The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-02
RECORD OF
CHE>WvS MEN
Ono OF the Famous Batteries
That Fought III the
Great War.
COMPLETE ROSTER or MEN
Brief Story Of Their. Hardships.
and Daring and Of Their
Disbanding.
By Charles w. McVicar.

By Charles w. McVicar.
\. ono Of tho most famous batteries of
.Hjthe war in the sixties was commanded
e by Captain Robert Preston Chew, Of
Charlcstown. When only eighteen years
u old his career as an officer opened
under that wonderful cavalier Turner
n Ashby, on whose command General
Thomas j. Jackson. in all his Valley
/, campaigns, depended for a full knowledge
4 Of the cncmy's movements, we'll knowing
that Glneral Turner Ashby would see
them daily and engage them at every.
opportunity. So proud was he Of this
young captains skill With his battery
hat vouchers on record show that Cen
,eral 4sshby had him firing on the enemy
by detachment. by section. or by battery
twcnty-cght days in one month. The can
noncers were all mounted on good horses
and could move their siN-pound guns at
ii gallop and when along the Potomac
) Ashby aud his men knew every move in
his front from Leesbure 10 Cumberland
with scouts always IN view Of them.
Tn March %. 1862, In the battle t
y kcrnstown General sAslby had this bat
From one Of their shells General Shields
lost an arm. General jackson. with 2,3D
men, mot over 10000 and killed and
wounded over :, 100. and AT night gave
General .Ashhy his rem guard and retired
quietly the next evening.
While slowly falling back near Chris
mans Spring on the Valley pike, only sin
miles from Kcrnstown. Ashby. with Il few
cavalry. ana tbs battery were firing, one of
Chew's drivers was shot through the body
5AtcWillians, an old man., past forty
ttive "a substitute l have heard. Cpluncl
Miller, a Rockingham man, young and
very strong, was left with him. At John
+ Chrismans house his three grown daugh-.
tiers and wife hid A1cNVilliams and Miller
an the attic over the house and attended
them for seven weeks Miller found the.
bullet in the back between two ribs and
cut II out draining his wound. The house
lin the enemy'.s lines was Oftem searched
for them. They left in May and were
weeks getting to Dayton. McWilliams's
home, near sixty miles McWilliams was
Z able to work In less than u year. In all of
Jaclsson's Valley movements this bat
terry was vt.ss, :tctiEe. After General Ash
by was itillet at Cross Keys June s.
1862, we served under General William
t. Jones. a noted army officer, a rigid,
brave, kindly man. General J.. l.. LomaS
and General Thomas L. .Rosser,
On June ], 1863, we started for General
Stuarts commandment Culpeper: on the
(! At, were assigned TO Stuart's battalion Of
horse artllery-Captain Jim Breathed's,
McGrcsory'S. Norman, Shocmaker's and
Chcw's batteries. Though we fought often
with other brigades we We're always
Il known rs AShby's old brigade battery.
Captain Chew, by his cool, clear juds-
ment won much marked distinction IN
5lincug his guns, watching carefully his
shots and their effect and in Keeping his
Ginners cool. He was the only man
during tho war that ] saw who had COLI
troll enough Of Ills nerves not to shrink
Z or dodge under fire He was always on tho
: lookout for the safety of his men and guns
With his coolness and feailcssness he
could take his men IN action, do more
IA execution and bring more out unframed
x than any other arillcrist IN the SER
vice. a characteristiclof his was that II
the enemy 90, range OF his guns he quick
~ moved them 10 the right or left and
move, In artillery service tie battery
that gets the range Of another battery
rattles the nerves Of tho gunncrs against
them AT short range so thai they d.
not take time 10 sight carefully, anG
wonder where the fault lies, when q little
reflection would show them the fuul
was their Own. This Chew tried. although
youth TO impress on hiA sunners. s.
marked was his ability that he was pro
NOTED 10 major in March, lssi-then IN
the battalion Of Stuart's horse artillery
Major James Breathed, Major Gregory
Z and Major Moorman were all brave, nobl
heroic men, older in years and grand u
their devotion. Yet later in 1864 young
4 Major Chew was promoted to lieutenan
colonel Che never was full cploneD Of al
& the horse artillery in the Army OF North
VI ern Virginia under General Robert II
Lee, and ! honestly believe that Genera
r. II, Lee saw The merits due Robcr
q Preston Chew and caused his promotion,
slniysa few days ago he stated to m
thnt he thought II was the excel!en
g. craftsmanship OF his eunncrs. hut it wa
his care In raining them to keep Gao
and fire slowly ard hit their mark tina
made them effective.
do not make any pf these state
our brate officers OF stuart's Iers
artillery battalion; Of Major Ilr
sf observation-disclosures ne would not lead me
could not live, Of the fiery McCncgors
who was often TOO yepturesome. AM
1851 many Of his. men. You AWAY
knew whore TO find them When his gun
wnre barking, no officer IN TINT bat,allo
of Stuaris horse artillery ever fajle
,p do his full duty IN ilee Of the enem
thai eyer heard Of.
on The 18th OF March, ls.; The batter
MAS %ncapaped gear GordpusNlie on Ger
teral Fields 4, farm, Captain cbew noHtle
flie i,stiery Of his promotion 20 paJ6
snd called for an election ~ nficcrl
frat Lieutenant James Ihpmptgn wa