Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/350

 344 Southern Historical Society Papers.

and no wagons accompanied us on the march. But suddenly we hear the words, " Cannoneers, mount ! Forward; unlimber ! Fire by prolong!" And right here let me say that this was the only occasion in which this character of firing was ever practiced by our battery. Well, we jumped up, and soon we saw our enemy, with glistening bayonets, as if on dress parade. We fired and the guns ran along a short distance and then fired again. They soon broke, proving to be nothing but a regiment which had been left there to guard the stores, and which had never seen or been under fire. We continued to go forward, and I verily believed that we would surely reach Washington. We arrived at

CENTREVILLE

late that evening and occupied the old breastworks, having crossed the stone bridge which is connected so intimately with the first bat- tle of Manassas, little dreaming that on the morrow we would return by another road and there wrestle with the whole of Pope's army, which was at that time falling back, pushed by the main army of General Lee, Longstreet having arrived from below Richmond, where he had remained until the plans of the enemy had become known, and was now pushing his way through Thoroughfare Gap. But let us go back to Manassas, for somehow this place is vividly impressed on my mind, as it recalls the

OLD FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT,

and that heroic band, whose deeds will ever live in the memory of those who followed the starry cross, and what Richmond boy is there who does not refer with pride to it. Well do I remember when they left Richmond, many of whom gave their lives for the cause, among them Alfonza Figner and Ned Ferneyhough and many others. Here, too, was where Milton Barnes, in the first great battle of Ma- nassas, yielded up his life. And, naturally, the writer felt an interest in everything connected with that noble band, for though too young and not permitted to leave school, yet he followed them in his imagi- nation and was with them in spirit if not in person. And now we have here another demonstration of that truism, "Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad," for such had been the case with General Pope, for his wrath led him to relieve Fitz John Porter, the officer who made such a gallant fight before Richmond, and who was afterwards court martialed and disgraced for not doing what has