Newspaper Page Text
THE WASHIGTON GAZETTE.
BY JAS. A. WRIGHT AND HUGH WILSON.
THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE
TERMS.—Three hollars n year m advance. j
jy No Subscriptions takeu for a shorte ;
ime than six months.
Great Cavalry Fight of the War.
BY JOHN ESTEN COOK.
At daylight a long thunder came up
from the woods of the Rappahannock.
The greatest cavalry combat of the
war had begun.
At that sound Stuart leaped to the
saddle and rode rapidly towards tho
front. Fifteen minutes afterwards his
headquarters had vanished. On the
green slope of Fleetwood not a tent
was visible.
Is tho reader familiar with the
country along the Upper Kappahan
nock ? If so, he will remember that
tho river is crossed in Culpepper by
numerous fords. The principal—be
ginning on the left, that is to say, up
the river—are Wolford’s, theKailroad
bridge and Kelley’s fords.
Stuart's left, under Wm. H. F. Leo,
was opposite Welford’s; his centre,
under Jones, opposite Beverly’s ; his
right under Hampton, towards Kel
ley’s, and a force under Robertson was
posted in tho direction of Stevensburg,
to guard the right flank.
This force amounted to seven or
eight thousand cavalry.
The Federal column which now ad
vanced to attack it, is said to embrace
the cavalry of General Hooker’s army,
and must have numbered more than
twelve thousand sabres.
Stuart rode on rapidly down Fleet
wood Hill, and was soon opposite
Beverly’s Ford, where the enemy had
crossed in force. General Jones was
heavily engaged, and the Napoleons
of the horse artillery were roaring
steadily. Every moment the round
shot crashed, or the shell tore through
the woods about three hundred yards
in front of the pieces, where the dis
mounted cavalry' of the enemy had
effected a lodgment. They kept up «
j|pt. fiy. -If I ■■will Hje*t
steady rattle Os carbines fhrther up
the river told that Lee was also en
gaged.
In face of the bursting shell, the
blue tiraillieurs could not advance, and
Stuart sent an order to Hampton to
move in and attack on the right.
The troopers of the Gulf States ad
vanced at the word; their dense col
umns were soon seen slowly moving,
with drawn sabre, across the plain;
the moment of decisive struggle
seemed rapidly approaching, when
suddenly a heavy blow was struck at
Stuart’s rear.
I had been directed by him to ascer
tain if “everything had been sent oft'
from Fleetwood,” and to see that no
papers had been dropped there in the
hurry of departure. Going back at a
gallop I soon reached the hill, and
rode over the ground recently occu
pied by the headquarters. The spot
seemed swept. Not a paper was
visible. All that I could sec was a
withered boquet, dropped by some
young officer of the staff —a relic no ,
doubt of the last night’s ball at the
village.
I had already turned to ride back j
to Stuart, when my attention was |
attracted by a column of cavalry ad- j
vancing straight on Brandy—that is, j
upon Stuart’s rear. What force was i
that? Could it be the enemy? It I
was coming from the direction of
Stevensburg; but how could it have
passed our force there ?
“Look!” I said to an officer of the
horse artillery, one battery of which
was left in the reserve of the hill,
“look! what column is that?”
“It must be Wickham’s,” was his
reply.
“ I am sure they are Yankees.”
“ Impossible!” he exclaimed.
But our doubts were soon termi
nated
From the rapidly advancing column
two guns shot out and unlimbcred.
Then two white puffs of smoke
spouted from their muzzles, and the
enemy’s shell burst directly in our
faces.
The horse artillery returned the
fire, and I hastened back with the in
telligence to Stuart.
“It is only a squadron, I suppose,”
he replied with great coolness. “Go
back and get all the cavalry you can,
and charge the guns andjbag them !”*
It is impossible to imagine anything
aaliMr than the speaker’s voice. I
know, however, that the attack was
more critical than he supposed. Has
tening back, I came up with two
regiments, and then ascended the hill
at full gallop, leaping the ravines and
darting towards the crest.
