Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

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must take this nrder tu the left. There is no one else. I assume all respon- sibility. Certainly, sir. replied Venable, saluting, and most delighted, and away he sped through the weml reverberating with the fierce, wild eries uf the victorious Uinfederates, driving the enemy frum their last stubborn stand. All through that QlU1'iU1lS day tthe tactical masterpiece of the nineteenth century, as was Leuthen of the eighteentht, Yenable carried Stuart's orders, illld when night fell. as they lay by the camp tire. teld a kindred spirit how he ehafed at being in a lJ011llJ-l'l1'OOf.H I shall ask that fer yeur serviees te-day, said Stuart, you be assigned my staff. Fur Stuart to ask tafter his own brilliant workl was tn have, and so Venable, within a few days. was assigned te the Headquarter Staff ef the Cavalry, with the rank uf Alajnr, and annuuneed i11 General Orders as Assistant Adjutant and IIISIIUCT4ll'-fl4'11l 1'2ll of the clO1'1'bS.v After Stuart's death, Venable was fur a brief time assigned staff duty with the Majtn'-Gem-1'al W. ll. F. Lee, but in August was reassigned to the Head- quarters uf the Cavalry Uirps with his wld duties as Inspector-General on the staff of General AVade Hampton. Time wuuld fail to deal in detail with the active part. he bore in the constant cavalry engagements ttf these stirring August and September days. lflut one signal service may. at least, be touched upon. Un September 14th 11843-lt. Hampton having ascertained through his scouts the exact location of the great eurral fer the supply eattle nf the Ariny ef the Potumac. determined Tn make a bold raid in Grant's rear, and, if possible, to lift tin Hieland phrase! the fat beeves there eongregated, of which the Federals always had plenty, while at this time the chief food uf the hungry Confederates was but half a ration of hard tack and rancid pork. For many months i11deed l,ee's veterans, like the English just befure Agin- euurt, had been shrewdly nut of beef. but Hampton knew that Qas the Constable of France allowed nf his zulversaries on the eve of that historic day J, give them great meals of beef, and iron and steel. they will eat like wolves Hllfl tight like devils. Tu penetrate Su far to the L'llCll15 S rear seemed to many of the boldest a rash undertaking, but the aetual cutting out nf this immense herd tby uflicial enunt, twu thuusand four hundred and eighty-sixt was brilliantly accomplished under the very nnses nf the astounded Federals, and then eame the must critical part of the expeditiun. Tn round up and bring wtf such a number of cattle 40

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of Ilowitz1-rs snw, Il0l'll2ll1S, niort- tlL'lllill lighting' than ilIl.X' llllll'l' :11'Iill4-iw' 4-o111p1111.v i11 the ,kl'lI1lV ot' the l,t'l1lllSlll2l,u znnl V1-1111l1l1-, lmrn timolu,-1' lhuiigli lu- wus, Wzls lllXVElf'H lmroiul :intl glzul. tlnring thi- 'vt-:mrs kll-Tl'1' the war, In nu-1-t in reu11io11 l1is old z11'till4-111' 1-oinrault-s, with whoni, us siinple l'2lllll4llll'l'l', lu- hull 1'n-ceivm-tl l1is tirst Ullillbfiilll of tire. ,Ile took part with his lJilTil'l'f' in alll Ihr- an-tions untl ininor 2l'l'filll'S ot' that ill'lll'V