Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 35.djvu/28

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They pass the Female College on Sycamore Street at a sweeping gallop. The porch is full of women waving their handkerchiefs; citizens on the roadside are bidding them Godspeed. They reach the heights, but not a moment too soon. Right gallantly do the foam-flecked horses pull up the incline. The Captain rides in front to locate the position of the guns, and ere the whirlwind of dust over the roadway over which they have traveled had well nigh settled to its mother earth, the welcome sound of the first gun is heard as it throws its shell into the head of the enemy's column. Another shell falls in their midst. They waver, confusion reigns in their ranks, and the enemy turned and fled.

The successful charge of Graham's battery was followed up in gallant style by the small body of cavalry under General Bearing, who attacked the retreating enemy, taking a number of prisoners and capturing one piece of artillery and two caissons abandoned by the enemy, which he brought to Captain Graham. The gun proved to be a superior howitzer and was attached to his battery to the end of the war.

I much regret that the truth of history compels me to admit that the gallant Captain did use an imprecation on the occasion referred to, but it served to show, I am afraid that under stress of circumstances the average Confederate could swear quite as hard as the army in Flanders. As I am informed the young lady who was a friend of the Captain's condoned the offence in consideration of his gallant conduct on that day.

And may we not hope that when the oath flew up to the Chancery of Heaven, that as in my Uncle Toby's case, the recording angel dropped a tear upon the record and blotted it out forever.

But to resume my personal narrative, Mr. Timothy Rives was among the captured. He drove up in his buggy after the fight was over, and was immediately taken prisoner. His buggy was used to carry off the body of a Federal, who I think was an