Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/285

 Chew's Battery. 285

having the guns in line gave the old members a chance to march as they would wish and to awaken the old feelings, and to show that they had not forgotten the old manual of loading and firing. Is it not very remarkable that so many of the old batteries were present ? Twenty-nine after a separation of over a quarter of a century should come together from such widely separated source, and yet we had at least ten more in correspondence. The names of the twenty- nine are as follows: Colonel Robert Preston Chew, First Sergeant George Phillips, First Corporal George M. Neese, Privates William R. Lyman, George Callahan, Isaac Haas, Morgan Deck, James

Homrick, Robert Hoshour, Dingledine, Reuben Wonder,

Dr. Clayton Williams, Dr. William P. McGuire, Bent. Holliday, Orderly Sergeant A. J. Souder, Third Sergeant Stephen Miller, Quartermaster-Sergeant John Chew, Mark Rodeffer. John Longer- beam, William Deck, Deaux Bowly, Ambler Brooke, Ramey,

Jesse Frye, Pern. Thompson, Captain John J. Williams, Henry Deahl, Frank Conrad, Charles W. McVicar.

Wednesday morning, October ist. Collected a few of the old bat- tery Mr. Jacob Cline, of Carpenter's battery ; Lieutenant Edward G. Hollis, of Crenshaw's battery of Richmond ; Mr. Beverley, of V. M. I. battery ; Theo. Hodgson of Eleventh Virginia cavalry, marched the section to the Fair grounds, fired eleven rounds, one for each of the old Confederate States. Returned with the guns to the corner of Market and Piccadilly streets; dismissed the men, with orders to assemble at 9:30. At that hour called the men to their places. Our old battle-flag was there with us a present from the ladies of Char- lottesville. It has many bullet holes through it. Colonel Chew was with us, and I introduced Rev. Dr. Henry M. White to the Colonel, requesting he should ride in his old place in line to the left of a colo- nel of artillery. We fired twenty blank cartridges at Stonewall ceme- tary and ten rounds at Fair grounds.

On Tuesday night Captain Lyman and myself gathered some ten of the old battery in his room at the Taylor House of our old com- rades, John Chew, and renewed old associations of by-gones, old songs, tales, &c. Wednesday night. Together in same room ; a large number gathered. The orderly sergeant trying to revise the old roll. As name after name was brought forward the memory of many of those present had to be enlightened by " Mamy " Neese or others by recalling some incident, laughable or humorous, to identify him, and generally "Mamy " Neese was right, bringing forcibly to