i11 '61, and uf the .k1'1l1'V of Xortlu-r11 Virginia u11til tht- SlllllIlll'l' ul: INHLZ, when lu- was inzule nfiillliillll illlll flHlllll1lSSill'.Vu ot' the First Iitxglllllill of Virginian Artillery, ClPlIllll2il14ll'1l lay the gnllznit :intl 2ll'l'Hlll1DllSl1l'4l Vol. .lohn 'l'ho111pso11 Brown ll:lll'llll'l' clillllillll of tht- Sec-oiul Butte-1'y of llowitz4-rs J. who :lt the VU1'j' llvgilllllllg of tht- l'u11111:1ig11 of 'Ulu fell ill zu-tion nt 'l.'l1L' Wihle1'11f-ss, 111o111'11ec,l hy 2l11 2ll'11lf'. This position Ycllilllll' helml until the spring of 'Lili i'o111111issu1'ies :intl C,211a11'tm-1'111z1ste1's, with few exon-ptioiis, IIUVUI' went into llCfi01l. Iuileecl, for thi-in to ilu so, wus lfUlll'1'ill'lV to explicit :intl veijv 111-olmei' 0l'd61'S.w So, too, of Surgeons. But Ve-nzilale Could no lll411'C lil-up out of il tight than St11a1't's Chief Sll1'g'CUl1,N Tuh-ott Elialsoll, of whoin Stuart says i11 his rollicking fashion tin his otliciul report of tht- Gettyslnirg klilllllbkllglll : HSIIFQUHIL Eliason, though without at s11pe1'ior i11 his lbl'0fQSSlU11, woulil. 'l'1'Ul1l his CH11l,lllCl on the Held, excel as 21 f'0lu11L'l uf CtlVlll1'5'.u The NLi1l1llllllSS3l'y of the l ir,st Virginia .X1'tille1'y haul Rl way of siultlx-lily turning up in the very thick of things to ask l1iS 121111111-l sonu- llllUl'l'V imllt- zuul irrelevant question about rations for the 111011, anul tha- Cololu-l tried to look severe and the battery co111n1111ule1's winkt-tl an Q-zu-11 otlu,-1' znul nt Ye-1111l1lm-. when the latter saitl. Anal now, sir, if 1 1-ouhl L'2ll'l'f' any oi-tli-rs for you, as I set- your Adjutant has gone. Thus is was that Stuart, who, on vlill'liSUll.S full on the t X't'llll1:Q nf Milf' 241, alt Chzilicellmsville, 111141 lu-1-n put ill Wllllllllllltl uf.lilClisol1's ki4ll'lJS, nu-t Xvvllilljlt' i11 T118 very thickest of the lnitth- of tha- Ihl mluy. Ya-11:1l1le haul 001119 up to ask l1is Colonel whether he alitl11't flllllli ai lil'll1l ration wonltl lu- gnml for thc- ll1Oll.u Ht- 111-Vt,-1' piwqnosc-tl that 111o1ne11tous qui-stion to his lic-gilllc'-iltal l,'o111111a11cle1'. Stuart, who l1z111tllc-fl JfiC'liSU11'S Vorps on that Ililf' with snperlm skill, 0111114- su4lcle11l'v in thc- wotuls upon thc- c-o11s1-if-11tio11s C'o111111iss111'.v. 'l'ha-y haul 111-V1-1' sec-11 c-zu-li other since the oltl Ht. Louis tluys, hut the l'l'04IgIlllil1ll1 was lllSf2l11t. Sfllill'l', who hzuil sc-nt off 1-rc-1 v stzitl' otliet-r with urge-ut, llllll ZlllllHSl il1SlliI'0tl orclc-1's, gnispi-tl his hzinfl. anul suitl. Vt-milwlt-, I'v1- sent oil my lust 1nz111. You 39

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klf'lllQlll1l0ll the l'l'2lflll'Sl Slll'l'XV4llll'SS, 1-111'1lest 1'11111':1g1- illltl wziriest lIlil11ilgl'llll'1ll. T111- 1-11e111-V. a1ft1-1' their tirst 111'1-1'wl1el111i11g' lllllilZl'1llt'll1, 1'1-e111'e1'e1l their witsg t1-leg1'a111l1 wires w1-r1- lu-11t l111t fr11111 Vitix' l'11i11t 111 ll11':111t's fr1111t, a111l very s11e1-1lil1v llillllllfltll wus s11 11:11-tl lll'lfSS0l,l l1'1' l111tl1 i'2lV1ll1'.Y illlkl llllillllllv' that il less re-s11l11te lighter w11ul1l have :1l111111l1111e1l his l11111ty Zlllfl tl11111gl1t 1,111ly of C'SC'2i1J6'. But ll1111111t1111 li11ew IA'l'.S g'rez1t 11111-1l 111' 111-1111111' f11111l fur the 1111-11. 