The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-03-10

missed the brow missed US while lying
on the ground, and those which struck
the brow ricochetted over us. 1t was
impossible for us to rise, so the men
only raised their heads to FIRE and to
add to it all, the men in darkness
behind US, not knowing It we were
there, opened fire on us. After we
had remained sufficient time for our
lines to be established in our rear,
Maj. Saunders gave the order for us
to fall back. The old frame of a
house is gone, but there is where it
stood, and it was by the side Of this
old house, forty yards from the middle
of the road where I was lying, and by
the light of the musketry fire and the
bursting of the shells that | saw Maj.
Saunders, and, although | could not
hear his voice, knew by his gestures
that his order was to fall back.
was lying on the ground by the
side of Tom Wright at the time. l
stood up, gave the order to my com
pany. and instantly I was wounded by
a piece of shell from the enemy, and
Garland Smith, only few feet from
me, was wounded by a bullet from our
own men in our rear.
Yes, brave old Tom Coghill, you
took me to that very white oak tree
with scars on it now from top to bot
tom, and there we lay, with Garland
Smith behind us, until the fire slack
ened. Jackson and A. P. Hill both
being wounded, Stuart was sent for
during the night to command the
corps, and our brigadier, Heth, was
put in command of the light division
and Col. J. NJ. Brockenbough succeed
ed to the command of our brigade.
And over the same ground our bri
gade was ordered next morning (the
3D. to advance in line to near the
| same spot and halt-Fortieth and
Forty-seventh Battalions on the right
of the road and Fifty-ffth and Twen-
ty-second Battalions on the left--and
either by blunder or dereliction of
duty on the part of some one when
they arrived at the proper place, the
Fortieth and Forty-seventh Battalions
were halted and the Fifty-ffth and
Twenty second Battalions were not
halted, but allowed to keep straight
forward and charge the whole Of Hook
err army alone.
Both together, they numbered about
six hundred, just the number that
made the famous charge at Balaklava.
They had been ordered forward, and
could not stop without orders Sd on
they went.
Was there man dismayed?
Not through the soldiers knew
Some one had hlundered:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not no reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of death
Marched the six hundred.
And there is the opening that we
came to. It is valley with the hill
next to the enemy rising somewhat
abruptly and crowned with fortifca-
tions as far as could be seen, both to
the right and to the left, behind which
we're the enemy's infantry and altil-
lery and within less than one hundred
yards of those breastworks, which
were wrapped in flame of fire and
pail of smoke, with
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered.
And when the fire was so severe
that the men could stand no longer,
and knowing that it was all the result
of somebody's blunder, they lay on
the ground and loaded and fired as
fast as they could, waiting for orders
to retire. But no orders came.
Officers were falling so fast that no
one knew who was in command. And
| Just at this time T. r. B. Wright,
who was then a private in the Essex
Sharpshooters, seeing our flag fall, ran
and seized it and carried it to the
front, calling to the men to follow.
All, Tom, Serg. Jasper did not por
form as brave an act as that, but the
men couldn't follow. Had they at
tempted it, without an interposition Of
Providence not one would have been
left to tell the tale, and God alone
spared our life.
And when Adjt. R. L. Williams
could find no officer above his own
rank to command the regimenthe took
the responsibility upon himself and
ordered a retreat, and
Then they came back, butnot,
Not the ak hundred.
Casualties Colonel, dead lieuten-
ant colonel, wounded ; major, dead
every captain, except one, either dead
or wounded every first lieutenant
either dead or wounded every second
lieutenant, except four, either dead or
wounded; one-third of the men, either
dead or wounded. And what was left
of the Fifty-ffth Virginia Regiment
was commanded by the adjutant and
four second licutcnants.
Cardigan, at Balaklava, left hun
dreds of prisoners behind; Pickett, at
Gettysburg, left thousands but every
man of the Fifty-ffth Virginia who
could walk was brought off the field.
When can their glory fade?
O, the wild charge they made
Capt. W. J. Davis, with several of
his men, having gotten lost from his
regiment in the darkness after the
wounding of Gen. Jackson, called out
for the Fifty-ffth, and was answered,
"IIere We are and, not knowing
any better, walked right into the enc
my's lines and inquired for his COM
pany, when boy, apparently about
sixteen years old, stepped up close to
him, and, looking on his collar, dis
covered his rank, and, patting him on
the shoulder, said "Captain, this is
the Fifty-ffth Ohio, and you are my
prisoner.
= The Missouri vagrancy law, which
permitted persons convicted of va
rrancv IN he sold hv the sheriff from