The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-09-07
CHAPTER ' |. .
ACTION AT BLADENSEt HG

ACTION AT BLADENSEUHG
The sun had not yet risen, when,
under the guidance Of two natives,
| whom our Quarter Master General had
impressed into the service, the column
began to move. Notwithstanding the
excessive fatigue of last night, Charl-
ton and | were far from being displcascd
at finding that an increase to the
strength of the advance guard was
necessary, and that it fell to our lot to
| fill that important situation. Our men,
likewise, were manifcstly delighted
with the post ass gned to them. for the
bad hints which had been dropped as
we pursued our way from the chateau,
as to the desirablcness ola little repose.
after so many hours of whiting, were
heard no more. We chcerfully took
our ground as one of the five compan-
les committed to the direction Of Major
Brown, and marched off in the same
excellent spirits which had animated
us during the operations of yesterday.
We soon cleared the open fields which
SUI rounded the place of last nights
bivouac. and struck into a wood, more
dense and more tangled than any which
we had yet traversed. The Eath was
SO narrow, that four men could with
difficulty move abreast, and the thick
cts were so close and rough on either
side, that the flank patrols could make
their way through only by dint of pow
erful eNertions, and at very leisurely
pace. Yet of one comfort we were all
very sensible. The boughs meeting
overhead, completely sheltered us from
the rays of the sun; and notwilhstand-
ing the gloom which so bread a canopy
cast around us, we saw, from the col
oring which fell upon the grass, that to
be SO sheltered from such a sun was a
source of no slender self-congratula-
ton. We were now, it appeared, cross
ing the country, by 1t way little used
except for sportsmen, and fastening
back into the great road to Washing
ton, which had yesterday been ahan-
doned
Not single event fell out worthy
Of repetition, during the four hours
which were expended in traversing this
forest. ambuscades lay in our way,
nor did any skirmishrrs attempt to
harass our movement. Extreme holi-
ly weakness, and the most impcrvous
nature Of the thickct. alone served to
make our progress tardy. Bat at last
the woods began to assume a more open
appearance: spaces occurred here and
there, which gave proof of attempts
made to clear it away; and the path
became wider, more firm, and more like
u road adapted to the common traffic
OF a civilized country In a word,
about nine O'Clock in the morning. we
found ourselves within view Of the point
to which our steps We're directed; and
i'll half an hour after, the by-i.ath was
abandoned, and we were once more in
full march towards the Capital.
Nothing can be imagined more strik-
ing than the change which became i'm
meGiately perceptble in all the outward
appearances Of nature. Instead OF
trackless wilds, We found ourselves
marching through a country sufficient
ly open to convey the idea of It's being
we'll peoplcd, and vc. so far fcathercd
with groves and plantations, rs to give
t, it a degree Of beauty, OF which a
state of ovcr-population will doubtless
some day deprive it. Green meadows
and corn fields were separated from one
another 10y patches Of the ancient for
est, which seemed to have been left
standing, not So much for the purpose
Of use rs for ornament: whilst here and
there Il gentle hill would swell up, cul-
tivatcd to, perhaps, the half of its as
cent, and crowned with wood. Ncr
were villages and solitary dwellings,
wanting. Within the space OF three
miles. we passed two hametS. built
each in 4 single row, by the waysid,,
while numerous farm houses, steadings,
and larger structures rising from time
TO time on either hand. indicated that
we had at last attained to a region OF
something like refinement. We were
all, both officers and men. conscious
that a powerful rcvulsion in our feel
ings was effected by this change in our
circumstances. Numbers who had be-
gun to lag behind, acquired new vigor
from the contemplation so many signs
Of life; and conversation, which for
some time past had almost entirely
| ceased, was renewed in every rank with
fresh volubility. TO add to the gen
cral spirit of cXhilaration, the buglcs
of the light corps sounded lively