Evening star., 1935-05-03
$4,000 THRILLED
BY VOICE Of GUNS
Charlottesville Rings to
"RebeI Yell" in Brilliant
Re-enactment.
BY BLAIR BOLLES,


-CHANCELhORSvILLE BATTLE
FIELD, Va, May 3.-The grass on
Fairview Heights here this morning
was blackened and burnt by gun
powder and Uttered with empty
cartridge shells, after the hour Of cam
nonading and steady rifle fire that
thundered and cracked yesterday
afternoon in the sham re-enactment
of "Stonewall" Jackson's famous Civil
War sally on this same field 70 years
ago.
More than $4,000 persons packed the
mile long sideline of the battlefield,
stretching from the ruins of the Chan
cellorsville Mansion to the top OF
Hazel Grove, whence the Confederates,
played yesterday by the gray-shirted
cadets of Virginia Military Institute,
opened their assault on the Yankee
line.
Many Notables There.
In the center of the mass of spec
tators, who for hours stood patiently
under hot sun, was wooden review
stand filled with notables, headed by
Gov. Peery of Virginia. With him
were graying, stopped men who
charged at the real Charlottesville
with Gen. Jackson or Col. j. E. B.
Stuart. Military attaches of foreign
embassies and legations. Representa-
tives,. high Army and naval officers
and official personages of many States
watched the movement, which drew a
flood of "reminiscences from the old
inhabitants of Spottsylvania County.
The Lost Cause" was hymned and
mourned as the Stars and Bars waved
bravely. 1t was holiday for Fred
ericksburg, historic town 10 miles
from here, and the battlefield was
picnic ground for thousands in the
morning before the firing opened.
Stirs Blood of All.
The mock warfare stirred the blood
of all the onlookers. The bark of
rifles firing 10000 blank cartridges,
and the thunder of 75-m guns as
they doomed forth 608 shells during
the hard-fought engagement was so
realistic that many of the veterans
could not contain their excitement.
Dozens of persons tainted in the
crowd, and the cheers that went up
when the Confederates took the Fed
eral line, held yesterday by a regi-
ment of Marines from Quantico,
echoed for miles.
Even in yesterdays mock engage
ment four casualties were listed.
These were a quartet of Marines
burnt by the smoke bombs tossed to
mark the landing spot of Confederate
cannon balls Marines "died" realis-
tically all during the affray. and the
wounded" were bound with red
gauze.
The Confederate assault from Hazel
Grove, where Jackson lay with $4,000
men, began yesterday at 2 o'clock.
The twentieth century men in gray
were commanded by Maj. Bertrand
Morrow, and the Federals were led by
Col. F. B. Price. Jackson's opponent
on the May day in 1853, when the
real Charlottesville was fought to
bring "Stonewall" undying fame and
death, was Fighting Joe" Hooker.
outgeneraled and outmaneuvered in
every instance of the four-day fight.
Rebel Yell Rings Out.
BY 3 o'clock the Marines retired
from their Fairview Heights position.
With the blood -curdling rebel yell the
v. M. I. Cadets, formed in the solid
column used by jackson, pressed their
way over the brow of the hill. A huge
Confederate banner waved in the
center of the Confederate line. Rifles
barked necessarily from both sides,
but the Marines had to beat first a
slow retreat and then to run for it.
The Confederates seized the deserted
Union line just as their flag-bearer
was struck by an enemy bullet AS he
fell he planted the Stars and Bars
where the Stars and Stripes had
waved q few minutes before.
Throughout the engagement horse
men from the I'd Cavalry at Fort
Myer lent color to the smoky battle
by their hard riding behind the lines,