The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-23

VII, Vvt,,,ov y, 'Inhnston, The latter officer
!. ,sas announced III general orders $
I ,.antain 81 Andersop's Battery---.h e :
4 forward known us the Bot sS ON ~
n. 4. IN tho bnttic or Port Gibson HE to-
t.i lass OF the Botetonrt ArtlllerY.
isskiiicd, wounded aud captured. was
officers and men: tifty.thrs,e
srste saa n front ,s,la f pet ebso
i;enarai pemberton's report, "nobly IL
es-listrAted the yalor and constanev OF
p,ir troops. and shed additional t,,s.te
sssiupon thu confederate arms. CunirouI :
ed by overwhelming numbers. inc ne
4. rotc Bowen aud Ills gallant ofl'cers
and men maintained the unequal cu. IN,
. test many hours witl, = cour , eSo "e,t
they failed to secure victory, inc
world will do then, justice to say they
deserved IL.
Tribute to the Battery.
"Nothing. continues General steven 81,
sons report, could protect tile ar.,l-
iery horses from the deadly IRE o. VIZ
. along MY whole line the pieces. though
fought With desperation on the part
Of both officers and men which can,
not too highly praise, almost az a. t lei.
ss-lnanner the guns Of Corputs' Maa-
..TdeIis and Johnstons batteries were ',
lost Double-shotted. they were maea
until the swar'ns Of the enemy ,,n;, . Mel
4. by them to the latest moment. ana TO
s.ail desire to return the thanks which
: their galantry has made their dye.
alt was in Bartons charge ,ha' VIZ
(. mented Major Anderson my chief %, OF
7 SBotstolir, Artillery fell in the fearless
Z discharge OF his duty. The guns were
z served says General pe.nbartonst, =, re- re-.
!. Anderson. chief of artillery, fell IN the
flll and gallant discharge. OF his du-
ties. Captain Ridley, First Mississippi;
fell fighting bis guns single-hanna noe.
puts Battery. and CAPTAIN Johnston.
of the Botetourt Artillery, fought their
batteries to the extreme moment,
Z The fraction Of virginia In IN Miss MISS
mond, loaded them with GOODNESS, and
fred them with effect. The battle
deepened. Smoke enyeloped It,, shot
with the red fire from the gyms and
i the exploding shells Sometimes the
( grey, sometimes the. blue and grey
Z locked in a death srapple. Through
the cloud the flags looked small and
distant riddled aud blood stained rags.
The voice of war rose III mighty
crescendo. The ammunition became
exhausted. The horses We're all shot
down. The enemy charged impetu-
o,sly and in overwhelming force. The
X
breath. were at last taken.
The Long Horror Of ylclsburg.
OF the siege and fall OF vicksburs.
The guns OF the enemy rarely
ceased firing. the smoke never lifted,
he uproar was never stlled. me
SConfederates faced tho nightmare of
exhausted ammunition; they saved
their fire for advancing columns of in
fantry, or for the new batteries that
the enemy ceaselessly planted. AZ
dawn began the thunder of the eighty
six opposing batteries; at dusk the
! minies were still whrring overhead;
under the stars there We're alarms, in
cursions. magnificent and murderouS
outbursts from the two hundred and
twenty guns. The Confederates an
swered when they could, and stood ST.
lent when they must; counted one
evening, in the trenches of single
/. brigade, two thousand unexploded
shells; ate wit,, equanimity their sup
&. per of two ounces of musty corn meal
: and lay down upon their arms. For
hour, perhaps they might dream
of home and loved ones. Then the i'm
out--turn out, men!
THE men neither faltered nor COM
planned. Cramped in the narrow
trenches. parched by the sun. chilled
without food, without rest, without
ammunition without hope. they en-
dured with Roman and stole forth
tude. and they fought not merely with
They sunk the Cincinnati. They re-
PEELED the great assault of May the
22nd. five charges IN ALI, supported
by a furious cannonade; and the as
g the breach caused by the explosion of
a Federal mine. They fought their
guns until they We're disabled They
fought wltk rides, with bayonels, with
I'D oIEaS aoI wi n t,.n hp11 S
For forty-seven days and nights they
fought, until their ammunition was
all but spent, until starvation was
upon them, until all their strength
WAS gone. They were surrounded and
outnumbered. and help was far. far
away. !. On the Fourth OF duly the
city surrendered.
Major JOHNSON Now.
So ended the siege OF vlcksburg.
With the long march TO Enterprise,
the exchange of the troops. their for
paper cannot deal. The Botetourt Ar
esehanged at Enterprise Ragged.
worn and cheerful, II marched away
William Johnston, becoming major OF
artillery. left the company. Through
the remainder OF the war he command
ed Johnston's Battalion of Light AR
tiliery, He fought at Dalton, Tilton
Resaca, Columbia. Franklin and Nash
VILE, and surrendered at Salisbury
North Carolina, two days after the
surrender OF his kinsman. Joseph j;
Johnston. He was soldier all his
life, and much loved one
The men of the Rotetourt Artillery
under the command of Captain Henry
C.. Douthatt. fought bravely in Nir.
ginia. The war ended. and they Went
home--that is, some OF them wen>
hone--to the green hills and the now
ing waters OF old Botetourt. Worn
crippeds and impoverished, they en-
tered brsvely upon the new order O.
r things. and fought. patiently with fate
The old South was gone; they hav,
many Of the company--pot many o
the Mountain Rifles who marched t,
war in bounding hope and pride
through the flowers OF May. under TIL
streaming flag made of a weddine
gown, to sound OF fife and drum play
ing The Girl ! Left Behind Memo
many Of them are left in this year @
nineteen hundred and seven. They ii
beneath Virgtnian battletields, in Ken
lucky, In Tennessee, and ON the bank
OF the Mississippi, and they lie a
home. in the graveyard above tn
river, under the shadow of the ever
lasting hills.