San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-14

it. Looking closely at the richly -etched
blade, one may read: The City of
Lynchburg-to General John McCaus-
land, July Is, 1864"
/ was later to learn from the gen
erals lips something of the story of
that sword. There was nothing Spar
tan about the dinner to which We sat
down a few minutes later. At the foot
of the table Miss Charlotte McCaus-
land, the generals daughter. presided.
Though born in a generation which had
come along long since the war, Miss
Charlotte is of a distinctly ante-bellum
type, maintaining in everything con-
nected with her housekeeping something
of the golden times that Thomas Nelson
Page wrote about. She is scarcely less
interesting than her illustrious father.
She had been known to come to the
library to announce dinner, carrying
under her arm q one-day-old fawn,
which is only one of the numerous pets
that are her hobby. Her whole time,
out here in these primitive hills is di-
vided between keeping house for her
father and looking after her pets.
Tells of War Experiences.
At the conclusion of the meal the
general led the way back to the library,
settled himself in his rocking chair,
gazed from the window out over the
| tasSeled tops of the wheat, and without
waiting to be asked told me something
of his war experiences. His voice is
rather high-pitched; not from any fee
bleness, however, but naturally so-as
though from continually giving the rebel
yell.
II was assistant professor of mathe-
mates Under Stonewall Jackson at Vir-
ginia Military Institute when the war
came on. We had stored in the arsenal
some 10000 old flintlock muskets which
had to be sent to Richmond to be con-
verted into percussion rifles. After
that, we organized at Lexington bat
terry of artillery which was to gain fame
| throughout the entire war as the Rock.
bridge Artillery, made up entirely OF
gentlemen from ROckbridge county. The
preliminary training of these recruits
was assigned to me, and when they
were ready TO go, Governor Letcher of
fered me the captaincy. This de
clined, but induced a young Episcopal
rector, DR.. Pendleton, to command the
battery. He later became chief OF
Lees artillery with the rank of general
| saw that battery only once after il
left the academy. 1t was at the battle
of Monocacy bridge. My command was
in the midst of a furious fight with
Lew Wallace's flank, when l heard q
swish behind me! Turning 1 saw the
Rockbridge Artillery charging pellmell
to our support. As they swept by us
with a roar Pendleton shouted:
MAC, here we are!"
IL went down to Richmond and Of
fered my services to the man who CON-
handed the Virginia provisiona. forces
they were not yet the Confederate
Army. That man was Robert Lee. He
said to me:
"McCausland, I want you TO go over
to your country, chat is to Western
Virginia) and organize an army of the
| various independent companies that are
being formed there" So with my new
commission as lieutenant colonel in the
Provisional Army Of Virginia, / came
out here"
From Kanawha and contiguous coun.
ties in western Virginia, McCauSland
recruited the Twenty-second and Thir-
ty-sixth Virginia Infantry, some scat
tering batteries of artillery and detach-
ments of cavalry; and with this little
force marched eastward with Gen.
Henry Wise's army few months later.
Defended Fort DOnelson.
McCausland's command was among
the beleaguered forces defending Fort
Donelson in 1862. The word "surren-
der" ! as always had a distasteful sound
e. 1,N41o fir,Anr frnp, Mast Viz
ginia: and when Buckner was about to
accede to Grants demand for an un.
, conditional surrender, l'.Causland led
sortie from the fort, and Selling lit
tie steamboat succeeded in getting more
than half his command across the Cum
berland river to safety. From there
ganized The withdrawal from the
doomed fort was accomplished with a
dash and heroism that had few paral-
lels in the war. McCausland was put
in command of a brigade Of cavalry.
Perhaps General McCausland's chief
claim to fame was his great cavalry
raid through Pennsylvania and his
burning of Chambersburg. This piece
of daring and military skill spread con-
sternatiOn through the North and re-
tue sDdhtu VI INC N1Oh~
federate armies. Incidentally it made
McCausland's name an anathema north
of the Mason-Dixpn Line for many
years. though the true facts attending
the burning. when they are known, put
slightly different complication on the
affair.
Amid the many interesting features Of
this raid, one stands out as peculiarly
interesting. In college athletics today.
the incessant cry is light for dear old
Alma Mater" And that is exactly
what McCausland did when he made his
Pennsylvania raid. For it was in di-
rect retaliation for the burning of Vir-
ginia Military Institute, McCausland's
Alma Mater, by Gen. David Hunter of
the Federal Army. Hunter had raided
the school, destroyed the buildings,
burned the records, broken up the scien-
tific apparatus; and when he departed
from the valley he had indeed reduced
it to such a state that a crow flying
over would have to carry provisions
with him."
Retaliation Is Determined.
Gen. Jubal Early, McCausland's su-
perior, determined to retaliate. One
can hardly blame him when we read in
his memoirs q picture of the country
when Hunter had left.