The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1901-08-10

notable achievements.
A, Port Republic, Hays First Louisiana
Brigade made the decisive charge Of the day.
and captured a Federal battery. In
acknowledgment of this achievement,
Stonewall Jackson presented this battery to
the gallant brigade. It afterwoods
given to the Louisiana Guard Battery, whose
brave captain. D'Aquin, was killed at
Fredericksburg. Hays Brigade also took
the heights 1t Winchester, Va, by assault,
and in honor of this feat they were after
wards called Louisiana Heights.'
In the engagement on Aug. 29, 1869, at
the battle of the Second Manassas, the
Second Louisiana Brigade. then commanded
by General Starke, afterwards by Gene, ais
Nichols, Stafford and York, successfully
charged and routed three separate lines of
federal infantry, taking 100 prisoners and
a cannons. The brigade marched before
Stonewall Jackson on its return from the
field and General Jackson, in complimenting
General Starke for their victorious charge,
told him to take them to some place in the
rear where they might have full nights
rest, as he would need them for desperate
work on the morrow. This forecast was
amply verified. In the afternoon of the
following day. the memorable goth
of August, Starke's Brigade was
rushed to a railroad cut and contiguous en-
bankment to meet the onslaught of the
Federals upon the Confederate left. which
was commanded by Stonewall Jackson, and
which the Federals had selected as the
point for their decisive attack. Rene's Di-
vision, Sykes Regulars, and other crack
troops bore down with logged determine
ton upon the Louisianians, upon whom they
charged repeatedly, though unsuccessfully,
70, two long hours. Their attacks were
supported by a whitening artillery fire,
which infiladed the line held by the Louis
ianians. Finally, when the latter had we'll
nigh expended their ammunition, the Fed
eral mass rallied for a last rush. They
reached the crest of the embankment, but
were met there resolutely by the powder-be-
erimed Louis,anians, who had resolved to
conquer or die. Some of the Louisianians
were firing their last cartridges, while others
were throwing rocks at the assailants, and
others were lunging at them with their bay
onets. This was more than the Federals
could withstand. They wavered and broke
to the rear, beaten and disorderly mass.
The Lousianians had turned the tide of
battle, and the rout of Pope's army had be-
gun. The ground along the front of the
line, SO tenaciously held by the Louisianians,
was literally strewn with dead and wounded
Federals 1t had become a veritable charnel-
house. The Second Louisiana Brigade was
known after this as 1.-THE Rock Brigade"
In the same battle, Hays Brigade, tenn
por arily under the orders of Colonel Forno,
of the Fifth Louisiana Regiment. had exc
cuted the extremely difficult maneuver of
changing front under a continuous fire of
at close range.
Referring to his campaign in the Shenan-
doah valley, General Jubal A. Early once
said that if he had had 10000 men like the
in his command, he would have
driven General Sheridan and $4,000 troops
across the Potomac in less than ten days.
OF all the achievements of the Confeder-
ate army none deserve more praise than the
CURED at the upper end of this (the capitap
parish of the State. The defenses consisted
Of a line of intrenchments four and
a half miles in length, strengthened by
inner lines and redoubts, all earthworks
Under accepted rules these defenses re-
4uired garrison of 200 men, but Cen
eral Frank Gardner undertook the Perilous
work with about 5000. Of this band of
heroes, great number were Louisianians,
of infantry, cavalry, heavy and
light artillery. The armament of the place
and the supplies of various kinds were cor
inadequate. Yet the dauntless
and his braves were not only con-
fronted by s'cannon to the fight and cannon
o the Left" as the famous Light Brigade
we're in their renowned charge at Balaklava,
Dat they were enveloped by $4,000 thor
fronts, while powerful squadron of Far
.agut's fleet maintained an almost continuous
oomba rdment from the Mississippi side.
This hopeless situation was endured by the
mall garrison from the 27th Of May to July
), 1868, when all chances of relief having
the place was surrendered, the
enemy according to the defenders the honors
# war that they had SO well earned. Dur
ng the siege, several stu bborn assaults were
made by the enemy, but with equal logged
less and higher resolve, by means of quick
upon the menaced points,
very assault was triuinphantly repealed. At
he capitulation, in returning to General
Gardner the sword he had rendered him,
gadier General Andrews, of the United
;tates army, said: 81 return your sword as
proper compliment to the gallant COM
nander of such gallant troops, in defense
his General Gardner becomingly replied: