Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-23
CHAPTER XXI.
The Battle in the Shenandoah.

| To me # has always seemed remarkable
| that after all my other battle experiences
| Antietam Gettysburg the Wilderness, ay!
| even including that first fierce baptism OF
fire al Manassas-no action in which ever
| participated should remain so clearly pho-
| togra pied upon memory as this last des-
| perate struggle for supremacy in the Shen-
| andoah Every minute detail of the con-
| flict, at least so far l CHANGED to be a
| personal participant, rises before me as
| write, and ! doubt not | could trace today
| each step taken upon that stricken field
The reveile had not sounded when / first
| awoke and, rolling from my blanket, looked
about me- Already a faint, dim line of
| gray, heralding the dawn, was growing
| clearly defined in the east, and making
| manifest those heavy fog-banks which,
| hanging dank and low, obscured the valley.
| The tired men of my troop were yet lying
| upon the ground. wrapped tightly IN lhelt
| blankets, oblivious of the deadly Work pe
| fore them; but l could hear the horses al
| ready moving uneaSiiy at their picket ropes
| and observed here and there the chilled ng-
| IRE of sentry, leaning upon his gun, odu-
| ly distorted in form by the enVelopihg mist.
| Directly in advance of where we rested. d
| long hill soped gently upward for per-
| haps a hundred yards, its crest topped
| with a thick growth of young oak trees
| yet seemingly devoid of underprnsh; No
| and feeling curious to ascertain something
| of our formation, well as to examine the
| lay of the land between US and the position
| occupied by the enemy L walked Slowly
| forward unhindered, until 1 attained the
| crest. Numberless birds We're singing amid
! the branches overhead, while the leaves OF
| the low bushes l passed on my way Wele
| gIistening with dew. Except for those long
| rows of sleeping soldiers i seemed utterly
| alone within some rural solitude upon d
| quiet Sabbath morning. Not an unwon!ed
/ ,1ya1 ~
| indeed was all the earth that | became
| startled by the sudden Chatter OF SOUR
| rel disturbed at my approach, ana IN
| thinkingly l stopped to pluck delicate
| pink flower blooming in the grass, ana
| placed it in a ragged buttonhole of my old
| gray jacket.
| The fog yet held the secrets of the valley
| safely locked within its brown mana, ana
| could penetrate none of its mysteries. IL
| was like gazing down from some headland
| into a silent, unveXed sea. But directly
| across from where | stood, apparently
along the summit of another chain of low
| hills similar to those we occupied, l could
| perceive the flames of numerous campfres
! leaping up into sudden radiance, While
| against the Frightening sky great nag
| lazily tapped its folds to the freshening
breeze. Evidently our opponents were first
| astir, and the headquar ters of some dIVl-
| sion of the enemy must be across yonder
| AS l gazed, other fires burst forth to left
| and light, as far the unaided eye could
| carry through the gloom, and / was thus
| enabled to trace distinctly those advanced
| lines opposing Experience told me
| their position must be q strong one, and
| their force heavy.
| As I turned to mark our own formation
| the roll Of drums rang out while the quick
| ening notes of the reveile sounded down
| the long line of slumbering men. Life re-
| turned, as if by magic to those motionlesS
| forms, and almost in a moment all below
| me became astir, and / could clearly dis
| tinguish the various branches Of the serv-
| ice as they stretched away commingling
| upon either hand. We were evidently sta
| toned close to the center OF our own posi-
| ton Our battle line was not extended
| as the across the valley; apparently
| there were fewer troops along our front
| than theirs, nor Culd / perceive to the
] southwark, now that dawnng day some
| what clarified the scene, any evidence of
| reserve force; yet what | saw looked eX-
| tremely well, and my heart bounded proudly
| at the sturdy promise of fighting men.
| The cavalry appeared to be principally
| concentrated at the foot of the hill upon
which ! stood, although at the distant
| wings l able to perceive some flying
| guidons that told me of the presence of
| numerous troops of horse I marked 1t all
with eager. lindling eyes. for it was a
| sight TO cheer the heart of any soldier
| those dark, dense squares where the infantry
| were massed, and battery after battery of
| flying artillery ranged along the ridge. But
| It seemed to me the larger, heavier force
| had been concentrated upon our left
| massed there in deeper lines, if that
| Were the point selected from whence the
| attacking wedge was to be driven. The
| intervening ground soped so gently for
| ward, while the hill crest was so thckly
ideal position from which to ad-
| vance in line of attack. Upon my right
| there appeared break in the solidity
| OF our line. but even as 1 noted it, Won
| dering at the oversight the dense front
OF an infantry column debouched from a
| ravine, and, marching steadily forward,
| filled the gap. I could distinctly mark
| the wearied manner in which the men
! composing it flung themselves PROSTATE
on the hard ground the moment they
| were halted-dOubtlesS all through the
| long hours of the black night they had
been toiling on to be in time
Aids We're galloping furiously
| among the scattered commands. The OBJ
| securing fog slowly rose from off the face
| of the valley. but all the central portion
| remained yelled from view. Suddenly as
l watched. the brown cloud beneath me
was rent asundcr here and there by little
Spits of fire. and it curious to OBJ
serve how those quick spteful darts of
flame swept the full length of my vista.
| could distinguish no reports--it was too
far away-but realized that the opposing
pickets had caught sight of each other
through the gloom. Then big gun
doomed almost directly opposite me its
fame seeming like a red-hot knife rend-
ing the mist. This had barely vanished
when sudden cheer rang out upon my
left. and turned in time to behold thin,
scattered line of gray-clad infantrymen
swarm down the steep slope into the val
ley. With hats drawn low and guns ad-
vanced, they plunged at a run into the
mist and disappeared. Our skirmshers
had gone in; the ball had opened
! had tarried long enough; any moment
now might bring boots and saddles and
| If l possessed the slightest desire for a
breakfast to fight on it behooved me to
get back within our lines. The memory
OF that animated scene in front still fresh
upon me, how quiet and commonplace
everything appeared down there in the
hill shadow. No one would have dreamed
1t to be battle line. The fires cracked
gayly, while the men lounged about them
! smoking eating. There was no sound
save the gentle rustlng of leaves over
| head or the light laughter of some group
of story tellerS. Horses munched their
| grain just at our rear, and now and then
| some careful trooper sauntered back to
make sure his mount was not neglected
One or two of the men were cleaning
| their reyOlvers, and an old corporal was
| polishing his saber where spot of rust
| dsfgured it's cleaning blade. You might
have dreamed it a picnic a military re-
view, possibly, were it not for the travel
soiled and ragged uniforms but a line
! held there for the stern purpose of deadly
confetti scarcely seemed credible
l to; cot