The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870, April 16, 1870, Image 1

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The banner of the South., April 16, 1870, Image 1

About The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1870)

Page of 8

Prev Issue Next Issue

Text PDF JP2 (7.9 MB) Clip/Print Image

Page of 8

Prev Issue Next Issue

Return to Top

Newspaper Page TextVOL. 111. Stabat Mater. The following is a recent translation of one of the grandest hymns of the Ca tholic Ritual. I. Broken hearted, lo! and tearful, Bowed beside that Cross so fearful, Stands the Mother by the Son ! Through her bosom sympathizing In his mortal agonizing, Peep and keen the steel has gone. 11. How afflicted, how distressed, Stands she now, that Virgin blessed, By that tree of woe and scorn ! Mark her tremble, droop and languish, GaziDg on that awful anguish Os her child, the Only-Born ! 111. Who may see, nor share her weeping, Christ the Saviour’s Mother keeping Grief’s wild watch, so sad and lone? Who behold her bosom sharing Every pang His soul is bearing, Nor receive them in his own ? IV. Ransom for a world’s offending, Lo, her Sou and God is bending That dear head to wounds and blows; 'Mid the body’s laceration, As his life blood darkly flows. V. Fount of love, in this dread hour, Teach me all thy sorrow’s power, Bid me share its grievous load; O’er thy heart thy spirit pouring, Bid it burn in meet adoring Os its martyred Christ and God ' VI. Be my prayer, 0 Mother, granted, And within my heart implanted Every gash whose crimson tide From that spotless victim streaming, Deigns to flow for my redeeming, Mother of the Crucified ! VII. Every sigh of thy affliction— Every pang of crucifixion— Teach me all their agony ! At His cross forever bending, In thy grief forever bleuding, Mother, let me live and die. VIII. Virgin, of all virgins highest, Humble prayer who ne’er deniest, Teach me how to share thy woe ! All Christ’s Passion’s-depth revealing, Quicken every quivering feeling, All its bitterness to know ! IX. Bid me drink that heavenly madness, Mingled bliss of grief and gladness, Os the Cross of the dear Son ! With His love my soul inflaming, Plead for it, oh, Virgin, claiming Mercy at His judgment throne ! X. Shelter at that Cross, oh yield me, By the death of Christ, oh shield me, Comfort with thy grace and aid ! And, oh, Mother, bid my spirit •Joys of Paradise inherit, When its clay to rest is laid ! Recollections of Fredericksburg, FROM THE MORNING OF THE 20TH OF APRIL TO THE 6TH OF MAY, 1868 BY BEXJ. G. EVMPHREYS, OF MISSISSIPPI. Jackson, Miss., April 2, 1867. Colonel Power: As Superintendent of the Army Records of Mississippi, you will excuse me for addressing ycu. I have just read Dabney’s Life ol Stonewall Jackson, and the “Lost Cause, ’ by Pollard. In these contributions to history, I ad mired and excused the devotion, and par tiality of Dabney for his illustrious Chief —and I was entertained by the brilliant fancy of Pollard. They are both chaste and polished writers, and when they have prosecuted their historical researches, and learned, what others believe to be true, that the troops of other States fought well, if not as well as the Virginians, their books will doubtless receive a hearty welcome to the parlors and libra ries of the South—and be cherished as valuable vindications of her noble sons, in their glorious struggle for freedom. After the surrender, finding that all the Confederate Records had passed into Federal hands, and feeling it to be the duty of every participant in our struggle for independence, to place on record his recollections of what he witnessed, I com mitted to writing, in the summer of 1865, my recollections of the men and events that came under my own observa tions. These recollections I did not de sign for publication, but unwilling that history shall be poisoned by errors that affect the high character of the soldiers of Mississippi and Louisiana, I place my “Recollections of Fredericksbuig, from 20th of April to the 6th of May, 1863,” at your disposal. If the narrative is true —and I believe every participant that remains of Barksdale’s Brigade, and the Washington Artillery, will verify its substantial accuracy—l am constrained to believe these distinguished authors will correct errors that must grate harshly upon the jealous pride we all feel in the honor and glory of the troops of the Con federacy. On page 703, Dabney says : “The sequel of the campaign of Cban