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THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE.
YOL. XX.
BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS.
INCIDENTS OF THE DAT IN HEB
EI. RANKS.
Standing In Six Inches qf Water Dnr
in if a Drenching: Shower--A Brig''*
ado s First Experience in Bear
of a Battle.
(Murrey in Washington Republican.)
After the long at*.} harrassingoeige
of Yorktown, and the wearisome
march up the peninsula to Richmond
the brigade (General James L. Kem
per’s) to which the wrlicr’s regiment
(Seventeenth Virginia Infantry) was
attached, had been enjoying a much
needed rest, even company drills hav
ing been for the lime discontinued. On
the evening of May 30, ISB2, we were
camped' in tents on the Richmond
fair grounds, which is a level plain of
considerable extent. 'When we lay
down to sleep that night the weather
wis clear though very sultry. Boon
after a thunder storm came sweeping
along and we were subjected to a
cloud-burst. The rain carat down
for hours, not in drops or sheets, but
literally by tbe bucketful and soon
the enl ire camp was afloat. All wo
could do was to liastilv pack up our
blankets and traps and stand in a
half foot of water and wait patiently
for the water to subside. Not lung
after midnight the adjutant came
around with the order to pack our
knapsacks (which we bad done al
ready) and pile them, leave the tent
standing, and he ready at a moment's
warning in light marching order.
AVo knew very well what this or
der meant, for the sudden rise of the
•Chicknhominy after a big rain was
well known to us, and we knew also
that the army of General McClellan
was divided by this treacherous
stream. Under the circumstances we
were glad of our thorough soaking.
By daybreak we were on our
war down the WilHsmburg road in
the direction of the enemy. The
front line ot General McClellan's
left wing was some five or six miles'"
‘from Richmond, a'nd we could have
gotten over this distance in two
hours with ease, in spile ol the tact
that the road was covered with pools
of water, but we were halted rt every
mile or so w'ith a long wait and it
was nearly noon before we got
WITHIN VIEW' or THE ENEMY’S PICKETS.
You may be sure there was much
comment excited bv the unaccounta
ble slowness of the movement—the
American soldier was very ap t to
criticise the strategy of Ills generals.
Growls went along the line “Chiok
ahominy will go down as fast as it has
risen, anil they can lord it even if
bridges are swept away. What in
the li—ll are we waiting for." fun
eral I). H. Hill's division was ahead
of ns on the road and i! was some
time after 12 m. before bis skirmish
ers began to exchange shots with
the hostile pickets. I have never
been able to understand why the
-m i* (V not made at Cor 10 O’clock
inid tonght by the infantry, so that
the difficulty of bringing up the ar
tillery could nfit have been the cause
of the delay. It is true that General
Hager did not get up with the di
vision until late in the afternoon, al
though he did not have to march fur
ther than we did, Wt then we had
sufficient force for the job then appa
rently on hand without him.
When, however, Hill had once be
gun to fight he did not let the grass
under his feet, as it were. His onset
was impetuous and delirmined, and
the tremendous crashes of musketry,
tho charging yells and the booming of
Casey’s cannon showed to us in the
rear that hot work wa* in progress
in tho front. After tho battle was
begun Kemper’s brigade was drawn
up in the line of battle in reserve on
the extreme right of the right wing—
the brigade having suffered heavily
at the stiffly fought battle of Williams
burg aome weeks previously. We
stacked arms and listened to the
CONTINUOUS ROAR OF TIIE BATTLE
until about an hour before sundown.
That was the brigade’s first exper
ience in the rear of a battle and it
wa? a very pleasaut one. Streams
of wounded men in ambulances, on
stretches all bloody, dirty and grimy,
painful and hobbling along, came
constantly pouring back from the
front and the sight was a douse of
cold water so to speak thrown upon
our enthusiasm. Moreover I think
all soldiers will agree wih me, that
the suspense when expecting every
minute to be called into battle, is
more wearing upon the nerves Ilian
to he in the midst of the combat.
