The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-01-28
WAR STORIES.
Close Calls by Wholesale.
Col. G. y. Saussy, in Atlanta Journal.

N'N |HN ~ 1uo III u
the whole command was soon across
the turbid stream. Then the impro-
vlStd brlGge was thrown into the river.
Pressing forward, the command. about
,l:JD \. m. reached the banks Of the
James, about thirty miles below Rich
mond. Here some forage was secured.
the horses fed, and the men rested.
After nightfall, the march was re-
sumcd. The command passed in
sight OF over twenty Of the cncmy's
g%uhboats and transports, but without
molcstation, until it was about to re-
enter the Confederate lines, when a
lew shells from a scout gunboat were
fired at the column, but without effect.
The expedition brought into the Con-
fedcratc lines 1868 officers and men as
prisoners, 2G5 horses and mules, and
destroyed property Of the Federal
crmy, that could not be moved, csti-
mated by competent Federal authority
well up in seven figures.
The troops engaged in this foray
were two days and two nights enclosed
behind the mighty Army of the Poto-
mac, and in their march in rear of and
within three miles Of General McClel-
lan's headquarters. This moving
column was totally lost to the Fedcrals
during this time. In breaking Nc
Clellan's right, Stuart sustained the
serious loss Of the gallant Latane,
who fell while leading the charge that
smashed Che regulars and opened the
way through the Federal lines. This
was the only loss to Stuart.
For this daring and successful fcray
upon the rear Of the Potomac army,
Stuart aud his troopers received the
hearty congratulations Of General Lee
III General Orders No. n, juno %,
1862. For two days Stuart and his
troopers were completely shut off from
any aid or assistance, and all that time
in deadly peril Of utter destruction;
but he safely compassed the object of
his venture, with fruit as before
enumerated, and that with the loss of
tut one man, the gallant Captain John
Latanc.
Nor were these the only fruits, for
1T was practically upon the line blazed
out by Stuart on this raid that Jack
son was directed T. move when he
swooped down from the valley upon
McClellan's flank, which terminated
in the federal defeat in the seven
days battles of Richmond.
There are few instances during the
four years Of hat fierce struggle where
there was Il closer call than in the
~Chicaaomony raid.
Sharpsburg had been fought, and
history had recorded upon her tablet
one of the bloodiest Of indecisive bat
ties. When the sun sank to rest on
the evening of the 18th Of September,
1862, the crimson glow that yelled his
face portrayed the life blood Of thou
sands of brave men who had that day
grappled in deadly embrace for the
mastery Of that bloody field. The
dawn of the 18th found these two
giants facing each other where they
had dropped from heroic exhaustion
the evening before, the one too terri
bly, punished, the other too weak to
assume the aggressive.
Each, as he closely scanned his op-
ponent, watched for some aggressive
or tactical movement while they rest
ed upon their arms. Finally a brief
truce was arranged for burying the
dead. When darkness "rolled back
the curtain Of the night and pinned it
with a star the relative positions Of
the two armies remained unchanged.
The active mind Of Lee grasped the
truth that rcinforcements were rapidly
coming to McClcllan's help, while
none were within hail Of his lines.
Then he knew he must yield the north
bank OF the Potomac. Under cover OF
darkness his forces passed the river
~ molested, and the morning of the
10TH Of September found the Army Of
Northern Virginia again on Virginia's
soil. Then Mcclellan suddenly be-
came aggressive. He rushed q corps
in hot pursuit and thought he found
the way unblocked. But Lee had
taken the necessary pre,aution to pre-
vent any poaching upon his preserves.
He had left Hill Ga. P.) with 1000
muskets and a fair complement of
guns at Sheppardstown ford. These
were so posted that their presence was
not revealed to the hot nursuers. Into
the Potomac they pushed. Hill al
1owo6 fhom IN onarn ipto tbo .:yo.