brigade.
Years after the war, when Hagood
was Governor of South Carolina, or a
Congressman, he told New York cor
respondent of his experience on the 2lst
of August, 1864. He said: 81 saw in
that battle one of the most daring
deeds that came under my observation
during the war;" and then went in to
relate the story Of Captain Dailey's
charging, alone, into his brigade and