The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-02

capacity was In battle with Ii at
Winchester on the 18th of September
1864: at Fishers Hill few days af-
forwards was with 1t at Wytheville
when General Morgan met the raid
ers that came to cut our communities
tons there. / was with 1t at Mono
cacy when we stood up in front of the
front until the infantry could get TO
our relief; and l remember, as we
marched back with bleeding ranks,
almost every field officer of the
brigade killed or wounded. General
Early took off his hat to us and said
Virginians, have never seen trained
infantrymen fight better than you
have done today
II was with lit at New Creeks Sta
ton, at Cumberland, at Chambers
burg, at Hancock, at Smokers Gap,
at Port Republic. at Hanging Rock.
at Morefield, and many another skirm-
ish or battle during the long time be-
fore the sun went down for us at APP
pomattox.
AT Winchester on the 18th of Sep
TENDER. 1864 your humble speaker
rode into the battle by General j.
p. Gordon's side.
A Youthful Veteran.
'T was only eighteen years OF age
at the time this battle occurred. and
after l had ridden with the general
at the head OF his column down to the
point where his troops depioyed and
opened their deadly fire upon the
advancing regiments of Sheridan. I
took my stand on the elevation. &C.
cupied by one of our batteries, and
with a pencil from by pocket, wrote
down on a few sheets of paper my
Impressions of the scene. have pre-
served that manuscript to this day.
grimy and smoke colored. and / want
to read some of IL to ,on today. Com
rades Their only merit In the words
IL that they were written on the field
the impressions Of a young soldier
in this great battle. ! shall not read
all. but only an extract. You know
the battle began that morning with an
attack by General Sheridan on Ram
seur's Brigade of North Caroiinians.
His lines were thin and Sheridan's
numbered more than three times the
whole Confederate Army in his front.
II was not long before Ramseur was
driven sulieniy back. / saw his lines
wavering and beloved that Eariy's en-
tire command was in danger. i com
mence the description at this point:
Behold at this critical juncture,
Generals Rhodes and Gordon appeared
on the field--All night they have
marched-ali the day before. too
forty miles in twenty-four hours
down to Msrtinsburg and back again
they have been forced to march to
meet the stern advance of the Avenger
of the Valley The record of that
march will never be known. History
is satiated with a thousand other de-
tails and will pass over this; the last
great double quick OF that iron corps
moulded by the will and spirit of
the Hero who received his christen-
ing at the Iavere of Manassas.
But they are here-here on the
awful ground OF Winchester. Just in
time. too. for Sheridan has crossed
the Opequan. and is driving Ramseur
steadily before him. and In a few mo-
at Martinsburg and put an end to the
long contested struggle in the valley.
unless his advance In checked. But
they are here, Jockson's Veterans still
unconquered, and the smoke of. the
battle has come to be their natural
breath. They dash double auicking
down to the pike. then front to the left,
and the line unfoids Each soldier
flies to his post Steadily forward
into tho woods where Ramseur's
broken lines are sulieniy contesttng
the ground. An. that shout tells us
that the Army of Northern Virginia
is meeting again their old competi-
tors on the fierce scenes OF Chancel-
louisville. Manassas and Fredericks-
burg. Steadily forward rush the sons
OF jackson and the tide of battle roofs
with them. deep, awful, and terrible.
Groasr 1o6. sySssS' O. 'saesTe; ftr~ is IL
o'clock and I am seated on n high
eminence overlooking the town OF
Winchester with the whole valley
spread out like a panorama before me.
i have thought OF grandeur. have
dreamed OF the awful subiimity OF the
battle field. but l never saw IL until
now.
There is something fearful, unutter-
able in the scene spread out before
me.
A Picture OF Battle.
FAR away in the distance stretches
that long chain OF mountains, the Blue
Ridge: on the left towards the east
.defiantly frown the black battlements
Of Maryland Heights. the most i'm
pregnable fortress In America-Gi-
bralter OF the North: on the west
the wide valley Of the Shenandoah