Suddenly it blazed with staggering
volleys. Tire Federal -cavalry hud
rushed straight across the fields to
wards the hill—ascended its western
slope as wo ascended the eastern, and
met us. Coining in squadron front,
they struck the Confederates advanc
ing in columns of fours, and in con
fusion from the rough ground. They
recoiled—were thrown in disorder,
and with loud cheers the enemy
swarmed all over Fleetwood Hill.
The battle seemed lost. Stuart was
cut off and hemmed in between two
powerful bodies of Federal cavalry,
supported by infantry and artillery.
All that saved us at that momeut
■was the “doordio” fighting of cav
alry and horso artillery.
On the crest of Fleetwood took
place a bitter and obstinate struggle.
It wasonoof thoso fights of the giants,
which once witnessed is nevor forgot
ten. The cannoneers of tho horse
artillery fought as savagely, hand to
hand, as the regular cavalry ; and tho
crest became tho scene of a mad
wres{lo, rather of wild beasts than
men.
All at once the form of Davenant
appeared amid tho smoke. Ho had
come rapidly from the front, and now
threw himself into tho combat like the
bloody hound to which Stuart had
compared him. Ilis cheeks were
flushed, his eyes fiery. Leaping from
his horse, lie seized the sponge staff of
a gun, from which all the cannoneers
had been driven, and ramming home
a charge of canister, directed the gun
upon a column of the enemy.
Before lio could fire, a Federal cav
alryman rodo at him, sad cut furiously
at his hare head with the full weight of
his sabre.
Davenant did not try to draw lus
.word.-the attempt, would have hoOn
fliclPsH. Tn'k is hands wtsqjffk.
■ iffd gtn>i ll tng jSri: rai»)nfia*,-bei
swept the cavalryman frdln his sad
dle*. Ho fell headlong, covered with
blood, and J)avenant aimed and fired
the load of canister—leaped upon his
horse, and drawiug his sword, plunged
into the melee, his eyes flaming, his
voice rising loud and inspiring above
the combat.
It was a stubborn, a superb strug
gle. Three times the enemy’s guns
were ehargod and captured; three
times the Confederates were furiously
charged in turn, and the pieces recap
turod by the enemy. A final charge
of tho grey cavalry carried all before
it. The Federal artillery was seized
upon and their cavalry driven back—
but at that moment a heavier force
still was seen advancing upon Stuart
from the direction of Kelly’s Ford.
It was a splendid spectacle. They
came on in solid column, and rapidly
formed a line of battle on thu slope of
Fleetwood, with drawn sabres, and
flags floating. As they moved, they
seemed to shake the very ground. I
had never seen so great a force of
cavalry drawn up, and the critical
moment of the. battle had plainly
come.
At that instant, the great field pre
sented a remarkable appearance. Cav
alry were charging in every direction,
and it was hard to tell friend from foe.
Stuart was fighting, so to say, from
the centre outwards. The enemy
were in his front, in his rear, and on
both his flanks. If they closed in, ap
parently, ho would he crushed as in a
vice. The iron hand would strangle
him.
That moment tested the nerves.
Stuart’s “heart of oak” bore the strain.
Ho was aroused, stung, his cheeks
burned, his eyes flamed—but the raan
was sufficient for the work. I looked
closely at him. “Do or die” was plain
on his face. From that instant I nev
er had any doubts about Stuart.
He rushed two pieces of artillery to
a knoll in front of the line of Federal
horsemen. A moment afterwards two
i reports were heard, and two shells
burst precisely in the middle of the
line, making a wide gap in it, and
checking the charge which had
begunf.
All at ohee I saw a column of cav
alry ceming up from the river, and
turning to Stuart, said:
“Genera!, what cavalry is that V
“Hampton’s 1” Stuart exclaimed—
“ Bring it up like lightning !”J
WASHINGTON, WILKES COWfc GA., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1869.
I set out at full gallop, and soon'
■reached the column. At the head of
it rode Young, the beau sabruer of
Georgia, erect, gallant, with his bravq
eye and smile.
I pointed out the enemy, and gave
the order.
