The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-01

was harrassed at all times by the Yankees" on one side and the South erners on the other. Her people suf- fered all the horrors and depreaations of war, enhanced by hardships of a long and severe winter climate peculiar to that altitude. In the spring of 1884 there were left in the town but three able bodied men--these being detailed by the Confederate Government, name ly. the shoemaker. the butcher and the
 blacksmith. All boys over the age of
 Is and all men to the age of 65 being
 in the army Indeed, every man who was not enlisted was crippled or phys ically disabled for service. The North
 ern army was lying to the west of the
 town about twenty miles away. and
 the Confederate forces were stationed
 five miles away to the east Lewis
 burg was completely cut of from com
 munication with the outside world by
 mail, and had news from the war only by scouts.
 Spring comes late in the Greenbrier
 Valley, and even when days are bright there yet remains a chilliness in the air. Tn spite of this, however, on the bright and beautiful day of the spring of 1884. of which write, group of old and generally crippled men and quite young boys were gathered In the main street of the town, grouped about a soldier on horseback, who had just ridden in, coming on a furlough to see his motf,Nr and sisters. Their home faced op shfs, the .nain street, but 6 little further on from the spot where
 the soldier had been stopped by the crowd and just beyond an angle where the street made a bend before ascend ing a hill.
 The soldier had not yet reached his
 home and was intent on answering the
 numerous questions put to him by the eager crowd, which was hanging breathless upon his words. as he told of some victory of the Southern Army. l The soldier was tall and of fine ap- l pearance, dressed in full lIeutenants uniform of Confederate gray, and was
 Lieutenant Feamsted of the Confederate l cavalry.
 Around the bend of the road; men,
 tioned before. came two Federal cav | alrymen, who were Afterwards discov- | cred to be vldettes.
 1 This Confederate soldier, without considering the fact of there being two
 to one, or of having a force behind them, and right in front of his moth CTS house, opened fire and charged
 the two Federalists. at the first shot | killing the horse of one. Wncreupon
 the other turned and fled around the | corner of a cross street where be was | hid by intervening buildings. The crowd in the street was more breath | lessly expectant than ever, but events | were happening too rapidly for it tc
 more than stand rooted to the spot and l await developments.
 Attracted by galloping of horses and | sound of shots Mrs Feamster and hel | two daughters came on the porch oi their house and recognized Lieutenant
 FcAihster. From their pa5itIon O..
 ths porch they could see approaching
 but hidden by buildings from him. 8 large body of Federal soldiers. With | loud cries they attracted his attention I and entreated their loved son
 and brother to 1ee. He very
 cooly, however. rode to the fallen horse 1 man. who was still entangled in tho | stirrups of his horse. and made hin l prisoner, causing him to throw his arns over in his mothers yard, at the same time calling to her to bind his prisoner | She continued to call to him to run; ant | though at last understanding a compan, of the enemy's cavalry was approach ing he would not desist, but made hi. prisoner run alongside his horse, hold ing to his stirrup until he came tc | where he had seen a farmers horse saddled and ready for use. and where the group of old men and boys were
 still standing awaiting with intense in terest the outcome of this daring | charge.
 From this point they also could now see the approaching Federalists The | farmer whose horse was being so sum. | marily pressed into service, became
 much excited when he saw the prison CT Jlngow he exclaimed. If he ain't going
 to take my horse and I'll have to walk that five mile homeF But thIi was not a moment to interfere--and in- | terference would have been useless. The
 Lieutenant tied the arms of his prison
 CT, and leading the horse, started to-
 ward the Confederate lines. five miles distant.
 The nearest way was by a street a | right angles to the main street ia | which the encounter took place. paraI. ] tel to the read on which tho Federal army was now retreating and only
 about six hundred yards away.
 For the FedeFalists were indeed re- treating, for reasons afterward ex- plained. Let us follow the Lieutenant
 and his prisoner Where the street
 taken by him crosses the main street
 1t mounts sharply up and takes a north easterly direction. thus leaving ex- | posed in plain view to the Federalisti our hero and his captive for another ! quarter of a mile.
 The enemy fired ppon him continu | ally during this half mile run, and ] the crowd In the street would see tn 1 little puffs of white smoke In rapit succession and hear the sound of tn,
 shots. and expected momentarily to see him hit, but both officer and pris oner were untouched and galloped ou of sight amid the cheers and hurrah | of the spectators on the street. withi, half an hour they were in the Confed crate lines The Yankee cavalry re
 retreated immediately to their owi
 lines ten miles distant end did no return for week or ten days. I 1 was afterwards stated the extrem 1 boldness Of the attack and the sigh
 of the old men and boys and children o i the town lined up on the sidewalk
 made the impression that there was Il
 the street a battalion of infantry; an
 it was reported by the Federal ofice | in command as an engagement betwee l the advance guard of the Confederat | Army of West Virginia and the Fed | erai cavalry with the casualties o
 emo horse killed and one man captui
 ed. The actual strength of the Fed
 eralists was found to De fifty eight me
 snd three officers. This is an authenti ! oP hAxv naA man aICNAaMfasfI