The Washington herald., 1909-08-20

Hanover -Four Corners. Mass, Aug. l9
Two militiamen. with strips Of red
cambric about their hats and their rifles
slung across their shoulders, stepped
through a ring OF marigolds about a
well curb in o farmers back yard this
morning and reached for the dippsr.
Just then two shots popped out from
bunch Of hollyhocks in a yard across
the road. and flock OF Blue pigeons
rose suddenly and wheeled in the air.
oh. h" exclaimed the miliuaman
with the dipper to his lips. Then both
Of them dropped behind the well curb
and began TO blaze away at the holly
hooks across the road.
Thus began the great battle OF Hanover
-Four Corners. the last hgnt OF the weeks
war over the possession Of Boston, and
the final punch delivered at Gen. William
A. Pew and his Blue army Of the defense
by Gen. Tasker H. Bliss and the 500
men he has led from New Bedford 20
triumphal capitulation Of the rockbound
citadel OF New England
More Blues on the Run.
Just about a minute after the two SOL
diers OF the Reds had dropped TO the
protection of the curb out OF heavy
plot Of wood ground over across the road
came at the double jump more Blues.
each with rife at his soldier and finger
tickling the trigger as fast as the ejector
could be worked.
Within five minutes from the time the
shots were fired from the holly-hocks
the segments OF the two armies we're
hard at work shedding each others gore
over all Hanover -Four Corners. SO close
in touch had been the two bodies OF
marching men that IL needed but the
irritation OF those scattering shots 20 set
the nerves OF some 15,000-odd men in re-
action.
With the Increasing outpost firing came
all the neighbors Of the countryside.
They were in buggies and IN automobiles.
afoot and astride OF big barreled horses
hurriedly taken out OF the shafts.
There at the crossroads in Hanover
Four Corners they gathered. open-mouth-
ed and gTinning. enjoying the thrill of the
little nervous waves that chased up and
down each vertebral column. Great luck.
this. that Four Corners should have its
share Of fun after Bryantyille and Rock
and all those places down below had seen
the fireworks.
Now, through the crowd Of vehicles
came a whirlwind thrust Of horsehesh
and trundling wheels. The folks scattered
20 right and left. and the first gun OF the
First Battery, National Guard. New York.
sprung around on one wheel and as the
drivers jerked their horses heads 10 the
left, Maj Wilson, il command Of the
New York artillery division. took a sight
down the road leading away from the
Four Corners. then turned and gave an
order TO the gun crew. There was a rat
Ting Of breech locks. ! the slither Of
shell slipping into the -blackened
hole in front Of the block. and then a
man stood on tiptoe at the end Of a Ian
yard.
Another Gun Into Place.
Another gun wheeled into place beside
the first before the spectators had
chance to take their hands from their
ears. A second time the gunners gath
cred about the breech for the fraction OF
second, then that jarring explosion
came that jammed the wind down the
throats of THE -Four Corners folks.
over TO the westward OF the Four Cor
ners is cranberry beg surrounded on
three sides by heavy forest growth and
open on the east side for a thin patch
Of long marsh grass and scrub willows.
Down there three companies OF the
First Massachusetts advanced from the
Blue army's main body. clinging ike
flies TO the crest OF a high clay bank and
pouring into the Reds position at the
-Four Corners a pepperbox fire.
Folks who should have been moved
down by the stream of bullets. stood on
fence roads over In front OF the First
Battery guns in the street Of the village
and craned their necks for a sight OF the
men across the bog who were making all
the hullabaloo. All Of the time these
guns OF Maj. Wilson's command were
banging and banging
The two armies had swerved into con-
tact for two miles along the roads that
gather at Hanover Four Corners.
Calls for Artillery.
Gen. Pew. whose headquarters had been
temporarily shifted to spot on the
Whitman road. just across from the Gran
berry bog, had ordered A and 3 batteries
OF his artillery command up 70 assist him
in his desperate effort to stop the advance
Gen. Bliss was making with his whole
army over a quarter mile distant. on tha
Hanover road to Boston
The men Of Battery A ran there three
guns up alongside of tho
little frame house where lives John Wv
man and his family The guns actually
rested in the rose garden along the north
side of the house. the mouth OF the near
est one was not fifteen feet from Wv
mans front door.
An officer who had been spying on the
Red position with his glasses gave the
range The artillerymen charged the
guns. The order Fire by battery was
given. All Of the guns jumped at once
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