celiorsville may now be related in a few words—while the great struggle was raging there, General Sedgwick retired to the north bank of the Rappahannock, and laying down his bridges again op posite to Fredericksburg, on Sunday morning crossed into the town, and with one corps captured Marye’s Hill, by a surprise.” Again—“ General Lee was now at liberty to send a part of his force to meet Sedgwick, so that on Monday he found himself confronted and arrested in his march by his troops —while General Early recaptured Mayre’s Hill, and cut off his retreat towards Fredericksburg.” On page 375 6, Pollard, by implication, sustains Dabney, but falls into another er ror by saying : “The Hill was flanked, and its brave defenders, who had held it against three assaults, were cut off from their supports and compelled to surren der.” it is well known that the troops to whom was assigned the duty of guard ing the Rappahannock and holding Marye’s Hill, were Barksdale’s Brigade, of Mississippi, and a portion of four com panies of the Washington Artillery, of Louisiana, and a portion of Parker’s Bat tery of Virginians —about 1,500 muskets, and eight cannon, all told—with orders to hold Marye’s Hill at all hazards. In what sense can it be said that the Hill was taken by “surprise”—or “flanked” —or the troops “cutoff and surrendered ?” To be taken by surprise implies a want of watchfulness and vigilance, and a fail- ure to make proper use of the means at command to acquire information of the movements of the enemy, and to make proper and adequate dispositions to meet or evade his advances. What vigilance was wanting ? What means neglected to ascertain the enemy’s movements ? What dispositions of means at command, that were not resorted to, to meet or evade the enemy's power—except to dis obey orders and disgracefully run ? None whatever. The enemy had been watched by Barksdale’s Brigade from 17ih of December, 1862, and took no step forward or backward from the time he crossed the Rappahannock on the night of the 28th of April, 1868, until he passed over Marye’s Hiil on the 3d of May, that was not observed by Barksdale’s pickets. He gained not one inch of AUGUSTA, GAI., APRIL 16, 1870. ground, that obstinate resistance and heroic daring could prevent. There was no surprise in .any military sense, or to the mind of any military man, except the Federals at our weakness in numbers. No flanking—no cutting off from sup ports —no surrendering, except by indi vidual soldiers at the point of the bayo net, when captured bravely fighting in the trenches. It was the slo,", but steady, direct, onward and persists f movement, and the hard fighting of and vete ran troops, that charged and overwhelmed our lines, and by storm car ed and cap tured Marye’s Hill. We Tatinot deny that we were fairly and full; vanquished and whipped, and whatever may have been the opinion of the Southern people before the war, none should now be sur prised that eighteen or twenty thousand Yankees overwhelmed and whipped fif teen hundred Mississippians and Louis ianians and Virginians—even at Mayre’s Hill. The whole story of the 3rd of May, 1863, at Mayre’s Hill was fully told, though not amiably or piously expressed, by a noble son of Louisiana, who gallant ly stood by his gun on the Hill, until the last hope of holding it I ad vanished. Passing to the rear by sor 2 artillerists belonging to Pendleton’s f* in, with his face covered with sweat, and blackened with powder, and his heart saddened by defeat, he was asked—“ Where are your guns?” He replied, with irritation: “Guns, be d—d ! I reckon now the peo ple of the Southern Confederacy are satis fied that Barksdale’s Brigade and the Washington Artillery can’t whip the whole d—d Yankee army.” The magnitude of the Confederate struggle for independence is made mani fest by the necessity that requires South ern authors, in their relation of the mighty contest, to limit their notice of this affair—that cost the Confederates as many men as Taylor lost at Buena Vista, and more than Jackson lost at New Or leans, or Washington at Yorktown—and can afford time and space only to “relate in a few words” that Mayre’s Hill was captured by a surprise”—that “the Hill was flanked, and the troops cut off from their supports and compelled to surren der.” To dignify the taking possession of Mayrc’s Hill by saying' that “General Early recaptured May re’s Hill on the 4th of May, when there was no enemy on it, and no gun fired, must be intended only as