Milford chronicle., 1911-04-07
WAR WARM WORK
The Phrase "Heat of Battle" Not
a Mere Figure of Speech.
FIGHTING FIRES THE BLOOD.
An Old Veterans Story Of an Early
Morning Attack In Zero Weather and
the Change the skirmish Wrought In
His Half Frozen Body.

le Morning Attack In Zero Weather al
d the Change the Skirmish Wrought
a His Half Frozen Body.
h 1.-THE expression heat Of battle
e more than mere poetic figure
J. speech descriptive Of the fierce glow
+ emotion the soldier feels When in tl
midst Of conflict said southern So
der who YVES an officer under Colon,
MOsby. 1T describes exactly the sci
J. sible. physical condition the soldie
a feels. no matter what the temperatur
+ may be.
| "That this IS true was evidenced b.
. my own experience during the war be-
tween the states. 1t was in February
1864. and Colonel MOsby. with som,
hundred Of us. WAS camped near Up
p perville village in Virginia abou
thirty miles south of Harpers Ferry
Late one afternoon our leader received
IL dispatch from General Lee 10 make
forced march that night and attack
ii body Of Federal troops that was sta
toned on Loudon heights. which over
look Harpers Ferry. The weather was
bitter cold, The coldest that had been
known i'm That section for many Years
| The mercury was coquetting around
zero, a six inch fall OF snow half melt.
ed and frozen again. made the roads
almost impassable, ana stn north
wind. added TO these other evils. made
the outlook for pleasant dash of
thirty miles "a most dismaly improb
able one.
1T WAS about sunset when mulled
10 the eyes against the biiin. frost aud
bitter wind. oar column left clmp af
Upper,llIe For The first ten miles our
squadron. E.adr up Of veterans Injured
TO all manner Of hardSh.pS, did no,
suffer much. aud orcasiouai iy some one /
would even essay joke Hui u fh, |
second ten miles the cold. hat hau /
slowly eaten o., way throu.h otcr. .oat /
IAd jacket and shirt began o. bite iut,
our bodies. 10 restore life Ia our mmi |
legs We would tEe our feet from .L.
stirrups aad let them hang until fh,
circulation vas restored an Old frirl
with those compelled 90 ride tuch ir
The cold and we would keep ON,
hands ana arms in some mcasGr,
warm by beating them against ouI
bodies or clupplng them severely To
gether
THE second ten WAS bad enough.
say. but the last was wen. q Dollar
nightmare The vitality seemed to b.
frozen ont of man and beast. For
hours tie horses stumbled through |
he snow hearing a troop as silent MS /
The dead save for an occasioua |
humping Of some poor devils half !
.rozen arms against his side aS he
sought TO restore life to the deadened
limbs. When ] took my feet ont of
he stirrups 10 help the circulation !
would have 20 take my hands and fff
ny legs up To get the feet back I'm
lace. so lost To an sensation were
hey
AT length about 3 o'clock in thp
morning We saw the lights of the en-
my's picket fires and could distin
uish the muff,cd forms Of He sentries
$ they paced their beats. There was
small strip of woods that ram to
'ithin "A hundred or less Yards of m.
ederal camp, and IN this We formed
IT the attack. MY hands were so
I'D that ! was unable to cock fine
lmmers Of my revolvers with INV
uinb. but was compelled 10 effect II
ith my teeth. holding the pistol be
7een my numhcd fists and drawing !
.rk the hamTrr lW gripping ft I'm fu,
eth aud Pulling it back uhn /.
ught
AT length all was in readiness. As
sat there. barely able To grasp NV
volvers. the 'Charger rang out. ana
next moment we were i'm the midst
the enemy, who were too astounded
an attack on such "A bitter night 10
er much resistance and for the most
rt fled down to Harpers Ferry to
main body Some of them how
ar put up a stout fight for men
akened from warm sleep to fight to
death in the bitter night air. and
a couple of minutes we had all we
I'D do. but II was soon over. and
were In possession Of the camp.
When ! came TO myself I found I
sitting with one leg thrown over
pummel Of my saddle. my over
and jacket flung wide open. while
shirt. opened to the last button.
wed a grateful zero zephyr to play
n my bare sweating breast. In
hand. from which / had pulled the
e. moist with sweat, ! was hold
my hat. with which l was vieor-
v tanning myself.
ma less than five minutes before
been so chilled that had l been in
'mfortable house with a physician "a
and he would have filed me full
OF drinks. wrapped me in blankets
Kept me in bed couple Of DAYS.
o. concluded the veteran. "tbe