Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-02-29
CHAPTER XIII.
The Battle In the Shenandoah.

To me it has always seemed re-
markab that after all my other bat
tie experiences-Antietam Gettys-
burg, the Wilderness, ay! even in
Guiding that first fierce baptism Of
fire at Manassas-no action in which
| ever participated should remain so
clearly photographed upon memory as
this last desperate struggle for su-
premacy in the Shenandoah. Every
minute detail of the conflict, at
least so far as | CHANGED to be a
PERSONAL participant, rises before me
as l write, and l doubt not l could
trace to-day each step taken upon that
stricken field.
The reveille had not sounded when
l first awoke and, rolling from my
blanket, looked about me. Already a
faint, dim line Of gray, h~eralding the
dawn, was growing clearly defined in
the east, and making manifest those
heavy fog-banks which, hanging dank
and low, obscured the valley. The
tired men of my troop were yet lying
upon the ground, wrapped tightly in
their blankets, oblivlous of the deadly
work before them; but / could hear
the horses already moving ~uneasily at
their picket-ropes, and observed here
and there the chilled figure of a sentry
leaning upon his gun, oddly distorted
in form by the enveloping mist.
Directly in advance Of where we
rested, a long hill sloped gently up
ward for perhaps a hundred yards, its
crest topped with a thick growth of
young o%ak-trees, yet seemingly devoid
Of underbrush. No troops were
camped in u immediate front, and
feeling curious to ascertain something
of our formation, as well as to ex-
anime the lay of the land between us
and the position occupied by the
enemy, | walked slowly forward, I'M
hindered, until l attained the crest.
The fog yet held the secrets of the
valley safely locked within its brown
hand, and ! could penetrate none of
its mysteries. 1t was like gazing
down from some headland into a 81.
from where | stood, apparently along
the summit of another chain of low
hills similar to those we occupied,
could perceive the flames of numerous
camp-fires leaping up into sudden
radiance, while against the brighten
ing sky a great flag lazily tapped Its
folds to the freshening breeze. Evt
IDENTIFY our opponents were first astir
and the headquarters Of some division
Of the enemy must be across yonder
AS | gazed, other fires burst forth t
left and right, as far as the unaidet
eye could carry through the gloom
and / was thus enabled to trace dis
tinctly those advanced lines opposing
us. Experience told me their position
must be a strong one, and their fore.
heavy.
AS l turned to mark Our own forma
ton, the roll Of drums rang out
while the quickening notes of tn
~reveille sounded down the long line
of slumbering men. Life returned, a
If by magic, to those %motionless forms
and almost in a moment all below m
became astir, and | could clearl,
distinguish the varioL: branches O
the service, as they stretched ava,
~commingled upon either hand. W
we're evidently stationed close to tn
centre of our own position. The II
%tervening ground sloped 70 gently fol
ward, while the hill crest was G
tlickly crowned with trees, 1t locke
an ideal position from which t
advance in line of attack. Upon m
right there appeared a break in tn
solidity Of our line, but even as
noted 1t, wondering at the Oversight
the dense front Of an infantry colum
debouched from a ravine and. marcel
ing steadily forward, filled the gal
/ could distinctly mark the wearie
manner In which the men composin
1t flung themselves PROSTATE on th
hard ground the moment they wer
Observation-Disclosures all through th
long hours Of the black night the
had been toiling Or to be in time.
Aides we're ~galloping furiously no
among the scattered commands. Th
obscuring fog slowly rose from 81
the face Of the valley, but all th
central portion remained yelled frol
view. Suddenly, as watched, th
brown cloud beneath me was rer
aDunder here and there BY little SPIT
OF fire, and 1t was curious to 81
serve how those quick spitefui fart