“All right 1” exclaimed Young, and
turning to his men, 110 whirled the
sabre around his head and shouted.
“Forward!”
Tho column thundered off, and us it
passed, I recognized Mohun, his flash
ing eye and burnished sabre gleaming
from the dust cloud.
“Charge 1” rose from a hundred iifi*
Spurs were buried in the hot flunks;
tho mass was hurled at the enemy;,
and clashing liko thundor, sword
against sword, swopt everything be
fore it. Not a siuglo shot was fired—
the sabro only was used. The enemy
wero broken to piecos; what I saw
was a wild meleo of whirling swords,
flying horses, men clovon to the chin,
while others wero seen throwing
themselves from the saddle, and rais
ing their hands to escape tho koon
swordsmen slashing at them§.
Tho great force of the enemy swoop
ing down on Stuart’s flank was thus
routed. Tho spectacle which follow
ed was ludicrous as well as exciting.
Tho enemy fled in disorder. Never
before had I seen tho nails iu tho hind
shoos of hundreds of horses ; myriads
of horses’ tails, streaming liko meteors
as they ran I
The force disappeared iu tho woods,
hotly pursued by their foes. Tho
dust followed them in a groat cloud ;
from that cloud arose yells and cheers,
cannon thundered, carbines rattled;
but that sound receded more and more
rapidly toward the river.
On our left, the brave Wm. F. 11.
Lee had been successful. lie had
charged and repulsed tho enemy, fall
ing wouwled at the head of liis men.
They had not again advanced upon
him. Near tho Barbour Hquso he
presented an unbroken front t^thcm.
Stuart held with his cavaky, indjyd,
the, wltciLo. Fleetwqud
the enemy,
“Come on!”
They did not como. They wont
back.
Their cavalry had crossed the river
to ascertain the meaning of the great
review. Thoy had discovered nothing
after heavy loss. The ground was
strewed with their dead and dying.
Thoy retired shattered and deeding.
Stuart’s loss was also great. Even
his staff was not spared. One of my
brother staff officers was killed, an
other wounded, a third captured.
But Stuart had won the greatest
cavalry fight of the war.— From “ Mo
hun ; or, The Laet Days of Lee and His
Cavaliers."
•Fact.
Jill* words.
When to Buy a Farm.
Very few persons seem to know that the
months of July and August are the heat in
the year in which to look for or purchase a
farm. At thisseasoo one can judge whether
llie land can or does produce good crops ;
for if it is rich the waving grass and grain
will be ocular demonstration of the fact;
and, if there is, according to llie stereo
typed assertion, an abundance of choice
fruit, it can be seen at this time to the best
advantage. The low landu will show
whether they are really dry enough for
pastures in summer, and the upland its
capacity for withstanding a drought.
Summer is also a very good time to vkw
the never failing epring and the trout pOUfi
near by, and a draught from the one and &
lunch from the other are attractions which
those who possess them seldom fail to
bestow upon those who are likely to be
come purchasers. Even tbe weeds on a
farm will assist a man in determining its
value; for, if nothing but stunted rag
weed and five finger are to be seen, then
tbe land may be put down as poor indeed;
but if burdocks and catnip abound, it
shows strength to produce crops of a higher
order.
The pasture and meadow, orchard and
garden, all show what they are and what
may be expected of them in these months;
but earlier or later the aspect of things
may change. In the spring the trees have
not shown leaves, flowers or fruit; the
roads are muddy, if ever, and the distance
from the railroad station to the farm ap
pears much greater than it actually is,
especially to a stranger. lu autumn the
leaves are turning yellow, the grain has
been gilhSf, and the dry stubble is all
that riioatS; end the fruits are nearly
gone ; a bldSt? air is fresh and the land
scape mbwbt 1 with autumnal tints ; but
the va’ltbwjodiicts of a farm are mainly
out of lahßSeini stored in the baru or in
' Wa|it is an Acre Worth
Win rtrißbthern farmer, be he a large
or smi I M will rightly compute the
'.value ( ijpjfre, and r,". Mte proper worth
by it, e®» tlieiT that material
•ml - J sRi 1- . A«e -’■•»' only
now iptaMMfcive. WV os’’ ’ourselves an
agricu&tiflSjeople, and’ admit that the
wealth oSKfitate lies in its productions.