a “sarcastic surmise,” as it is well remembered, that if “recaptured” at all, it was by the ladies of Fredericksburg, (God bless them,) who were found there quietly searching for wouuded Mississip pians, by the “Yankee Hunter,” E. L. J. Roberts, of Company K, Twenty-first Regiment, who had piloted Captain Har ris Barksdale, of Gen. Barksdale’s Staff, and Lieutenant Ramsear, of Company B. Seventeenth Regiment, with a half dozen of Barksdale’s pickets, in advance of General Gordon’s Brigade of Early’s division. Benj. G. Humphreys. RECOLLECTIONS OF FREDERICKSBURG, FROM the morning of the 20th of April, to the 6th of may, 1863. * * * * During the Winter of 1862-3, Gen. Burnside had been super ceded by “Fighting Joe Hooker,” who was making gigantic preparations just across the Rappahannock for the fourth “On to Richmond,” and boasted that he had the “finest army on the planet,” and would soon “pulverize the rebellion.” Gen. Lee was not idle. Though cramped by his limited means and resources, both in men and appliances of war, he stood firm and unawed by the mighty hosts that confronted him. During the night of the 20th of April, 'the Federals attacked some North Caro lina pickets, drove off their reserves, laid down pontoon bridges, and crossed the river below Deep Run, near the Bernard House. The alarm was soon conveyed ! to Barksdale’s pickets at Fernahough’s House. The “long roll” and the alarm bell at Fredericksburg soon brought Barksdale’s Brigade into line. During that day Gen. Lee ascertained, through General J. E. B. Stuart, that General Hooker was moving his main army to cross the Rappahannock and Rapidan, and fall on his left flank and rear through the Wilderness. General Lee immedi ately' moved his main force and confront ed him at Chancellorsville, on the Ist of May. General Early’s division was left at Hamilton’s Station to watch the Fede ral General Sedgewick, who was left in command of thirty thousand troops in front of Fredericksburg Barksdale’s Brig ade was left at Fredericksburg to picket the Rappahannock from the reservoir above Falmouth to Fernahough House below Fredericksburg, a distance of three miles. Sedgwick lay quietly in our front, and contented himself with fortifying his position below Deep Run until the 2d day of May, when he commenced recross ing his troops at Deep Run, and moving over the Stafford Heights, in full view, up the river, doubtless with the view of deceiving us into the belief that he was withdrawing from our front, and going to support Hooker at Chancellorsville, by the way of U. S. Ford. The heavy artillery and musketry firing in that di rection, told but too plainly that a terri ble battle was raging there. About the middle of the forenoon, Barksdale, in obedience to orders from General Early, moved off with his Brigade on the Spot sylvania Court House road to reinforce General Lee at Chancellorsville, leaving the Twenty-first Regiment to picket the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, the en tire distance of three miles. The pickets of the Thirteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Regiments were relieved by the Twenty-first, and the Brigade moved off in full view of the enemy. The only instructions I received from Gen. Barks dale, was “watch your flanks, hold the picket line as long as you can, then fall back along the Spottsylvania Court House road and hunt for your Brigade.” I cannot well describe my feelings when I found my Regiment thus left alone, stretched out three miles long, with only a small river between us and thirty thou sand well armed and hostile men, pur posely displayed, to magnify their num bers, on Stafford’s Heights with balloons and signal corps, observing and reporting our weakness. The mass of the citizens of Fredericksburg were patriotically de voted to our cause, yet I knew that some of the citizens were unfriendly to us, ready and willing to betray us. My nerves were not much strengthened by a message, I received from the facetious Colonel Holder, of the Seventeenth Regi ment, as the Brigade marched off: “Tell the Colonel farewell; the next time I hear from him will be from Johnson's Island.” Os course every man in the Twenty-first Regiment felt his loneliness and danger, and was on the gut vive, watching front, flank and rear, with his gun loaded, his knapsack on his back, and rations in his haversack. Immediately after the Brigade disap peared behind Mayre’s Hill, my pickets at Feruahough House reported the ene my