At last one of Lon gst reel's aids came
galloping towards us and our colonel
remarked, ‘‘Now comes our turn,”
and at once culled ns Id attention.
The brigade was at once put in cob
bmns of fours and iieaded down the
AVilliamsburg road at the doubie
quick, for we were told the enemy
had been heavily reinforced, and
Hill's inen wore giving back. The
mml was a perfect loblolly and knee
deep and double-quicking was hard
work. When the brigado emerged
from the woods into the large open
field in front of the redoubt and rifle
pits thrown up by General Casev, the
head of the column was assailed liv
a storm of shot, shells and bullets
from tin Federal tines which were
established in a belt of wood! about
200 yards beyond ill? rddoiibb' Kem
per led the regiment on his columiia
of four until we got right up -to the
redoubt before lie gave the order to
throw us into liue of bailie.
A VEIiV CURIOUS MAXtEUVRE.
Now, fifty yards beyond the re
doubt was a house, 10 the right a
short distance a barn, and to the left
a huge pile of wood ten feet high mid
and fifty yards long. Beyond 1 hose
were the little dog tents pitched hel
ter-skelter by Casey’s division, Up
to this time we had no help from our
artillery, the Fauquier battery, which
accompanied us. being stuck in the
mud. with half its horses killed, and
the men unable to bring the guns to
bear. AVhen t lie head of the column
reached the redoubt, and we had se
rious losses while crossing the field,
froth the raking shots, the order was
at last given to forward into line and
charge,but this was easier said than
done, especially as far the Seventeenth
Regiment was concerned. We were
rushed into line as well as tbe obstacle
above referred to, which in our im
mediate front, would permit,and than
dashed in among the dog tents. Here it
Mas Worse and worw,for ws could not
mu crcrthem or tear down, except
with frightful loss, and as it was we
lost heavily in a few minutes. Kemper
led the brigade, on foot as ganiely
as a man could do, butliis position
were faulty, and finally he yielded,
“Give back, men, to the wood-piie
and the rifle-pits l”and we did so
without standing on the order of our
going, but wo left many a bravo fel
low bshmd us. Once behind tlie ri
fle-pits we had our inniqgs, for the
Fauquier battery had managed
to get two of their 24-ponudcr howit
zera in position behind us, and they
poured shrapnel and cannister into
THE HORNET S NEST IN THE WOOD
at a lively rale, to which we added
our quota in the infantry way. At
the beginning of the fight Kemper
had sent the Seventeenth Infantry to
make a detour behind the wood and
fall upon the enemy’s left flank and
rear, and Colonel Florence executed
the movement with success, for at
this junction—it was twilight nearly
—wo heard the crash of his volley on
our right front, and when we jumped
•ver the breast-works to go forward
to help him, it was found that the
troops who had worried us so badly
had given back thrpugh the woods in
disorder. That ended tho fighting
for that day and it was a sorrowful
day for me fir I lost my friend and
blanket partner. When going into
the fight lie said to me, "One of us
will go under—l feel it.” On search
ing 1 found him among the dog
tents still living and conscious hut
horribly wopnded. Both his arras
were broken, two halls passed
through his body, and he had a flesh
wound in the thigh and yet he lived
until midnight. His was the most re
markable case of vital endurance that
ever came under my notice during the
war. The brigade made a' capture
that day, which was some little sol
ace for our loss. The barn referred
to was literally grammed with sqtler’*
supplies, barrelsfof brandies, whiskies,
wines, boxes of crackers, cheese, and
canned goods, and groceries were
there sufficient to supply all. It was
some time before the commanding
officers found out the existence of
this treasure trove, for the company
officers were as zealous in sampling
the delicacies as the men. and when
at last a guard was placed over the
delectable.?, or what remained of them
the majority of the brigade were half
seas over, and with canteens and hav
ersacks filled besides. The troops
slept peacefully that night, but there
WASHINGTON, GA., FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1885.
were many swelled heads and aching
brows in tbe morning.
