Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/149

 Sketch of Rocltbridg* .1 /////-/-/.

urere separated widely. One of the H<>\\it/<-rs was at the It-It, and tin- silence was, about the middle of the afternoon, broken by the discharge of this gun, which, as well as those who were at a distance could make out. \vas discharged by <>rdrr of General Stuart in pt-rson. for tin- ainust-int-nt of some ladies who were near the gun with him. The gun was pointed in the dirrrtion of the woods, but there was no response to it, and none seemed to have been expected. With this exception, the whole afternoon was spent in a listless un- certainty which was not pleasant. The infantry were not in sight, and however great our admiration for General Stuart and his cav- alry was, artillerymen felt much more comfortable when infantry were known to be in supporting distance. About dusk, the guns were hastily brought near to each other, and took position for fight- ing somebody who was expected to come out of that body of wood- land. Presently we were greeted with solid shot or shell, which came dangerously near us. We lost no time in responding, and a vigorous exchange of shots was kept up till it was so dark that we could see nothing. We made the last shots, however, and after a delay of a few minutes we were ordered to limber up and fell back toward Williamsport very leisurely. There we found our infantry was near us, and we all crossed back into old Virginia, wondering what it all meant, anyhow. It was certainly intended to engage the attention of the enemy, if not to hurt him. Our little army did not march back by the pike from Williamsport to Martinsburg, but took the back road in the western part of the horse-shoe which the Poto- mac forms here. It encamped about 10 or n o'clock P. M., and next day returned to Martinsburg. Soon afterwards it rejoined the rest of the battery near Winchester.

After the surrender of General Miles, at Harper's Ferry, all the captured property was brought to Winchester. So many guns of every sort, and so many equipments were here brought and stored, that Colonel Briscoe G. Baldwin was sent from Richmond to take charge of the ordnance, with a view to distributing it where it was needed in the army, and of sending the surplus to Staunton for safety. About this time several changes were noted on the pay-rolls: Sergeant Fishburne was detailed October 31, 1862, for duty in the Ordnance Department, and his place filled by Sergeant -.

He remained on the roll as a private till March, 1864. Subsequent rolls show that he was detailed for duty in Quartermaster's Depart- ment December 24, 1862; appointed clerk of the Military court of Jackson's corps April 15, 1863, and commissioned first lieutenant of