The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-31


ground under our horses feet without
either of m-taking the slightest no.
tice of the little incident. AS for my
self. cared but little either. as was
then impressed with the idea that the
bullet had not been moulded which
was to kill our general. The firing
soon ceased and Hill rode away.
At this juncture the General had no
officer with him except Lieutenant
Keith. Boswell, an officer belonging to
his signal corps, and myself, together
with a dozen OF my own men who
were riding behind. a Confederate
brigade was marching slowly in col
urnn on the left OF the road and close
to the woods, Keith Boswell was rid
ing on the right Of the General and
myself on the left between him and
our lines. The General turned to me
and asked: Whose brigade is that?"
II don't know, SIR I replied, but
will find out in a moment I at
once rode up to our line and asked
the first officer / met whose brigade
it was He replied Lanes North
Carolina rode back to Jackson,
giving him the reply. GO and tell
the officer in command he said. Ito
halt his brigade / rode up to the
same officer, gave the command and
told him it came from General Jack
son in person. The order was passed
along the line and the whole brigade
halted at once, making a half wheel
to the right, facing the road. and rest
cd upon their arms. We continued
our movement in the same order, walk
ing our horses very slowly towards the
front OF the brigade. Suddenly the
General asked, Captain. is there a
road near our present position leading
to the Rappahannock?' l replied that
not far from where we stood there
was a road which led into the woods
In the direction OF the Rappahannock
river.
CEASE FIRING.
This road must be found then. at
once he said. lie had hardly ut
tered these words when a few scatter
ing random shots were heard in the
woods to our right. The men in line
on our left, excited apparently by this
fire, commenced firing across the road
into the woods beyond. not in regular
volleys but in a desultory way with
out order, here and there along the
line.
General Jackson turned 20 me and
said: Order those men to stop that
fire. and tell the officers not to allow
another shot fired without orders.
rode up and down the line mad gave
the order to both men and officers.
telling them also they were endanger-
ing the lives of General Jackson and
his escort. But in vain: those lmme-
diately in my front would cease as l
gave the order, but the firing would
break out above or below me. and in
stead of ceasing the shots increased
in frequency. / rode back to jack
son and said:
General, it is impossible to stop
these men, they seem to be in a kind
of panic I think we had best pass
through their line and get into the
woods behind them Very we'll,
said was the reply. So making a
half wi1irl to the left, thus presenting
front of say sixty yards, our little
company commenced the movement TO
pass through the line, and thus put
ourselves beyond the range of the fire.
A few more seconds; would have placed
us in safety. for we were not over
three yards from the line, but as we
turned locking up and down as far as
my eye could reach I saw that long
line OF shining bayoncts rise and con-
sentrate upon Us.
!. FEARFUL MISTAKE.
felt what was coming. and
driving spurs into my horses flanks
a powerful animal and full of spr-
it, he rose high in the air, and
rs we passed over the line. the
thunder crash from hundreds of rifles
burst full in our very faces. I look
ed back as my horse made the leap.
and everything had gone down like
leaves before the blast OF a hurricane.
The only living thing besides myself
that passed through that stream of
fire was Boswcll's black stallion, my
attention being called to him by the
rattle Of Il chain halter that swung
loose from his neck, as he passed out
Of sight in the darkness Of the wood.
But his saddle was empty. Boswell.
too, an old comradc of many a perilous
scout. had gone down with all the rest
before that incNcusablc and unwar-
ranted fire. My own horse was wound
ed in several places. by clothes and
saddle were perforated with bullets,
yet 1 escaped without wound, the
only living man TO tell the fearful
story
As soon as 7 could control my horse,
rendered frantic by his wounds. rode
among our men who were falling back
into the woods and from behind the
trees We're still continuing that reck-
less and insane fire, and urged them
to form their line and come back to
the road, telling them that they had
fired not upon the enemy, but upon
General Jackson and his escort.
SAD TRAGEDY.
Then sicl, at heart I dashed back to
tho road, and there the Saddest tragedy
of the war was revealed in its fullest
horror.
1 saw the Generals horse. which I
recognized at once, standing close to
the edge of the road. with his head
bent low, and a stream Of blood run
ming from a wound in his neck. Jump
ing from my horse I fastened to the
spot and saw the General himself ~
ing in the edge of the woods. He
seemed to be dead and I wished all