Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-07-29

is out of the woods. Flying men wer
all around us and regiment of. Y al
g kee cavalry right behind us. Thi
8 cavalry had been pushed to the from
+ t. take advantage of the break in ou
n line and complete the victory nov
nearly won. AS we got out of th
Il woods, saw section of McClana
{. ia is battery, commanded by Lieut.
e Park Collett, stan ding in the rOat
e limbered up and evidently oblivious 0
the Critical condition of things. | call
! ed out to him to get into battery, tha
e the ankees were right behind us, in
tie lding to unlimber my section q!
e soon as got in line with him, but j
was too late, for before we had tim,
to get into battery the enemy burst
: oat of the woods with yells of triumph
sabering. shooting and riding down
Oar poor fellows. But it was the last
!, yell that some Of them ever gave. fol
Just in front of them were McClana-
hams guns. and behind the guns were
men who had never been run off 9
battle field. BY the time l got to him
COllett had unlimbered and shotted
his guns, and the gunners were stand
ing with the lanyards in their hands,
hesitating to fire and when I called
out to them to do SO, one of them said
LIT. we will kill our own men," There
was no time to lose, they would have
been over us in a minute more, SO l
jumped off my horse and made grab
for the lanyard in the hands of the
gunner nearest me, but be anticipated
me and pulled it off himself, the other
gunners doing the same, and | never
before saw two shots do such execution.
The whole head of the Yankee column
seemed to melt away. The timely and
gallant action of COllett saved every
thing. all of our guns and wagons. The
| men who were not captured retreated
on the Mt. Sidney road. The officer
who commanded the advance of the
Yankee column was in Staunton some
years ago. and said that the two COM
paliies in advance, as they came out of
the woods, were never organized again.
1t is sweet to die for ones country.
Glorious to fall with your breast barred
to the deadly storm in the defense of
truth and justice and for loved ones.
But is there any glory to die in the act
of shooting down and sabering old men
and boys who are trying to prevent
their country from being robbed AMI
plundered, and their women from be-
ing insulted? =?
Soon after Collett began firing, Gen.
Imboden came up and said, You are
doing the right thing. How long can
you hold this position 20 The reply
was, ''We have stopped here for good.
He said that the 18th regiment was
coming to our support. Soon it came
and 1t was suggested to the general
to charge down the road that we might
redeem the day, but he only threw out
a line of battle and we held the posi-
tiOn.
l had been in good many battles.
but this was the first time my COM
mand was driven off the field, and it
made my blood boil to think that, not
withstanding the splendid fighting of
our men, On account of miserable man
agement of our commanders, we were
compelled to fall back before the very
scum of creation. And now it fills my
heart with Indignation to know that
there are men who wore the gray,
miserable sycophants, who for the
sake of an office, are base enough to go
North and tell the people who robbed
and humiliated US, that they are glad
of it, that it was best for us to have
lost. No doubt they they weep when
they read how gallant old Jubal Early
defeated Hunter at Lynchburg.
This was Augusta's battle, and on
the bloody field old men and boys laid
down their lives in the vain attempt to
save their people from Hunters barn
burners. Is it any reason that because
they failed, we should not raise a
monument to keep their mem ,ries
green in the hearts of their pOsterity ?
Ought not their names at least to be
put on record in the Archives of the
County? appeal to Augusta 3 noble
women to see that justice is done to
these heroes.
This is a very inaccurate account of
the battle know, but there was never
an official report of it made. had no
data to guide me, and [ had to depend
on my memory. l would like to have
had the list of Augusta's killed and
wounded and l would be obliged to
any one who will furnish me lie n..lnes.
for they ought certainly to be put on
record in the archives of the county.
A section of Bryan's battery was
commanded by Sergt. Milton W. Hump
hreys and did splendid service on the
left. Prof. Humphreys is professor of
Greek at the University Of Virginia.
Maj. Saunders of the 45th regiment
was left for dead on the field, but was
revived an saved by Mrs. Crawford,
who lived near the battlefield.
have been told since by Col. George
Imboden, who commanded on the ex
treme right, that most of Stahl's
cavalry was Immediately in his front
and ready to run around our right
wing if he had moved away. He said
that Gen. Jones had told Gen. limbo d
en- in the morning that he must no Id
the right. or Hunter would cut us of
from Waynesboro, our base.
CARTER BERKEL EY
II Disease takes no summer
vacation.