The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-07-20
THOROUGHFARE GAP
Copyright. 1900. by c. B. Lewis
BY Ii. QUAD.

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and Pennsylvania. The mountains hid
his marching columns from sight OF the
Federals. and at every gap In the Blue
Ridge he left force with Instructions
to hold out to the last and give him
all the time possible to reach and cross
the Potomac. 1t was the aim OF the
Federals to break through at some
point and penetrate his movement, and
there was lighting on every mountain
trail and at the mouth of every noun
tain gap. The major general had said
10 the brigadier ordered to proceed to
'Thoroughfare gap:
II do not know how many Confeder-
letes are holding that gap but be the
humber 500 or 10000 you must break
through. That is the order-break
Through. If only one man Of your com.
lnaud is left alive, he will bring US the
Hews we want"
And the major general on the Con
Moderate side had said to the brigader:
Y "You viii drtach one regiment Of
Eour command to hold Thoroughfare
kap. 1t must be held against the Fed
erals for three days We can spare
only a single regiment. If there is hut
. one man left alive at the end of that
time he will follow on and overtake
US"
A narrow wagon road, twisting and
turning between walls from 20 to 100
feet high, with alternate spots of sun.
shine and gloom that was Thorough
fare gap As the skeleton regiment Of
GOO Coufederates entered il and pressed
forward TO its western mouth, its rug
gedness and gloomy solemnity brought
feeling of awe. 1t reminded them Of
tomb, and they shuddered to think Of
flying In the semidarkncss Two field
)ieces rolled along with the regiment
If Infantry. and the Jar of the heavy
Rheels loosened a stone now and then
o come gathering down from far
l2bove. When Il blue brigade came
lslattering up, II was to find the 600
10 possession and the position one
Fhich the dullest private must see was
yell nigh impregnable. Every hour
vas worth thousand lives to the Fed
,ral army, and the Federal brigadier
ost no time in beginning the attack
n the open he would have gObbled up
hat skeleton regiment at n dash. Be
lind a rocky wall hastily thrown up,
With no way to get at the enemy eX-
ept In front, his surplus of men did
~pt count. At the sound Of the bugles
ley dashed forward with cheers, but
1t a man got within five rods OF the
all. Grape and canister and bullets
Ire the lines to pieces. II was tried
, gain and again. The orders were TO
lfeak through the gap \ thousand
lead and wounded would be cheap
rice for the information to be had at
be other end. Artillery was brought
Onward to batter down the wall, but
could not be placed TO advantage.
NE pieces had only been fired onca
Ihen their crews lay dead or wounded
nd the carriages were shattered. The
Federal brigadier rode back and forth
nd stormed and swore and almost
i7ept
"Whether 500 or 10000, you must
reak through" were the orders, and
he failed to carry them out his ca
ser 40 n soldier was nj an end An
fmy of 100000 men was waiting to
theckmate Lee. \ whole nation was
'aitiag to hear the splash Of Confed
rate feet in the waters Of the Potomac.
he men in blue could hardly form
ompany In the mouth of that detile.
charge against the wall meant death
every other man, but they formed up
nd charged and cheered Gnd-died.
fter half day of bloody fighting the
ederal brigadier rested. He was still
leeding from wound when he open
Ia dispatch and read:
"You have one of the best brigades in
he corps, and 1t IS certain you are op-
osed by only handful of Confedcr-
.es. By . o'clock in the morning you
ust have authentic news of Lee"
The brigadier had sacrificed coo men
lat day, and he could not believe the
,nfederate loss to be over 80. There
as but one way to reach them on the
'orrow-over that stone wall. He
'ould drive them or die with the last
an There was no jollity in the Fed
ial camp that night Men will sing
s joke as they swing into battle line In
de open, but these men peered into
Ie darkness Of the gap and thought
the dead in front of the stone wall
nd spoke TO each other in whispers.
was brave sight to see them swing
to line as the sun gilded the tree tops
very face had its pallor. and every
re looked into the midst of death but
Eere was no tagging or falterins. You
,iw them tightening their belts and
citing their jaws as they waited and
I5u held your breath for the signal
1hich was to send them to death
Won the other side of the stone wah
tlere was no eXultaton, The dead
and the wounded were comparatively
INV. but every hour would add to the
tumber, and only one day Of The three
tad passed. The colonel knew what
nas coming aud prepared for It, When
he blue lines, ten deep. came dashing
s1rward. they met with such a hail Of
Ton and lead that the first three or
abur were botted off the face of the
mrth Then. under the smoke cloud
tpme of them wounded and all deSpcr-
tie, the other lines crept forward, and
le wall was reached II was hand
" hand night now, ana every man was
udevil, and after a quarter of an hour