To a we may say altogether,
that da jttnple, we are dependent upon
our cotiJßKo and tobacco crops for what
money iwifipke. As to our corn crop, we
counting it in, if wo judge
fnfcjttofayAs of bushels that are brought
Yromtftßj* f to supply the demands of
°ur the thousands upon thous
ands of infers we send out of the State
for that Igicle alone; not counting the
millions vjß'.&mids of bacon that we buy
Eyerjjjp*n that cultivates a few acres ol
’land iqSßies that ho must put half or two
thirds twiaMtoii ; that cotton is the only
thing t'jw will bring rendy money. We
wouhl "ithnve a word tc say about plant
ing cotfai if oach acre planted brought a
hag; h* wt) >n we know that if it takes
Iron. iVtgV'te or acres of our worn lumls
to niuki'iabag, we feel that it is labor and
monoy'Shrown away, and that the farmer
has neirwfe? a moment sat down and eiii
culntedUhe worth of at*.* ere well manured
and w|! worked.
An :ia>e c£ land well manured, well taken
care is worth from <*6o to SIOO. An
Hefp I ha! will bring twenty-two bushels of
wheat and thirty bushels of corn the same
year, its worth SIOO per acre ; .and any
pains tilting farmer can make an acre pro-
tit at. The manure dropped in stnhlos
oc yjirds by horses, cows, hogs, rlieep, &«.,
will manure, one acre well. We speak of
i »1 v ,i;Jfi,fM*iner, the mau with hut little
41(4;, economy is all that i
■nerrHsn WrSve manure ; hut so long ns we
drive along in our slip shod way of making
and saving; manure, we may expect but
poor returns from the aoil. If the snml I
farmy could he induced to take half the
pains the New England farmer does on his
place, them would not boa farm in Bald
win ooulrty that would not be worth at
least S2O to tho acre.
But what we desire to call the especial
attentio* of our farmors to is the import
ance of manuring at least one nere well and
planting it In something that will bring him
SIOO clear. It can. be done, Rnd done
easily, hut there must bo system about it.
Let the small farmer who read i this, look
at the Vewrest city or town to which bo
trades, slid see what article of provisions
sell reatjily. Take, for instance, sweet
potatoes,’, everybody eats them, and they
find a refidy sale; they keep well, and can
be sold fcy the wagon load or bushel, at
from fifty cents to one dollar.
A fanner knows how many bushels an
acre will firing, and he knows tiiat he can
get SIOO jo an acre even at fifty cents per
bushel, lake the ground pea ; it will sell
readily nfid bring a good price. Take
onions, take Irish potatoes, take peas. Put
the acre ib anything but cotton, and it will
bring m<#e money than cc’.ton would.
Much mjnure is sometimes saved and
wa«led byjtryiog to manure ten to twenty
acres, in fact it should have been put
on one or five. Farmers get discouraged
and say-, it won’t pay to save manure, be
came they have tried it, and their crops
were a fatiare; and faijed, because they
fried »4o little, just as
,’ibolish house wife' VonKi attempt to make
one blanket cover three beds.
Reduce manuring to a system ; make a
calculation bow much one bushel of manure
will manure well ; how much one horse
load will m»Dure well, and then put it on
accordingly* Don’t guess at the matter,
but go at it like sensible men, and in a few
years, with deep ploughing, you will find
your lands doubled, quadrupled in value.
Take one acre at a time; see that it pays
for the manure put on it. and make it so
rich that you can always say, there is oue
acre that wiil pay trie well, if bo more ;
hut it is as easy to make ten do it as twenty
or fifty- Turn under iu tae fall the green
crops of peas pr the rank weeds, and much
las been accomplished ; but our small
farmers need not expect ever to improve
their lands so long as they plant cotton and
it takes about four acres to make a hale.
