Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-01-17
Saint Maru's Beacon
LIKE QUANTRELL's WAY.
CONTINUED from 1st Page

had around him. His force rarely
exceeded $50 or 200 men. They
could all ride and shoot. They
knew no fear. Most Of them had a
personal motive for taking the field,
at least they said they did, although
their enemies have insisted that
they followed Quantrell for love Of
letting and loot.
"But, as | said before, leaving
that out of consideration, they we're
all brave men, willing to go any
where their leader took them. One
Of their chief merits as fighters was
their unerring aim. Like the Boz
ers, they could hit anything they
shot at, but they loved close quar-
ters better than the Transvaaler or
the Free Slater. In those days,
the modern rifle was unknown.
The old.fashioned musket meant
that men could get close enough
together to make a charge effective
and that is just what the guerillas
wanted, They loved a charge above
everything else and one of their
charges was thing to be remem-
bered forever, if a man on the op.
poste side lived to have any mem
DRY about it at all. Each soldier,
when he went into battle, carried
with him five or six and sometimes
as many as eight Colts navy re-
volvers. They were great heavy
things throwing balls big enough to
tear man to pieces when one Of
the missiles hit him. In those DAYS
the reyolyers were five shooters, if
! remember correctly, and they
were bad things to monkey with.
III a man had five of them with him
when he went into a fight, this
would give him a magazine Of %
rounds, The guerilIas were such
expert shots that they could shoot
with either right or left hand aud
you can imagine the damage they
would do in very few minutes
when turned loose on the enemy.
The Federal forces were armed DO
the customary manner. Many of
the infantry regiments which the
guerillas attacked we're stationed I'm
towns as garrsons and were none
too good as soldiers anyway. What
chance had they, armed with O. lot
OF old muskets and on foot, against
such gang Of devils as Qnautrell
would turn loose on them None
in the world. Why, those fellows
would ride into a fight Of that sort
with the numerical odds against
them Of to ] and think il was
play. Each rider would have PTS
toll in each hand and his roins IN
his teeth, With a yell the whole
band would sweep down on the
Federals, firing with both hauds,
and no soldier could stand before
them, Time and again, they did
just what DeWet did against Che
British the other day and often
their losses would not be more than
two or three men. After white
their reputation for bloodthirsty
daring and marvellous shooting be.
came such that the Union soldiers
we're often panic stricken on hear
ing that Quantrell's men were in
the vicinity.
"There were times when over
whelming forces well mounted and
well armed got after Quautrell aud
a retreat at top speed was the only
thing to be done to save the force.
Then came in the knowledge Of the
country and the sympathy Of the
people. Most Of the Missourians
in those parts were Southernin their
sympathies and they did all they
could to keep pursuing forces of
the track and to warn their cham
pions of the approach of the enc
my. Despite this, they were some.
times cornered and surrounded and
the only thing left to be done was
to cut their way out. On one &c
casion, | remember seventeen of
Quantrell's men, including Frank
james, were asleep in a country
hotel and they we're quietly sur
roun1ed nv q Eadaro1 Foroo - 500.