Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-05-26
WAR WARM WORK
The Phrase "Heat of Battle" Not
a Mere Figure of Speech.
FIGHTING FIRES THE BLOOD.

An Old Veterans Story Of an Earl
Morning Attack In Zero Weather an
the Change the Skirmish Wrought |
His Half Frozen Body.
"The expression heat of battle
more than mere poetic figure Q
speech descriptive of the fierce glow Q
emotion the soldier feels when in tn
midst of conflict" said southern so
der who was an officer under Colone
Mosby. at describes exactly the ser
sible, physical condition the soldie
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
perville, village in Virginia abou
thirty miles south of Harpers Ferry
Late one afternoon our leader received
dispatch from General Lee to make
forced march that night and attack
body of Federal troops that was sta
toned on Loudon heights, which over
look Harpers Ferry. The weather was
bitter cold, the coolest that had beer
known in that section for many years
The mercury was coquetting around
zero, six inch fall of snow, half melt.
ed and frozen again, made the roads
almost impossible, and a stiff north
wind, added to these other evils, made
the outlook for pleasant dash of
thirty miles a most dismally improb-
able one.
at was about sunset when, muffled
to the eyes against the biting frost and
bitter wind, our column left camp at
Upperviile. For the first ten miles our
squadron, made up of veterans Injured
to 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 it's 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 the
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.
1.-THE second ten was bad enough,
say, but the last was-well, a polar
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 deadened
limbs. When took my feet out of
The stirrups to help the circulation l |
would have to take my hands and lift |
my legs up to get the feet back in |
place, SO lost to all sensation were |
hey.
"At length about 3 o'clock in the
morning we saw the lights of the en-.
,my's picket fires and could distin.
,uish the muff1ed forms of the sentries
IS they paced their beats. There was
small strip of woods that ran to
within a hundred or less yards Of the
federal camp, and in this we formed
or the attack. My hands were SO
old that l was unable to cock the
lammers of my revolvers with my
humb, but was compelled to effect it
With my teeth, holding the pistol be-
ween my numbed fists and drawing
ack the hammer by gripping it in nv
eeth and pulling it back until It
aught.
"At length all was in readiness. AS
sat there, barely able to grasp my
evolvers, the Charger rang out, and
ne next moment we were in the midst
the enemy, who We're too astounded
an attack on such a bitter night to
Her much resistance and for the most
art fled down to Harpers Ferry to
lie main body. Some of them, how
YER, put up stout fight for men
from warm sleep to fight to
lie death in the bitter night air, and
'r couple of minutes we had all we
'uld do. but it was soon over, and
e were in possession of the camp.
when l came to myself I found 7
as sitting with one leg thrown over
e pummel of my saddle, my over
'at and jacket flung wide open. while
Y shirt, opened to the last button
lowed a grateful zero zephyr to pla,
BON my bare sweating breast. II
Y hand, from which had pulled the
owe, moist with sweat, l was hold
G my hat, with which 1 was vigor
sly tanning myself.
"And less than five minutes before
ID been so chilled that had been ir
comfortable house with a physician
hand he would have filed me full
hot drinks, wrapped me in blankets
ID kept me in bed couple of days
No." concluded the veteran, 'the
eat of battle is something more
an a mere figure Of speech" New
'rk Times.