Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-03-16

nAG w1S 81 eGGFAnG t09t &0E &3EMAJ
who were pursuing the 9Th. Eer,
compelled to retire In great eonfu
sion.
We will now return to HaFnptou
and see how be was amusing hin
self, while we were engaged o. th
centre left. Most Of the fehtinI
had occurred before Hampton reach
ed Fleetwood Hill. but he more thai
made mp for the delay wien be dp
get into action. He advanced % tss
attack in magnificent manner, yfth
columns closed up and his .hola I'd
ers every inch soldiers. Hampton
ordered the 1st North Carolina CIV
airy, Col. L. S. Baker, and the Jtff.
Davis Legion to charge, and tRy
did. Capt. Hart. who commanded a
battery of horse artillery frfu
Charleston. S. C, was with IHanp.
ton in this charge. He gives q very
graphic description of the charge
as seen by him as participate:
THE battery that I commanded
moved abreastof Hampton 9 plumn
in a gallop towards this niw foe
Gregg and as we came near Fleet
wood Hill. its summit as aso the
whole plateau, east OF the hill and
beyond the railroad was 9vered
with Federal cavalry. HamHon di-
verging towards his left pasSd the
eastern terminus of the ride and
crossing the railroad, strpk the
enemy in column, just bepnd it.
This charge was gallantly mde and
gallantly met, as any the wrier ever
witnessed during the nearly four
years OF active service on be out.
posts. Taking into consideration
the number OF men that crossed sa-
bres in this single charge. being
nearly q brigade On each sideit was
by far the most important land to
hand encounter between the Avalry
Of the two armies. As the bhe and
gray riders mixed amid the dist and
smoke of that eventful chargf, min
utes seemed TO elapse beforeits ef.
feet was determined. At list the
intermixed and disorganizes mass
began to recede and we saw Ae field
was ours. It was hard Struggle,
but Hampton was one of the hardest
fighters in the army of Nrthern
Virginia, bis men partakiR of the
spirit of their commander. I
]. +. HART, Capt. Conf z.
battery s lH. A.
In looking over the life of Gen.
Stuart by McClelland, find Aomen.
ton made of the gallant charge ol
Cobb's Legion, of Georgia, and o
the 1st South Carolina cavalry, Col
Young. l would like to reproduce
these reports, but owing TO the
length of this article, must refer \he
reader to the Official Records, Wi
q. Part 2, where they may be read
in full.
It was at this point that Breathet
and McGregor's guns had their clos
est call. After Young's charge ant
while Breathed and McGregor wer,
opening upon the flying Yankees
the 1st New Jersey cavalry cam,
laundering down the ridge, striking
Breathed's s section and McGregor'.
battery in the flank, where thel
were not supported, and riding be
tween the guns and caissons from
right to left. They were met by /;
determined resistance-handt to hauC
fight-from the cannoneers, VIII,
with pistol, spongestaff, trail hand
spike and anything in the shape o
q weapon that they might possess
fought so desperately that they die
not succeed in getting single on,
of our men, and we had determined
never to let once Of our guns fall int,
the hands of the enemy. This wa
another occasion where the Hors'
Artillery proved that it could tax
care of itself. Lieut.. Col. Broder
ick, who commanded the lst New
Jersey cavalry, vas killed in from
of Breathed's s section, also Major ]
Fl. Shelmire, who fell from a pisto
ball while attempting TO lead hi
men through the batteries. Th
charge was repuised by the artiller,
alone, not solitary trooper bein,
in -each. Fleetwood Hill was nov
covered with artillery. Hampto
was pressing the enemy on the plain
below. The enemy still held Bran
dy Station. The last charge on thi
line was made by Col. L. L. Iona
with his gallant regiment, the lit
Virginia cavalry. He advanced hi
regiment over the captured batter
(Martin's 6 N. Y.) covering bot
sides Of the road, driving the enem
pell nell from Brandy Station an
for quite q distance on the Stevens
burg road. The dust and smok
was so thick that il was impossibl
at q distance and even nearer 70 di:
tinguish between friend and TO,
Col. FL. S. Thomas tells US that II
the confusion he picked up a vi,
ginia trooper, who remarked, I ca
not tell you Yanks from our folks.
Thus ended the gallant attack .
Gregg's magnificent division
splendidly equipped cavalry, COZ
sisting Of B brigades and Of I of th