The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-23

y
the ordinance Of secession, all of the OF
4 volunteer ,ooinn,iilics' ranks wore over
i flowing, their allotted Iiurrbors 1o4 men
4 rank and file. So the organization q
tlew companies became the order OF tlis
day, and d list was circulated for names
for the "Lyilchb,irg Rifles, J" nfterWardt
Company ID Eleventh Virginia Infantry
Among the names on Tho list appchtet
that Of Walter r. Abbott, and ct ts
orgat,lzati lon he gave up his business hnt
entered This company Of strangers. By
doabt lie lie personally knew or was
known to a half dozen fr,ci, With whom
Ito had cast his lot. 1t, however, took
| but Il short while for Ills comrades %
make his acquaintance, aud find MS
WORTH Young and Of HANDSOME, athletlc
4 proportions, OF fine cOhversnt loslal attain.
nlcnts, llglfi1d lii manner, yet wltttll
sDcinbln and Kind. 40 our olgn,,l Hon
!. this perfect stranger In our midst was
elected orderly sergeant of The company.
| No were sent to Manassas, ANA III tho
biittlcs on the 18th and 21st OF July Scr
| gennt Abbott was III tho thick Of Tic
! fray and proved himself Il soldier indeed
as well MS iii appearance. 4
/ AZ Fairfax Courthouse, In liz fall of
| 81 u Vacancy occurring By promotion
| or other commissioned officers. Sergeant
Abbott was elected junior second lieut.
tenant, In With position lie finished Ills
first years = service, 1T tic battlol#of
Drainsvllc, on Dccenbcr 18th, after which,
tho command went into winter quarters
ut Ccntcrville&and remained until tho
last OF February, 1862, when tho troops
wcro 3 withdrawn Il from the dangerous
horseshoe and wo were ordered to York
town to reinforce General Mngruder, and
it was willo engaged IN Tho daily Skin
misliing and artillery ducls on llcse mes
the company took advantage OF the pro-
vision OF tho conscript act. recently
passed by the Confederate Congress, III
lowing volunteers already In the field 10
reorganizn and rcscect officers, md lici-
tenant Abbott was unanimously elected
first lieutenant OF the company Soon
after this Johnston commenced and car
ricd outstlccessfrlly his famous and dam
gerous retreat up The Peninsula towards
Richmond.
On the eth oil May Mcclellan was push
ing us so close that 1t became necessary
for. the snfctySof our wagon atraips that
the army should hult, face about and
give battle totthe clicmy. which was done
at Willamsbprg viii, what satisfactory
results history records. in this battle
Lieutenant Abbott narrowly ESCAPED
death, as the narrow leather band ncross
the front OF his cap WIS cut IN twain
by a bullet. the ends left hanging ~ tho
buttons on each side. Ons4the Slst ~
May, following the Williamsburg buttle,
we gain encountered tho enemy In that
fiery furnace at Seven Pines, where bails
did not5sinE or whistle, but Missed q round &c,
our cars-thcf hottest place, for the time
1t lasted, In which we were ever engaged.
not excepting Pcketts charge, ut Gettys-
burg. Here again Lieutenant i1-S,utt
escaped unlnjurcd, but ono of the buttons
from the sldcisof' his cap, viii, ta3 shred.
of the cloth, was missing, tnken OH ny
d ball. His only. comment wls; The!
seen, to he searching for me, and II they
keen this up. they will PROBABLY get mt
before long. H',s$ 4
4; liz June occurred the fearful Seven
days fight"Aro,nd Richmond.
Il Mcchanicsvi:lt GAincs's Mill. etc, had
been fought. sind every night VIC oscn-
lie enemy back towards his gnnboat,'.
but at fearful cost yourselves ana on
The night before our charge at FRAZER
farm while bivouaccd on the ileid, s,ttins
orlloungins around the little fires. which
we had for broiling our scraps OF bacon
or making Il cup Of coffee from narched
corn; some munchng hard-taek some
telling jokes "a others Specniat,Ihs ~
satisfied that ut the next nights roil-tail
dome Of those now present would not
answer, but would be sleeping their last
sleep Mrth and sadness were mingled
In the conversation. Lieutenant Abbott
had that day received from his wife in
Richmond little package containing.
among other articles. one or more pair
tears. while knitting them herself. He
had put on palr Of them. and, as was
frequently done by soldiers on the march.
had drawn them up over ne OUTSIDE &c, OF
hero, boys! My wife knows what ! need
She has sent me some new socks and
God bless the little woman; She has
The Yanks have been getting close 10
mo Of late: so IL they get me tomorrow,
and | should be so dishgured as to be
ulrecognizable, look for the name on my
socks. "
The next day, after a gallant charge
the battle of t'razier's Farm was won.
Tho enemy had been driven back to their
last stand on Malvern tllll. Our roll Wss
falled and aWong thqse an SSn1t was sa rs
was made over the field, and We found
him, UP near the battery VIC had cha,rg.,
cd and taken, dead, with a minnie ball
inch or where the other two balls had
struck his cap In thc@two previous bat
ties. He had fought his last tight; Ills
face was discolored by the wound. but
nizing him. Without any special mark
by his natty gray uniform. he was always
we'll dressed. even on u march; put II,
seemed TO the lookers-on. hat had been
with him the night before, that the m9st
conspicuous mark about him was his
name written on the little strip Of white
linen and stitched on the top or = 8
socks Some one in the crowd said.
"God bless the little woman. and all
said "Amcn.' have often thought of
this Incident among my many recollcc..
tons OF the war. and often wondered II
the little woman and her daughter arc
yet living. 1t has been lDrty-three years
ugo, and a great majority have passed
over the river.
Had Walter Abbott not been cut or
thus early in the war. he would have
While | do not know II he had ever
received n military education or NOT
vet he was every inch u soldier---on duty
q strict dlscplinariun, without being
"a martinez: OF duty. II socublc bon
comrade, whom we all loved II lifo and
inoulned In death, w. NJ. 5.
Lynchburg Va, June 20, 1905.
COAL.
II at,