Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/142

 136 Southern Historical Society Papers.

req uently stuck in the mud, so that the horses had to be helped by the men. Sergeant Jordan's services were in frequent demand. When a team seemed to be hopelessly balked, and drivers and men were disposed to kill the brutes, Sergeant Jordan would come to the rescue, and after quietly passing around and seeing that the harness was all right, the horses seemed to be charmed by him. He had only to take them in hand, and in his quiet tones order them to ' ' get up, ' ' and up they got and pulled without a protest.

We reached the neighborhood of Port Republic, near the Lewis house, May ist the weather still showery. On the 3d the skies brightened, and we crossed the Blue Riege over a well-beaten road through Brown's gap, into Albemarle county.

On this march one of the headquarter wagons, in which the company's copies of the pay-rolls, made out up to that time, were carried, broke down, and the contents were left at a farm-house near the road. We did not know that they were lost till some months afterwards, when it was time to get our pay. No one supposed that it was a matter of much moment, but a couple of months after- wards a muster-roll was prepared containing all the names of men and officers, and the dates when they were paid last, and was sent to Richmond. It was soon returned, however, from the pay de- partment, where it seems that there was at least an abundant sup- ply of " red tape," and with it the announcement that no pay could be given unless the roll contained a full history of all the changes, additions, and subtractions, which had been made since the organiza- tion of the company. In this emergency, the sergeant who had assisted, theretofore, in making off these rolls was detailed, by order of General Jackson, and sent to Lexington, Va., to invoke the aid of the wonderful memory of our late Captain McLaughlin. A new and satisfactory roll was thus made out, and it was said that a year afterwards the lost rolls were found, and that the new one thus made out nearly corresponded with the lost history.

On May 4th, the company reached Cocke's Tavern, on the old turnpike leading from Charlottesville to Staunton. On the 5th, it re-crossed the Blue Ridge at Rockfish gap, passed through Waynes- boro, and bivouacked a few miles east of Staunton. On the 6th, it passed through Staunton to neighborhood of West View, and on the 7th and 8th continued its march toward Monterey, the county- seat of Highland county, reaching, on the 8th, the foot of the moun- tain east of the village of McDowell, which was then occupied by Federal troops under General Milroy. The infantry advanced to