The (inn had scarcely peeped above
the horizon next day when tiring was
leneweil on our left, where General
(Ins Smith was in command and as
Ihebattle rolled on toward our position
the shells began to explode around anti
over the brigade line very uncomfort
ably. However, Hugev's men were
now ordered up to (lie front, and
Kemper was directed to hold the re
doubt and rifle pits at all hazards
in case the front line* was forceß
hack, as it was thought that the fty
tire Federal army was now across -flu
river. AVhile welay itery Gen, ‘,Jeb”
Small rodo out in front of tho fine
In opcnVie-w of llte enemy’s batteries,
and appeared purposely to make a
target of himself, while Ihe shells
were popping around him ho kept bits
horse plunging and Curvet ring, and
waving liis hat, seen ed lo enjoy the
fun hugely. But. as one of ihe soldiers
remarked : “Somebody ought to go
out aud hit him with a stuffed club
for making su.di a fool of himself.
The brigade of Kemper needed no
oncouragement to do their duty. Well
Ihebattle of the second was a lame
affair compared with tiie savageness
of that of the day before, and about
noon both sides seemed fa have got
enough of St and the noise of the bat -
lie gradually died away. The Con
federates had failed to smash tiio fed
eral left wing and had lost heavily,
General Johnson having been severe
ly wounded, bnt they had not been
whipped and they held their ground
until after nightfall, when they qneit
ly withdrew to their own lines,taking
with them twenty pieces of captured
artillery.
THK STAN DA It 1, DOLLAR.
Rlnnl.he. that the Counterfeiters
Intitule au<t Olheru Don't Sec.
{From tbo Now York Tritium:.)
Morgan the engraYcr of the die for
tho standard “buzzard” dollar, ani
nated perhaps by an ambition simi,-
!ar to that of the youth who filed the
Ephesian dome, smuggled into his
work ill two places the initial letter
of Ids surname. Although micro
scopic in size these “Ms” arc plainly
discernible on the coin even to the
naked eye after a careful search.
An eagle-eyed Wall street man recent
ly discovered one o( tho letters and
started among ids acquaintances the
following puzzle: “Find three letter
Ms on tlie standard dollar.” Two
arc readily found—one in the word
“unum” and another in “America,”
but the third is net so easily found.
An interview with Chief Drummond
of the United Secret Service, showed
that there arc four Ms instead of
three, and the fourth, hilherto unno
ticed even by Wall street men was
pointed out lo the reporter. Mr.
Drummond laugh when his attention
was called to the matter and said :
“The presence of these extra letters
an the standard dollar was first
brought to my notice by one of my
clerks. They were of course cut in
the die by Morgan.” The Chief of
Ihe Secret service acknowledged that
they had not escaped the attention
of the counterfeiter who iiad placed
them on the false coins.
Similar instances of tlie mutilation
of dies arc recalled in the case of
English and French engravers’ work.
Wyon, the artist to (lie English
mint, many years ago placed on the
plate of a postage stamp a “W” on so
minute a character that for years the
stamp circulated without a doubt of
its perfection. The eventual discov
ery of the blemish created a sensation
in England; die obJctioYiab!e addi
tion to the work promptly erased, and
a stringent law passed against (he
commission of a like offense. In tho
reign of Napoleon 111. an ejigrater
placed tiie initial letters of ids sur
name on the plate for a stamp. This
also was ot such microscopic dimen
sions that ft escaped detection job a
long time. The discovery of the fact
led to the same result as in the Eng
lish case.
Some of the large property owners
of Boston propose to inaugurate a
new system of mutual fire insur
ance, which will probably be modeled
Bomewhat after the assessment of life
insurance societies. It is not proposed
to supplant the regular insurance
companies doing busiuess in that
city, but to supplement them, it being
impossible to obtain eufficent insur
ance, tho demand being much greater
than the available capital -
THK PANAMA OUTBREAK.
