VOL. 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.
