The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-27
BOYS IN
BATTLE,
Adjourned the School il Order 'i''
10 Eight tic :t,0. Federal Ec,l..
Raiders.
LOSSES AT COLD CO | H Y '.;'l
a Mysterious "Firrc-Bug' An. m
81 ecdotcs and "reminiscences.
Stories Of Gallantry.

Ia
Editor Of The Times Dispatch;
Morgantown, w, va,
sir-You will soc from the above ttla. n =
y am now living In the mountains olRNNe Hs
Virginia. and let me say IN TINS coniiess-
zion that have never received an ~,
$i,er, but Kindness from CITIZENS, any any .''.'
z soldiers, with but one exception. e' '
Decoration Day, ] was on the pias sS -
with many Union soldiers alu "a"
gRold Confcderates. When the viz. ii
forEthe Confederate speaker TO mass ar l' ~
tg address the ndjutant OF the day, lei
~ tnlatrorm saving. he would not listen
u ~ any .d--n Confederate speak. COY i
ernor White, who was sitting next me
8 said. "Do not mind him. YOU Will ina
some fools In every crowd
have lust finished reading MAJOR
s.t;les,s book-.Tour Years With Nlarse
Robert,'-which enjoyed more than an any
hook L have ever read about the war as
.SitStells more of the work Of the arl1l!erS.
Ills a account Of the battle of Cold llafpor,
ftha immediate cause of this letter.. in-
n terested me greatly and gave me infor-
4 nation never knew before, viz, that
Sthis battle came nearer gaining the inde-
4nendence Of sthe Confederary than any
battle fought during the war.
VI II wish to claim that the + auauler At At
4 tlllery (,nder the command Of Lieutenant
4 Gray Carroll, after "a professor at ,41e
i college at Blacksburg). was on the lire
With General Hnke's Division, having
4iust returned from North Carolina.
WHERE DEAD MEN LAY THICK
General Hoke. in his official report, says
there we're more men killed In front Of
his line than In any fight during the
war, and that he had scarcely any loss
While stating the position which the
iFauauier Artillery held, | will mention
that I was Observation-Disclosures was told
on my return to the company--by the
most reliable authority-that our men,
fired double shotted canister into the
enemy and fairly moved them down.
When one of the guns became spiked
with printing wire, Charles Sit1man
sprang upon it and straddling II, un-
spiked 1t with both hands In time TO let
them have the shot almost at the nuzzle
of the gun. Certainly part Of thus re-
pulse was due to our grand. old COM
8pany, and this think l can claim with
nodesty. as was1not II command at the the
time. 4. go
SCHOOL BOY ..MUsKETEERs.
Ab:ut this time. / being wounded and
with my family in Halifax. an order
came from General Lee, for every sick
and wounded man who was able to re-
port at Staunton River bridge, MS Cen
4 eral Cortz with 2,7o0 men was advancing
to burn the bridge / mounted my horse
and started at once, When / arrived ]
found Colonel FarrinEholr In command,
and the artillery under an officer who
Z had never fired gun, and ] might
! add that his men were In the sane pre-
dicamcnt.
Colonel Harrington put me in command
Il Of the artillery. After telling each man
what expected him to do and how 10
do IT.. I received an order from Colonel
( Harrington to report at once TO his head
quarters. found he wished to hold a
council of war. During our talk, two.
md. l think. three. old gray-headcd min
Z listers reported that they We're there with
their school boys 10 help save the bridge.
II occurred to me at once that this
was our chance. and advised Colonel
Harrington to put the boys In the breast
f works on the other sids of the river
4 The river being behind them and tho
enemy In front OF them The Colonel
agreed at once. The ministers began tc
protest on account of ths age OF tile
boys. The Colonel asked If they did moi
come 10 help save the bridge and he in
This seemed fearfully cruel but the re-
q suits proved. 10 the satisfaction Of tht
minister's 1t was the right thing TO do
THE rest OF the command WAS ther
rjaced III breastwoIks on the south side
OF the river. ] then went at once bacl
IL. the artillery, ! had scarcely reached
RI IT when saw the enemy como out ant
form In line OF battle 10 charge tn,
bridge four lines Our number, Ny hear
went out to these boys ] opened fire oi
tho enemy at once with the four gun
and did all the harm could ] tries
10 make them think we had a larg
force in their front AZ this time, III
order on the other side WAS given 4
iPaCharge," Down came $50 men on ihes
boys and disabled soldiers. BOT ~ wor
die we hear from the boys until IN
enemy were In about 100 yards of them
wl.eIi one OF the dear, old minister
sprank upon works and gave the order liz
low and fast; the llttlc fellows swarme
MI from the ground like yellow jackets.
i do not know that they killed many hi
tho result was that the enemy was II
u puls.ed and as badly frightened as exc
saw They rallied and made q seeon
charge With the Same result.
The bridge was saved, and IN my judf
ment. saved by the preachers and u
flo.s II am told that the Rev, Mr CLAIR
OF your city, and Braxton Bryan, wei
two Of these boys.
's5i3i5 f A HORSE TRADE,
To give you some idea of the aifrehs
n a. mat tirne. soon aftar 1 reached Hal
\ fax. r,cii farmer came nrer 10 pu
x chase a Horse for his son, ] ,had 3n'
e Lousst very fine horse WhiGh ha
tsep captured from the enemy Ply Y