2l1'l1,l at all times was 1111 11l'liee1' 11f 111-1111111t 1'es11111'ee iilltl 1111'1st st11l1l1111'11 C'0ll1'21gU. Ile 11l11ee1l V1-1111l1le Zlllll lllvzll lll l'llill'g1'0 111' the 1-se111't that Wits t11 1lrive tl1e 1'11ttl1- Ellltl Tlll'l1l'4l z1l11111t l1i111s1-lf t1'1 h11l1l the SXVill'lIllllQ' t'1lP1ll'V 111 1-111-ek, 1111til the eattle might l11- l1er1le1l 111-1'11ss the X11tt11w11y to s11111e 1111i11t of 4ilf1'l'V. l'w11s il gl'1'l'2lf feat, 2lC'L'Ulll1lllSlll'll witl1 1-1111s1111111111t1- skill illlll j111lg1111-11t. :1111l who 11f 11s 111111 ever forget the great sl11111t that we11t 1111 fl'Hlll the gamut V1-t111'z111s 111 the Tl'tA'11l'lll'S, t11 wh11111 it lllf'llllT l'L'flll'1llllQ' l11'-:1ltl1 illlll vigor lllltl l'l'lll'YYI'tl st1-1-11u'tl1 t11 tight 1111 fthl' the f'2llISl' that grew ever 1'l11s1-1' to their l11-arts! illl tlCTHl1lll' 2Tth, lll the great 111,-ti1111 at llilTL'l11'l'.S lillll. lll Wllitfll G1'1111t 1'eeei1'e1l 111111the1' l1-ss1111 that we still e1'111l1l sting, illlfl sting sl1a1'11l5', Xvt'!12ll1ll', while earryiug :111 i111111'1rta11t IIIPSSZIQL' fi-11111 gullamt .li111111'1 ' lteeriiig, 1111e 11f Lee! 1'B4'tf'-Bl'lg'2l1llC'l'Su, to ll1111111t1111, 111 llliililllg' his 11'11.V Tlll'Hll1E1'll the l11'2lVilj' w1wo1l1-1l e111111t1'5'. 1'111'le l'4'ZlfllflllQ' i11t11 the l'llClllf'.S 11i1'l1els illlll was 111'1111111tly C'i?l11fll1'E'kl. He was at 11111'e C'lll'1'lU4l ll1'l:lll'f' the 11fli1'e1' 1-1111111111111li11g that 11111't uf the pielcet li11e, who, V1'l'f' 1111111-1111e1'l.v, Tlll'l'1llC11l11l l1i111 with 1li1'1-t'11l l1111lily llil1'll1 when XvUllilllll' 'tlutllv l'l l:llS1'1l t11 1111sw1-1' il single 111111 llf his 11111-sti1111s. lle xvlflllll 111'1t e1'e11 t1-ll l1i111 t11 XYllllSl1 1'1111111111111l l11- l11-l1111g1-1l. Yllllk' 11Hi1-1-1' l1eez1111e 111111'e irate, illlll 111111'e insistent that lie Sllfnllll tell l1i111 ut llllK l' the 1111siti1'111 11111'l llll1l1llCl' of t1'111111s eiigagetl z1111l other like i11f11r111:1ti1111. x'l'llllllll', who IIUVUI' set his life at 21 llll1'S fee 111 2111-V lllillfl'l' i111'11l1'i11g' s11l1lie1'l3' l11111111', z1111l who 1f1111l1l he, 1111 1'1ccz1si1111, as se111'11f11l as l1e was featrless, lj1l11ze1l lllll 11111111 the F1-1le1'11l e1111111111111le1' with sueh scathing w1,11'1,ls 11s the hitter 111'11l111l1l'v IIUVPI' f1i1rg1,1t. Ill his oflieial report of the part horiie hy his 1-1'111111111111l 111 this l111ttle, Brigauliet'-G1e11e1'11l 'l'l11i1s. V. Ezigzui. lv. S. V. 14111 wl111se li111- he was l'2lllTlll'0ll l. has hut little t1,1 say of the ll1C'lKlf'IlT, hut that little s11e:1l1s 1'11l11111es t11 tl111s1- who knew Veiiahle, 111111 who eau n1'E'2lll l1etwee11 the lllll'SuI Here lll.V sk11'111ishe1's C1111t111'eCl Majur Yeuable, f1,11'111e1'ly I11s11eet111--I11-11er11l uf St11u1't's fl2lYilll'.V, Zlllll 1111w Ahliljllfilllf' G1-11111':1l lit is thutlght Isieilt of llz111111t1111's llivisiwlt. II1- 111111111 yyfrr' no 1'11fm'111r1li1111 fn 'llhzlt 11l'liee1' little lillf'XV the a11l11111z111t he was 1111 against! The 1'111111111ti1' stury of XYCll2llll0.S z11l1'1-11t111'1-s 11ft1-1' his 1':111t111'e illlll e1111li11e- 111e11t ill the Old C1111it11l l'1'is1111, 111 NY11sl1i11gt1111, his 1,lz1r1--1le1'il csc-:111e hy 41