Effect of tho Rebellion on Klnffßton
AY lint tbe PnrNor of tbe AI boss
Saw—-Terriblo Condition of
Affairs at Colon*
Tiie Atlas steamship Alims, run
ning between New York and tho
West Indies, says the New York
Tribune, reached this port from
Kingston Jamaica, lata Wednesday.
On hpr outward voyage (lie Athos
readied Kingston on March 28.
The reports of the terrible condition
of affairs at Colon and Cartagena
were so alarming that the West In
dian agent of Hie Atlas lino in King
ston was unwilling to permit Capt.
Low to take the ship any further.
The trip io the rebellious district
upon the isthmus was not taken and
tho Athos remained in Jamaica till
April 8. wliei) she started on her re
turn to lids port.
“We saw quite a good deal of tbo
rebellion, however.” said Mr, McAl
ister, the persur of tho Alims, to a
Tribune reporter, “or rather of its
effects. Kingston was crazy with
excitement. We got there almost
simultaneously with the news of the
t !irst victories of tho rebels. All the
.thieve*,; blacklegs, sharpers and dis
solute women from Kingston, Hon
duras, l’ort Huron and everywhere
else flocked in droves to Colon. For
tho first time since the llay I inn rebel
lion the cities of Jamaica were free
from these fierce anil wicke 1 wretches.
They [are of all nations, Fioneh,
Spanish, Mexican, Coolies, Chinese
Creole, negro aud half breeds of all
lines and kinds, and they poured out
of the dons of the Indian cilios for Hie
scene of disorder. When Colon was
burned and pillaged their appetite
for greed had its opportunity.
“In a few days tho Belize and Ibe
Para, steamships of the Royal Mail'
aud tho West India aud Pacific
Steam Navigation Company, came
to Kingston from Colon. Each of
them had on board about 800 laborers
Aho had been working on tbo canal.
1, -i-ftr’es of bloodshed and crime
were terrible. Men and wosier,
they say,having been shot down like
droves, lav rotting away in hotel reels,
There was no food tier shelter, and
where bullets had not dono the work
of destruction, famine and pestilence
hail. A lot of small sailing vessels,
filled with provisions and lumber,
put right out for Colon. On April 8
a French man-of-war went down
heavily laden witli provisions,
1 “Then came tho nows that a compa
ny of Columbian troops, variously re
ported to be {rom 00 to 120 in num
ber, iiad pushed through from Pana
ma lo Colon, arriving there on April
2, and nad retaken the city from Hie
rebels. This news was confirmed,
aud (\id stories of the punishment iu
flielod by the troops upon Hie prison
ers were frightful. They made them
dig their own graves, long trenches,
into which they shot the poor wretch
es, Then another relay of them was
brought u)i any tpreed to cover up (lie
bodies of tlioeolasi killed, only to suf
fer death themselves. Massacre suc
ceeded massacre, and f be carnage, riot
aud misery were far worse than oc
cured during tho Haytaln rebellion.
In fact, I never listened to such sick
ening stones in my life. Then tbe
s'eamships began to return to King
ston, and ail the riff-raff came on
them. Kingston is a poor town, and
knowing that these rascals had come
back with their pockets full of gold
and jewels, the people turned out cn
masse to receive them. The last three
days that we were in Jamaica, the
town was being painted red and red
der a,ll the time. They had piles of
moqey and tbe gambling dens reaped
a harvest they have not enjoyed in
many a year.
“Colon is being rapidly rebuilt.
Hundreds of speculative schooners
laden with building materials went
down, and I expect to sec a good
sized town there on tho old ruins
when we go down again. It was a
mistake that we did not go before.
Wc should have made a good deal of
money bringing laborers and others
back to Kingston. Most of the es
caped rebels retired into the swamps
of the isthmus, where they will pur
sue their old business of brigandage.
