STONEIVALL JACKSON IN THE SHENANDOAH.
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take your mounted howitzers to the field, in some safe position in rear ofthe line, keeping everything packed on the mules, ready at any momentto take to the mountain-side. Three miles below Lewis’s there is a defileon the Luray road. Shields may rally and make a stand there. If he does,I can’t reach him with the field-batteries on account of the woods. You cancarry your 12-pounder howitzers on the mules up the mountain-side, and atsome good place unpack and shell the enemyout of the defile, and the cavalry will dothe rest.”
This plan of battle was carried out to theletter. I took position in a ravine about twohundred yards in rear of Poague’s battery inthe center of the line. General Tyler, whohad two brigades of Shields’s division, madea very stubborn fight, and by 9 o’clock mat-ters began to look very serious for us. DickTaylor had not yet come down out of thewoods on Tyler’s left flank.
Meanwhile I was having a remarkabletime with our mules in the ravine. Some ofthe shot aimed at Poague came boundingover our heads, and occasionally a shellwould burst there. The mules became fran-tic. They kicked, plunged, and squealed. Itwas impossible to quiet them, and it took threemule from breaking away. Each
or four men to hold onemule had about three hundred poundsweight on him, so securely fastened that the load could not be dislodgedby any of his capers. Several of them lay down and tried to wallow theirloads off. The men held these down, and that suggested the idea of throw-ing them all on the ground and holding them there. The ravine sheltered usso that we were in no danger from the shot or shell which passed over us.
Just about the time our mule “ circus ” was at its height, news came up theline from the left that Winder’s brigade near the river was giving way.Jackson rode down in that direction to see what it meant. As he passedon the brink of our ravine, his eye caught the scene, and, reining up amoment, he accosted me with, “ Colonel, you seem to have trouble downthere.” I made some reply which drew forth a hearty laugh, and he said,“ Get your mules to the mountain as soon as you can, and be ready to move.”
Then he dashed on. He found his old brigade had yielded slightly to over-whelming pressure. ]) Galloping up, he was received with a cheer; and, calling
]) The first Confederate assault was made by Win-der’s (Stonewall) brigade, and was repulsed by thetroops of Carroll’s brigade. An incident of thecounter-charge is thus described by Colonel HenryB. Kelly, C. S. A. :
“ While victoriously driving back the line of theConfederate left, the advancing Federal infantry were
themselves suddenly assailed in flank, on their left, by acharge of two regiments of Virginia infantry, the 44thand 58tli, led by Colonel Scott.”
The attack on the other flank by troops broughtup from Cross Keys, by General Ewell, determinedthe result. Colonel Kelly says:
“ At the word of command, the line moved forward,