Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-08-28

bodyguard, gallopped in front of the
foremost line of battle to the sum.
NIT Of the crest.
No enemy could be seen, but at
e.foot of gentle declivity, about
100 yards in our front, was thick
wood. A fence ran Immediately
across our path, and here we stop
ped for the troops TO come up. The
first brigade that reached us, CON
sistiDg, | think, of the Eleventh and
! Thirteenth Louisiana Regiments,
and another, were directed to clear
the wood Of any enemies that might
be concealed in it, and at once
sprang over the fence and proceed
ed, stlll in line Of battle, toward the
wood. But scarcely had they I'D
yanced 20 yards when blaze Of
musketry fromthe cdgeof the woods
disclosed the ambushed enemy, and
shameful TO relate, the great bulk Of
q brigade that had distinguished il.
self month before at Shiloh for
bravery, incontinently took fight
and left us a peculiar mark, mount
ed and uniformed as we were, for
the euemy's bullets. a brave man
might have been excused under the
! circumstances for quietly falling
back aud fixed my eyes on the
General For moment bis eyes
blazed with anger, aud then turning
bali around on bis horse, be looked
back 10 sec where aud how far back
the main body Of our troops was be-
hind as. +, too, looked, and never
have | seen war made 50 brilliant in
aspect From side 20 side 81 the
vast plain, almost as Tar as the eyes
/ could reach, the Confederate lines
~ battle the bayonc;s glistening
tn tho sunlight, ihc various banners
futteriug iu thc breeze came proud
/ ly on like wave after wave OF the
sea, while the air was li.lcd with the
crash Of musketry, iutcrmingled
with strains Of music that came aoat-
ing from the rear. Tho nearest line
u troops behind us was General
Patton Anderson brigade. about
loo yards distant AZ once / saw
thc General : determination was
taken be would not Hy major.
I goaeFal in tho face OF The enemy /
ln o tranquil voice be directed one
Of hisoGieers 10 hurry up the troops
aud another to place a battery on
the crest JUS! on the right, aud sat
still
IL Is easy enough Ia write about
but Il was . dread moment al the
ioaden tempest hurtlcd by, through
aud among as, and we sitting as
quietly as il for a portrait OF
course, we could not leave the Gen.
gral. Ii was but a few minutes Ia
point o. tine. hours ia uncertainty.
Several members Of the stan and
bodyguard were shot down. horse
and man Up gullOppcd a four gun
battery mud, rapidly taking position
by our side. added the roar Of or.
tillery TO the sublimity the scene.
Quarrel Win Forrest.
10 January, 1869, the Confeder
a;c calvary forces OF North Mississ-
ippi aud West Tennessee were or.
ganized into o corps, nearly 1000
strong The two divisions 81 For
rest and Jackson were commanded
by Van Dorm ln March they
fought successful action against q
portion ofGeneral Granger $ United
States forces sent out against them
from Franklin. They captured Co
burn entire Indiana brigade. The
rotations between Forrest and Van
Dorm had become strained. Both
were ambitious and distrusttul Of
each other. and Van Dorm had been
recently cireumscribed in command
by reason OF his Corinth disaster,
while Forrest bad risen 70 the high
est rank in the cavalry line by an
uninterrupted succession OF victori-
Gus exploits.
Forrest was emphatically a son Of
the people, an unframed man, a
keeper OF livery stable and abso-
lutely without antecedeuts, but full
Of military resources and of daring
courage, which deservedly won for
him the recognition and rank that
dc won. He was in fact born mil
itary commander, though lowly born.
Both he and Van Born were intel
Iectual, high minded and heroically
brave,
Forrest the Tennesseean, reared
in the northern part OF Mississippi,
with plebeian antecedents, and Van
Dorm the man of family, the West
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