Their lands will wear out and they grow
poorer every year, and when they die, the
farm U not worth two dollare per ncre.
Remember, that an acre of land is worth
SSO when well manured, aud it will be
worth SIOO if kept woll manured, for it
will bring provisions to that amount any
time. Will our small farmers act upon
tho suggestion hereafter? We know of
two acres in Miilodgeville that produced
forty seven bushels of wheat, and the same
ye&> produced eighty-four bushels of corn.
It was manured from the stable, but well
done and well ploughed. What would ten
such acres be worth to a small farmer t
Southern Recorder.
An Old Farmer’a Suggestions.
In plowing, sea that the woik is wel
done. Let the furrow slice be fairly turned
that the deoomposabla matter contained in
the roots may be perfectly inhumed, and
secured from the wasting effect of the
atmosphere. This i9 very important. If
yon apply dressing before breaking up, too
much care cannot be exercised in the ac
complishment of this work, as upon its
efficiency will depend, in a great measure,
tho success of the subsequent undertaking.
No balks should be passed over; whet ..10
plowshare leaves *"• turned over
with the hoe or hand. Mn y plows per
form their wo'k imperfect. In the first
place they do not detach the furrow slice
at, a proper angle, and then, instead 0
inverting it, they either “stand it on edge,”
or break>t in pieces. Implements of this
character are worse than worthless. When
land is imperfectly plowed, the after culti
vation is always onerous and perplexing,
and a» a natural consequence is poorly per
formed. It is therefore much better lo
expend money for a good plow, one that
will perform its work in a satisfactory
manner, than to use an imperfect one, as
it will entail obstacles which it will be
found no way easy to overcome.
Manuring. —Never scant your crops.
Plant no more land than you can manure
well. It is bettor to have one-half an acre
of soil well managed than ten antes imper
fectly worked and manured. It requires
no more labor to manage one acre of land
that will produce fifty bushels of shelled
corn, than iL doe 9 to manage one that will
yield but twenty-five It is acknowledged
to be poor policy to half feed our domestic
animals, and why should it not be consid
ered equally abjured and injudicious to
half starve our corn and other crops, which
wo rely upon mainly to feed Us.
Wood Ashes. —Every bushel of wood
ashes applied to the corn crop is worth one
dollar. The truth of this assertion has
been repeatedly demonstrated by the result
of experiments accurately conducted. On
all light soils tho action of ashes is highly
energetic and salutary ; they exert a warm
ing and invigorating influence, and promote
the rapid growth of almost every species 0
production.
Something Pitiiv. —Four gentle
men, a Baptist, Presbyterian, Metho
dist and Roman Catholic—mot by
agreement to dine on fish. Soon as
grace was said the Catholic rose,
armed with a knife and fork, taking
about ono-third of tho fish, compre
hending the head, removed it to his
plate, exclaiming as he sat down, with
groat self-satisfaction, Papa est caput
ecclesip —Tho Pope is the head of the
church.” Immediately the Metho
dist minister arose, and helping him
self to about one-third, embracing the
tail, seated himself, saying, “Finis
coronat opus— Tho ond crowns tho
work.” Tho Presbyterian now thought
it was about time for him to move,
and taking the remainder of tho fish
to his plate, exclaimed, “In media est
verilas —Truth lies between the two
extremities.” Our Baptist brother
had nothing before him but an empty
plate, and tho prospect of a slim din
ner, and snatching up the bowl of
drawn (melted) butter, he dashed it
over Them all, exclaiming “ Ego baptizo
vos —l baptize you all.”
The following curious notice has been
stuck up at the Pavilion Ilenry IV., at St.
Germain : “Notice—the ‘persons’ hers un
dermentioned are not allowed to enter: 1.
Men in working clothes. 2. Women
without bonnets. 3. Servants without
their masters or mistresses. 4 . Children
without their parents. 6. Wives without
muzzles. -•■i »*
Slobbering in Horses. —A correspon
dent of the Boston Cultivator recommends
saltpetre for this disease, and has found it
to cure the worst cases. He gives a table
spoonful in the morning, and in three days,
if not free from it, he give* another
date.