The general idea in tho Indies js that
this occasion presents a splendid op
portunity for Iho United States to se
curo control of the canal. They-have
by far the biggest hold there now,
wilb plenty, of troops, and people
wonder why they have not seized and
occupied the isthmus.
GREAT RUSH OF IMMIGRANTS.
Sale of a Hundred, Thousands cheap
Tickets.
Tho movement of 100,000 emigrants
from Europe has commenced. All
of them will loeato in the West aud
Northwest, all will be earned from
Chicago,by the Chicago, Milwaukee,
and St. Paul railroad, over whose
line 5,000 ®r 6,000 arrived in Minneap
olis, Minn., last Saturday. It is ex
pected that the work of transferring
them will require all summer and ex
tend late in the fall, and that large
daily special trains will bo necessari
ly run to accomplish this. A promi
nent Chicago railroad official, gives
this explanation : “Tho reconi rate
war of trunk lines between New York
and Chicago resulted largely from
the Gratd Trunk ami and West
Shore insisting tbe differential rales.
Tills moans that sl.soextra was asked
as their right on each New York and
Chicago passenger, as their lines of
road were that much longer than the
competing roid. When this was de
nied them a wholesale slaughter be
gan, which resulted in the Pennsyl
vania at one fell swoop dropping to
$1 per capital on at! passengers Iroin
New York to Chicago. At the same
time 100,000 tickets at tuts rate were
thrown upon tho European markets,
where they were readily taken up
by the steamship companies.
• The Pennsylvania had expected
by this cut-off-your-own-nese act to
compel Grand Trunk and West Shore
to mako this same rate, which the
Pennsylvania knew meant worse ruin
lo them than tail, because each have
many miles longer pull,and the West
Slioro lias not sufficient ears to do
such a carrying business on sueii
short notice. Indeed, a similar stop
by tho West Slioro would undoubted
ly have glutted it, and brought it to
Hie wall. To tiie great disappointment
and surprise of Iho Pennsylvania
neither of the opponents took the bail
hut re-established former rates.
Thus the Pennsylvouia was left alone
with a European elephant on its
hand*. This unparalleled reduction
enabled the steamship agenls to
make a rate from I iverpool to Chica
go at $8 50. Now let us see what
the Pensylvania is going to mako on
60 cents per capila to got them out
of Castle Garden, and another 20
cents for in New York city before- it
can begin to carry litem. This leaves
just 20 cents to the company for 1,000
miles of travel.
A BIG SUIT.
The Central Railroad Sued tor 9110,000
Damages.
Savannah News; Among the cases
filed in (lie City Court yesterday for
trial during the ensuing term is one
brought by Messrs. Garrard & Mel
drim at tho instance of a number of
plaintiffs in the western part of this
State and in the adjoining States ef
Alabama and Florida, against the
Central Itailroad and Banking Com
pany for the sum of SIIO,OOO. There
are eleven plaintiffs in the suit, tho
repeclive claims of tho parties avera
ging about SIO,OOO. The suits are
predicated upon the destruction of
the steamboat George W. Wylly,
which was running on tho river be
tween Columbus, Gu„ and Appalaclu
cola, Florida, and collided with the
bridge pier at Fort Gaines on the
night of April 11,1883. The bout al
most immediately sank, and two of
her clerks, a fireman and seven deck
hands were drowned. The cargo
was either destroyed or greatly
damaged. A number of passengers
who were on the steamer were res
cued, after undergoing more or less
exposure, and many of them lost
their baggage.
The general unscaworthincss of
the boat is alleged in tho declaration
of the plaintiffs, some of whom sue
for damages on account of the ex
posure to which they were subjected,
while others seek to roeover the value
of portions of the cargo.
A Boston man who has recently re
turned from the South, gavo a terri
ble picture of Southern depravity to
a Courier reporter. lie accused the
women of a certain town lie visited of
being over fond of intoxicating liq
uors, and altogether ho conveyed (lie
impression that lie had mingled with
the very lowest class of Southern wo
men during his tour, or that he man
ufactured his lies out of tho whole
cloth.