preparing to advance from Deep Rud. From a cupola of the Slaughter House I could see the enemy’s lines pouring over the pontoon bridges below Deep Ri u, and moving toward our side of the river I was now satisfied that the enemy's movement up the opposite side of the river in the morning was a feint; that an advance would be made on Fredericks burg, and that our sojourn in that city would soon be terminated. The enemy s pickets soon advanced from Deep Run, drove General Early’s pickets back to the railroad, and moved up the turnpike towards Fredericksburg I immediately threw back the right of my picket line, composed of Company E, under Lieuten- ant McNeely, of Wilkinson county, and Company G, under Lieutenant Mills, of Leak county, and established it from the gas house up Hazel Run to the railroad, with viuettes along the railroad towards Hamilton Station, connecting with Gen. Early’s pickets. The enemy’s pickets continued to advance and engaged my pickets, but not being supported by a lino of infantry, failed to drive them from their position. It was now dark. Help less and alone, the Twenty-first Regiment, with 400 muskets, was facing and resist ing 30,000 veterans. Os course we could not hold the city if the enemy advanced. We were ordered to “hold the city until forced out of it.” If the enemy content ed himself with amusing us in t'*ont, there was nothing to prevent him from flanking the city during the night and placing it in his rear, aud the Twenty first Regiment iu the condition of “rats in a rat trap,”—nothing but the necessi ty that required him to lay down his pontoons that night in front of the city. This we could prevent unless driven from our rifle pits; hence I was momentarily expecting a charge that would drive us from the city, or relieve me of my sword, and start me on my journey to Johnson’s Island. I instructed the pickets, if forced, to fall back to the railroad, and hold that line until the pickets on the river between the railroad and the canal could retire througu the city, and all to retire towards Mayre’s Hill, holding the enemy in check as best they could. Shortly after dark a courier summoned me to report to General Harry Hays at Mayre’s Hill fi r instructions. He informed me that Hays’ Brigade was in the trenches on Mayre’s Hill, and that Barksdale’s Brig ade, and the Washington Artillery were returning to Fredericksburg. This news rolled off a mighty load from our watchful and wearied souls, and filled our hearts with joy and gladness. Instantly each man felt as big and as brave as “little David” confronting “big Goliah ” Not a few compliments were paid to our re turning friends, and General Lee, by our boys, as the glad tidings passed down the picket lines. “Bully for Barksdale l” “bully for Hays!” “bully for the Wash- ington Artillery !” “bully for old Bob !” was shouted from a hundred throats. — “Old Bob’s head is level,” cried one, “old Bob will show Hooker that he still holds his trump card !” “Yes, old Bob has given the Yankees hell at Ohancellors ville, and is coming to give them hell again at Fredericksburg,” cried still an other. I lost no time in reporting to General Hays, and found General Barksdale with him at Mayre’s Hill. I informed him of the situation at Hazel Run, and my in structions to the pickets, which were ap proached, and I was instructed to carry them out. Generals Hays and Barks dale seemed to doubt whether Gen. Early intended to hold Mayre’s Hill; and left to have an interview with him at Hamil ton Station, and to receive his orders. I returned to the city to superintend the picket line at Hazel Run, where there j was a desultory firing kept up from both sides. Sedgwick seemed to hesitate and i advanced with great caution and circum | speetioc. Whether it was from observ- I ing the innumerable bivouac fires Barks i dale had kindled on Lee’s Hill to signal ize his arrival and magnify his numbers whether it was the confused and start ! finer stories borne to him from Chancel i lorsville by Hooker's wires concerning | the fiery charges of Stonewall Jackson — I Slocum’s routed column, aud Howard’s j flying Dutchman—or whether it was the I stench of Lee’s “slaughter pens” at, | Mayre’s Hill that annoyed his nostrils and weakened his si mach, the Rebels could only “reckon” —leaving the \ an kees to gue*..” About midnight I went to Barksdale s bivouac on Lee's Hill to learn the result Oi his consultation with Gen. Early. I found ; him wrapped in his war blanket laying No. 5.