USA > Virginia > Historical sketches of the Nottoway Grays, afterwards Company G, Eighteenth Virginia Regiment, Army of Northern Virginia; > Part 5
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"Dutch courage" enough long after the war to attack a man, and was killed in the melee. He might have been a better man, but for taking fits of this species of "courage" too often. A more peaceable man never lived, when he was sober, and he was withal kind, and generous, too. "Alas! alas! my poor brother!"
The nearest this "old soldier" ever got to the Yankees during the war was on this wise:
Company G was down at Brandemore Castle, near Munson's Hill, about six miles from Washington city, soon after the first battle of Manassas. One night the company was stretched for nearly a mile, squads of four men being stationed about one hun- dred yards apart, the Commandant of the company as near the centre as possible. About ten o'clock at night the Lieutenant in command heard a cow-bell in the woods which lay between the picket lines. This bell, in such a place, and at such a time, as it seemed to move in a direction towards a lane leading to a house, which was said to be visited by "Fed." and "Confed." excited his suspicions. It might be followed by a scouting party. Re- solving to balk such a game, he took with him the squad nearest to him, and moved them down to the lane between the wood and the house aforesaid. Putting two of the most reliable men into a corner of the fence, he ordered them not to fire until the scout- ing party got fully up. Taking the "old soldier" and another man, he stationed them about thirty steps distant from the fence, with orders to come up as if they were a reserve, in case the men at the fence should fire. Taking his place midway between the two parties he waited. Slowly like an old cow browzing as she came, moved the bell-party. "Ting-a-ling"-"ting-a-ling "-
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"ting-a-ling." Then, as if caught by a bush, the bell would "tinkle- tinkle-tinkle"-but on, nearer and nearer it came. Those who have been in such a scrape may realize the suspense of such a moment, but no one else could. But nearer, nearer and nearer The bell is almost up! Bang! bang! went the fence men's guns-and almost simultaneously went the guns of the "old sol- dier" and his companion-but fired, not at the Yankees, but up in the air. So outraged was the Lieutenant with the action of his "reserve force," that for the time he forgot the "bell-cow" and fell to abusing them at a sound rate, during which time the " bell-cow" and followers retreated in such bad order that they forgot to ring their bell for an half an hour or more, when, ting-a-ling! ting-a-ling! it was heard again away over in the woods going towards Washington. The men in the corner of the fence, as gallant and true men as any in the army, said they obeyed or- ders and did not fire till they were sure they were firing at Yan- kees. But so it was that next morning we could not see where cither blood or milk was spilt.
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A TOUCHING SCENE.
At the same picket-post where the above related incident oc- curred, the next day the same Lieutenant witnessed a scene which, at the time, made him realize the horrors of war in a manner he had never experienced before. A more beautiful or lovelier day never smiled on this green earth than the one on which this incident occurred.
From one point on the line, we could see the Yankee pickets through an opening in the woods. They showed their bellige- rent spirit-not by firing at us, as was common at other points- but by mounting a section of stove-pipe on wheels and threaten- ing us with grape or shell. The sham could not be detected ex- cept by the aid of glasses, which a party of scouters brought along that morning. After examination with the glasses for awhile, they tried the metal of the threatening-tube with their long-range Maynard rifles. A few fires with these brought a re- sponse from a real rifle gun, which for some time continued to send over towards us its whizzing shells. This put the whole line in commotion, and soon some of our own pieces unlimbered near by and replied. Before this began, the occupants of a dwelling near by, a woman with a number of children-some of them " wee toddling things"-were busily digging potatoes, in ignorance of what was about to take place. The first shell that was fired passed directly over them and bursted in the air, the scattered fragments falling to the ground. It was like a clap of thunder in a clear sky. Like frightened birds, in whose midst the hawk had pounced, these terror-strickened ones fled, some to the houses near by, some to the straw stacks, leaving some so scared they feared to fly. And this is war!
THE "OLD SOLDIER"-AGAIN. " He jumps from the frying pan into the fire."
The "old soldier" liked to take his "sweetened." But away off in the lines he found it hard to get it with or without "sweet- ning." But General Johnston was falling back towards Rich- mond in April, 1862, and the roads were very muddy and march- ing very hard, and the route unfortunately was via Louisa Court- house, where the mud was extra deep and where the "tangle-leg tea" always did tangle people's legs very badly. Here the "old sol- dier" had lived in days before the war, and here he got the "tea" with "sweetning" in it, all of which so "tangled" his legs that he could not wade through that mud aforesaid any farther. So he fell out of line, and Company G went through all the York- town campaign and came back to Richmond, and through all the battles of the spring and early summer without this "old soldier." Now and then some doubtful tidings would come that he was still alive, but no one could certainly say where he was or how he was.