NO. 17
SOUTHERN YELLOW PINE.
The excellent qualities, for various
useful purposes, possessed by
yellow pino, found so abundantly in.
Hie Carolinas. and particularly m
Georgia and Florida, appear to bo
constantly growing in favor ii all
parts of this count ry and Europe. The
demand for yellow pine lumber,there
fore, is all the time Increasing, anil
new uses for it are being discovered.
For flooring it is now regarded as in
dispensably The more a floor made
of it is used the better it looks. Its
durability is something marvelous. It
would.have met with appreciation
sooner, perhaps, if it had not been for
the difficulty ot working it, because
of its toughness. This quality of it,
however, is not now an objection to it.
On Hie contrary, it is regarded as ad
ding greatly to its value. The tools
and machinery now in use handle
yellow pine without difficulty. A
writer in the new York Sim says
that “no wooden flooring that is used
bare is superior to narrow strips of
seasoned Georgia yellow pine. A
well laid surface of tho wood improves
with age and friction, its resinous
quality hardens and forms for it a
sort of natural varnish. Art, too,
has recently touched this sturdy old
timber. Thin door panels are sawed
out of planks containing thiclt de
posits of rosin. AVhen these panels
arc placed in doors that the sun can
strike, the effect produced is a rich
red wine color, showing inside of tho
room. There is a processs of artificially
seasoning pine. There is also one of
steaming it, so that tiie rosin will
show uniformly in tho board, but the
naturally veined surfaces are hand
some enough when properly smooth—
oned.”
The amount of yellow pine timber
in the South is apparently almost in
exhaustible. There are mauy mil
lions of acres of it that have not been
touched by the naval stores operator
nor the lumberman. If it is carefully
preserved for lumber it will supply
Hie increasing demand of tho world
fora century or more, but if it con
tinues to be wasted, as it is now being
wasted in many localities by the naval
stores operators, it will not he many
years before the supply will fall far
below the demand. Yellow pine
timber is so plentiful and cheap tbal
there is no attempt to preserve it.—
Savannah News.
DODGED FOR EIGHT YEARS.
On last Thursday the deputy sher
iff of Clarke county arrested a negro
by the namo of Henry Iluggins in lieu
Smith’s district and carried him to
Athens. It seems that eight years
ago Henry had a difficulty with
another negro in Clarke county. He
struck at the negro with a hoe and
killed a ohild which his enemy held
in his arms. 110 immediately fled
the county and scoured around for
two years. A bill of indiciment
charging him with murder was re
turned by tho grand jury,
lint the defendant kept
out of tho way. He has been living
in this county for six years and con
ducted himself so well that he had no
difficulty in finding a homo. It is
probable that ho would not liavo
been discovered iiad not his brother,
who was in thocliaiii-gang, got away
anil in pursuing him Henry was
found.— Lawrcnceville Herald.
STRANGELY DEMENTED.
For some time it has been known
that the mind of Mr. W. A. Kbcrhart
near the Glade, sound. Re
cently lie has grown worse, and on
Saturday last he was tried before
a jury Those verdict was that ha
Was not capable of managing his own
affairs and a fit subject for the
asylum. He not being at all vielent
his relatives will not permit him to
go to the asylum as yet, but a guardi
an will be appointed for him. Hi*
case is a strange one. lie has taken
up an idea that his head is ihhabited
by myriads of earwigs. Ho say*
that when ho was a boy, oiie of these
Insects crawled into his ear where it
has been ever since, generating myr
iads of its offspring. Otherwise ho
seems to bo sound but cannot be
persuaded that it is only imagination
about the bugs. It is hoped and
thought that lie can bo cured.—Ogle
thorpe Kclio.
The Gainesville library now mimi'
bjrs 73 members.