Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/103

 New Light on the Great Drewry' s Bluff Fight. 95

President Jefferson Davis, with General Robert E. Lee, having galloped down from Richmond, came to Gun No. 2, soon after the firing ceased. The General showed us how to replace the sand-bags, and both seemed well pleased with the results of the engagement.

Thus the writer of this who had never been absent from duty since the company had been mustered in, must have made it clear to the reader that Captain Drewry, with his company, of most all Chesterfield men he and most of them plain farm- ers had by his indomitable pluck, skill and daring, almost un- aided, as has been shown won a remarkable victory that day.

As has been said, the guns not disabled had also been made in the county. And so:

' The Monitor was astonished, And the Galena admonished, And their efforts to ascend the stream Were mocked at.

"While the dreadful Naugatuck, With the hardest kind of luck, Was very nearly knocked

Into a cocked-hat."

And the behavior of the officers and men of the company on that occasion, under the circumstances, was extraordinary.

Captain Drewry and Lieutenant Wilson, at my gun, were alert and aggressive, and seemed to be devoid of fear, and the men, judging from those that worked Gun No. 2 (and were not relieved during the four trying hours), could not have been ex- celled by veterans or regulars for coolness, cheerfulness, skill and courage of a high order.

It was true that some of the sick ran home, and many of the unemployed were dreadfully demoralized. But that kind of timidity. is usual among men in all commands, while receiving their baptism of fire and unable to defend themselves.

The disabling of Gun No. I (ten-inch), in charge of Cap- tain Jordan's company, has been alluded to, but I will state fur- ther that it was badly disabled at the time of the first fire, by a too severe recoil, and for some time we thought that it had been handled awkwardly, and the mishap had been caused by its