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About the first of August of that year, the Captain with Lieu- tenant Muse was sitting in front of his tent one morning, when who should come up but this same "old soldier," walking slowly and guiding his steps with a stick in regular "old soldier style." The Captain said, "Why, old man! we are glad to see you, we did not know whether you were dead or alive-where have you been since April ?
"I've been down to Camp Winder Hospital lately-but I am not going there any more. I'll die in the ranks before I let them doctors get hold of me again."
"Why ! what did they do to you ?"
"Oh! they physicked me and they cut me, and leeched me .and cupped me, and I don't know what they didn't do to me. I tell you, sir, I ain't going to let them doctors get hold of me again ! I'll die first. Why, sir, I laid down in the shade. the other day, and the first thing I knew, they had me, carrying me to the "dead-house."
"Well, old man, what can I do for you to-day ? The sergeant will have to report you for duty unless you can get the surgeon to certify you unfit for service."
"No, sir. No surgeon for me any more! I'll stick to my word and die in the ranks before any surgeon shall have anything to do with me. I want you to give me a discharge from service." "A discharge ! How can I do that ?"
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"Well, sir, I am over thirty-five years of age and am entitled to a discharge."
"Sergeant, bring me the Roll ! Let us see his age. Here it is; , April 20th, 1861. Age 29.' How is that ? You reported your age about a year ago 29, and now you are over 35. That is getting to be 'old soldier' very fast indeed."
"Oh! as to that, when I put my age down I didn't know it made any difference what I put down. But, Captain, my father and mother know I am over 35."
"That is rather lame, old man. Unless you get the surgeon to help you, you will have to go to duty, till your father and mother can make oath you are over age."
"No, sir. No surgeon for me ! I have no more use for doc- tors. I must go to duty and do the best I can."
Here Lieutenant Muse said :
""'Old man' how many battles have you ever been in ?"
"I ain't been in any yet."
"Then you have been a dead expense to the Confederacy."
The "old soldier" went to duty and hung on till he got to Gordonsville, where his father and mother made the necessary oath as to his age, and he went home, a happier, if not a better man.
But, alas ! for human expectations-"there is many a slip," &c .- Congress put the notch up to forty, and soon the Conscript officers had the "old soldier" in tow. He had not forgotten what
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Lieutenant Muse said, and when the officers took him, he said, "It ain't worth while to carry me into service again, for Lieuten- ant Muse said when I was in before "I was a dead expense to the Confederacy."
But go he must, and he went to Camp Lee. It was said, with how much truth this deponent saith not, that he got a detail- to repair the post officers' watches.
LUMP CLARK'S OPINION OF DOCTORS.
Who that has ever been in a field hospital the night of a battle, will ever forget it ?
The night of the 30th August, 1862, the date of the second battle of Manassas, brought the Captain of Company G and his old mess-mate, Dick Ferguson, together in a place and manner they had never experienced before. They had just been brought into the field hospital near the Pike, after jolting in the ambulance over a way where the wheels struck sharp stones as. many times at each turn as there were spokes in them. They were in a bad fix, but who ever was in so bad a fix that no one was in a worse? There was a poor 18th man shot in the head, with a cracked skull, talking about home, and the battle, and his sweet-heart, and "everything by turns, but nothing long." His was a hopeless case, so they let him talk, to give attention to others whose cases were not so bad, and many such-many, alas !- there were that night.
Late at night Lump Clark, of Company G, was brought in, with hand completely shattered by a Minie ball-causing suffer- ing more intense, possibly, than any other wound could produce. He could get no alleviation for such a case but nature's, and hence mourned and groaned, as well he might, under his pain- ful affliction, and so many were sympathizers with him (for they were fellow-sufferers with him), they did not object or remonstrate at the annoyance. Not so an impatient young "sawbones." Stopping close to Lump, he scolded him harshly, saying, "What are you keeping all this to do here for, man ? You are disturb- ing every body in the hospital."
Looking half contemptuously and somewhat fiercely up at the man, Lump said, "I wouldn't give grunting for all the physic you have got." And he went on grunting, and the surgeon departed quite disgruntled.
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SABRE VERSUS BAYONET.
At the battle of Sailor's Creek, when Pickett's Division made its last fight, an encounter occurred too remarkable to be left un- recorded. The men of the 18th Regiment were fighting bravely the enemy in their front, when they were suddenly and unex- pectedly attacked by Sheridan's cavalry coming up in their rear.