VOL. Ill—NO. 41.
What send Children to the DevlL
The child that is not taught to be useful,
and industrious, and beneficent, and that
self-indulgence is low and vulgar, will, un
less it be early taken home to heaven
stand a chance to he overcome and taken
captive and enslaved by evil, long before it
shall get half way on the road from the
cradle to the grave.
Goodness of heart, not sharpness of in
tellect ; strength of charaoter, not brillian
cy of accomplishments; copious treasure
laid up iu heaven, not vast accumulations
<sf this wo>'Y, goods; the fear of God, not
the applause of men, are wbat keep young
people, and old people also from going to
the devil.
To sum up the whole matter: Young
people are sent to the devil by lack of
sympathy, by lack of understanding, by
lack of study of children’s natures, by lack
of devotion lo children’s welfatc, by selfish
ness, bigotry, cruelty and tyranny on the
part of the parents. In short, by whatever
makes the human fatherhood the reverse
of tho Divine Fatherhood.
It will be admitted by all, that to train
up a family ol children in the way they
should go, is one of the greatest achieve
ments within the compass of man’s ability ;
and yet, how little of thought, or study, or
ingenuity, or effort, or time, or travail of
soul, is given to the subject, especially by
fathers. Could my business under heaven
be carried on successfully, if no more at
tention were given to it than is usually be
stowed on Ihu training up of a family of
e ildren ? Certainly not. Not even a lit
ter of prize pigs could he raisod with such
a feeble outlay of time, or exercise o
brains.
A man who would train up his chil
dren in the way they should go, must as
sociate with them continually, and study
them up, and in the best seDse be their
guide, philosopher and friend.
This cannot be done without much and
persistent effort. It must often be done
when the parent is oppressed with lussitude
ol body, and sickness of heart, and weari
ness of soul. Sometimes, when bis whole
nature cries out for rest, be must rouse
himself ond nerve himself to hear a story
of childish grief, and to feed some stricken
little heart with the love and sympathy
for which it hungers.
To do this effectually he must put up a
prayer to God for help whenever he turns
his face homeward, and ask for grace to
meet bis family with steadfastness and se
renity of soul. If in his heart his prayer
shall always be, as he draws near home,
‘Father of mercy, help me to receive my
children as I wished to be received by thee
—thy kingdom come, thy will be done in
my heart as it is in heaven, and forgive
me my trespaases as I forgive my children
their trespasses”—and then he does bis
best to realize his prayer, it is safe to be
l.eve that his children will not be among
those who will be sent to tho devil.
Packard's Monthly.
Two Valuable Recipes. Editors
Southern Cultivator :—Allow me to give
you two recipes that should be printed in
letters of gold, and given to the public :
Recipe for Cholic or Scours in
Horses. —Give a half tumbler of spirits
of camphor in a pint of warm water (ookl
will do) ; if not relieved in fifteen minutes
repeat tbe dose. Give nothing else. I
have never known it fail in a practice of
twenty years. No after bad effects.
Nail in the Foot. —To relieve from
tbe terrible effects of running a nail in the
foot of man or horse, tako peach leaves,
bruise them, apply to tbe wound, confine
with bandage, and tbe cure is as if by
magic. Renew the application twice a
day, if necessary ; but one application
usually does the work. I have cured both
mm and horse in a few hours, when they
were apparently on tbe point of having tbe
lock jaw. These recipes, remembered and
practiced, will save mai?> valuable lives.
G. D.
A handsome monument is approaching
completion at Harrisburg, at the cost of
tbe State, commemorative of tbe soldiers
of Pennsylvania, who lost their lives in tbe
war with Mexico. It will be dedicated on
Wednesday tlie 26th of May next,
Apple Pudding. —Pare and stew three
pints of apples; mash them, aDd add four
eggs, a quarter of a pound of butter sugar
and nutmeg, or grated lemon. Bake it on
short crust.
The Marquis of Bute has, say a 'he
Westminister Gazette, beeu just formally
received into tbe Catholic Church by Mon
tignor Capel at Nice.