The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-05-03
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 Hall Frozen Body.

1.-THE expression heat Of battle is
more than mere poetic figure OF
speech descriptive Of the fierce glow of
emotion the soldier feels when in the
midst of conflict" said a southern sol
der who was an officer under Colonel
Nosby. ut describes exactly the sen
sible. physical condition the soldier
feels, no matter what the temperature
may be.
THAT this is true was evidenced by
my own experience during the war be-
tween the states. 1t was in February.
1854, and Colonel Mosby. with some
hundred of u.s. was camped near Up
perville, village in Virginia about
thirty miles south of Harpers Ferry.
Late one. afternoon our leader received
a dispatch from General Lee to make
q forced march that night and attack
q body OF Federal troops that was sta
toned on Loudon heights. which over
book Harpers Ferry. The weather was
bitter cold. the coolest that had been
known in that section for many years.
Ehe mercury was coquetting around
zero, a six inch fall of snow. half melt.
ed and frozen again. made the roads
almost impassa BILE. and stiff north
wind. added to these other evils. made
the outlook for pleasant dash of
thirty miles a most dismally tmprob
able one.
ut was about sunset when. muffled
to the eyes against the biting frost and
bitter wind. our column left camp al
Upperville For the first ten miles our
squadron. made up Of veterans Injured
20 all manner Of hardships. did not
suffer much. and occasionally some one
would even essay joke. But In the
second ten miles the cold. that had
slowly eaten its way through overcoat
and jacket and shirt. began to bite into
our bodies. TO restore life to our numb
legs we would take our feet from tn"
stirrups and let them hang until the
circulation was restored-an old trick
with those compelled TO ride much in
the cold-and we would keep our
hands and arms in some measure
warm by beating them against our
bodies or clapping them severely to-
gether.
'''rhe second ten was bad enough. !
say, but the last waS-well. Il polar
nightmare. The vitality seemed to be
frozen out OF man and beast. For
hours the horses stumbled through
the snow bearing troop as silent as
the dead save for an occasional
humping of some poor devils half
frozen arms against his side as he
sought to restore life to the dea dened
limbs When ! took my feet Out OF
the stirrups to help the circulation !
would have to take my hands and lift
my legs up to get the feet back in
blaze. 50 lost to all sensation were
they
AT length about 3 o'clock in the
morning we saw the lights OF the en-
emy's picket fires and could distin-
guish the mufiled forms Of the sentres
as they paced their beats. There was
q small strip Of woods that ran to
within hundred or less yards Of the
Federal camp. and In this we formed
Tor the attack. My hands were so
cold that l was unable to cock the
hammers Of my revolvers with my
thumb. but was compelled to effect it
with my teeth. holding the pistol be-
tween my numbed fists and drawing
hack the hammer by gripping it in my
teeth and pulling it back until 1t
caught
"A. length all was in readiness. As