Private R. L. Hurt, one of the veterans of Company G, was busily loading and firing his gun, when a cavalryman came up on him and struck at him with his sabre, which, fortunately for Hurt, was warded off by his hat. Quick as thought he rose, and turning around, he stuck his bayonet into the man on the horse, who immediately turned and fled. Before he rode far Hurt saw him fall and supposed he was mortally wounded. Just then he and his comrades were surrounded and all taken prisoners.
This account is given by as reliable a man as was in the Reg -. iment.
RELIGION IN Co. G.
From the morning the Company met in the Presbyterian church at Nottoway Court-house the day of its departure tor Richmond, the company assembled daily at the Captain's quarters for prayer, which was conducted by him or some one of the officers or men, many of whom were professed chris- tians. As stated in the sketch, three of the company since the war have become ministers, viz : Richard Ferguson, J. E. Bar- row and C. Evers. Two others would have been, had their lives been spared, viz : E. Garland Sydnor and A. Dibrell Crenshaw. They were studying for the ministry at the time the war broke out.
Profanity and drunkenness were indulged in by few, if any, of those who made no profession of religion. This state of moral- ity may not have induced, altogether, the order and decorum so observable in the command, but so it was that the present writer, who was in command of the company for nearly two years, never had the occasion to punish but one man by imprisonment, and his offence was not one involving moral delinquency. This high moral standard of the men made the duties of the officers light, compared to what they would have been under other cir- cumstances.
FIRST EXPERIENCE UNDER FIRE.
It has often been discussed whether any man is free from fear under fire in battle.
The writer recollects overhearing a comparison of experiences on this subject, between two of the most spirited and brave
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young men of Company G-men who could, under fire them- selves, deliberately take their guns from their shoulders because they did not get as good aim as they wanted. He saw one of them do so at Williamsburg.
The conversation occurred a few days after the first Manassas battle, and was about this, in substance :
" Well, Muse, how did you feel on the field, when the shells began to burst and throw dust all over us, and the Minies began to sing ?"
" To tell you the truth, John (Gill), a battle is not just what I had thought it. I was really anxious and curious to get into one, knowing it was certain to come; but I believe if the Yan- kees are satisfied now, I would rather not go into another. It is no child's play, but a serious matter indeed-to see men falling around you, and it may be, yourself the next to go into eternity.
" Those were my thoughts exactly ! But for the hereafter I would not have minded it so much-but, oh! that hereafter ! I have had enough of battle, if matters can be settled honorably. now."
To the unthinking or the fatalist, such apprehensions as that expressed may not be known. To any others, nothing but duty to one's "God, to country and truth" could nerve him for the ordeal. Moved by such an impulse, the naturally timid might be the bravest. It is a well known fact that men who were bul- lies at home were generally the greatest cowards in battle ..
APPENDIX.
A number of mistakes have been observed by myself and others which, in the more permanent form the Historical Sketch will now assume, will be corrected as far as possible.
Page 19, T. J. Gunn, reported as killed, should read wounded at Gaines' Mill.
Page 33, T. A. Orgain should have been numbered among the sergeants. He was the first man of the company who was killed, and not his brother, E. C. Orgain, as stated on page 36. The latter was the second killed.
Page 34, John Campbell's residence, Lunenburg county, so also, J. Deshazor's and A. L. Davis'; residence of J. W. Bell and L. C. Edwards, Danville, Va .; of P. H. and P. S. Coleman and J. W. Crowder, Amelia county.
Page 35, residence of W. Fowlkes, Nottoway county; Haynie Hatchett, Lunenburg county, Va., enlisted April, 1861, wound- ed at First Manassas, died -, 1861.
Page 36, residence of G. W. Moore, Lunenburg; H. Overby enlisted May, 1861, instead of March, 1862.
Page 37, residence of B. Russell, Lunenburg; J. H. Snead, of Lunenburg, enlisted 1864:
These changes will affect the recapitulation slightly-making sergeants, 11; killed, 3; privates, 116; total of officers and men, 145.
For these corrections, I am mainly indebted to First Sergeant R. B. Seay.
After considerable trouble and delay, I have procured copies from the photographs of nearly all the officers of the company, more or less perfect, as the picture copied was good or bad. I trust this group, with the best likeness extant of our noble leader, Gen. Robert E. Lee, on the front page, will be duly appreciated and approved.
And now, surviving comrades of Company G, I have linked your names and mine with the heroes who died at their country's call, whose memories a grateful posterity will not suffer to die. My task-a labor of love-is done. Farewell!
RICHARD IRBY.
FC882
F 8619. 902
5883H
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