Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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are even now rising- to Heaven for tlieir darlings ' safety. Oh, that some pitying hand would stretch out to stav them ; but, on, on, on, tliey march, right into the jaws of the black monsters. Now they enter the smoke ; they disappear. The thunder of six great gims is silenced. A juvenile shout is heard, and the sur ' ivors of that little band of heroes ha -e captured the battery. Scarcelv have we realized that they are victors, until we find that they manned the captured guns and turned them down our lines. The supporting line of rebel infantry dash across the plain, with the blood of four of these yoinig heroes. Forward moves the entire line of the enemy. The rebel yell is given as they dash towards our demoralized troops. Our right is crowded back ; the centre wavers. We run our guns forward, and by cross-firing again check the rebel advance on the centre. Back, back, swings our right ; confusion takes the place of order, and -e see our infantrx ' hurrying to recross the Shenandoah. Batteries limber up and gallop back to take a new position across the ri er. The ca -alry and our battery are ordered to cover the retreat. We move over to the pike. Dead and wounded thickl) ' strew our pathwa ' . Carefulh ' we move them to one side or pick onr wav among them. Fire in retreat ! Fix prolonge ! is the order. The trail of the gun is attached to the limber by a rope, and, as we retreat slowh ' in the direction of the bridge, we drag our guns with the muzzles pointing towards the enemy, loading as we march, halting a second to aim and fire, and so retreat, stubbornly contesting e •ery inch of our journey back. The enemy seem to have a wholesome respect for us. They have learned from bitter experience that we are an ugh ' foe to face, and they hesitate to make a dash toward our black muzzles. ;!£

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The Charge at New Market. The Cadets ' Bravery Described by a Union Soldier. Mr. Howard Morton, Federal soldier, gives the following description of the battle of Xew ilarket, in which the i ' . M. I. cadets took part. He describes their gallant behavior under hea ' ) ' fire. The article -as written for the Pittsburg Dispauh, and is as follows : Opposite is the enemy ' s line of gray, belching forth fire and smoke. Those immediately in front of us are compf utively inactive. The} ' have not yet mended their broken fences. We look to the further end of the rebel line. Out from an rchard steps a small body of gray-clad troops. Something about them attracts our attention — their marching and alignment are ; ' erfect, their step is unlike that of the veterans who marched against our front. Their mo -ements are those of a crack battalion •■ dress parade. The)- look like bo)-s ; the strong glasses show that the)- are boys. It is the battalion of pupils from the Virginia liilitary Institute, 225 in number. These little fellows, whose ages range from 14 to 16 years, drawn from the best families of ihe Old Dominion, have closed their books for the summer vacation, but instead of returning to their homes and making glad the hearts of fond parents and brothers and sisters, were told to take their cadet muskets and join the army in the Valley. They have just arri ' ed and are eagerh- marching to their baptism of blood. War is cruel at best, btit who can excuse the cnielty that risks such bright 3 ' oung lives even in a righteous cause? Opposite them, holding the right of our line, is a battery of six twelve-p ' juuders. The commander has observed the cadet battalion and opened fire on it. The shells burst among the boys, but they don ' t seem to be disturbed in the least. Forward towards the black monsters the line moves as though parading on the smooth lawn of the Military Institute, whence the}- came. Palings are being knocked from their fence, but the)- close up and present an unbroken line. We ask ourselves, can the)- be so rash as to charge the batter)- ? It is commencing to look that way. On, on, the)- march, their line as straight as a rule, more palings are knocked from the li -ing fence, and repairs are made as before, but the fence is shorter. The)- are almost in cannister range. Surely they will face about and retrace their steps ; but no, the little heads bend lower as they face the iron storm. The little muskets are grasped tighter, as on, on the)- rush. God ha e mercy on them. The deadh- cannister sweeps through their ranks. Shorter and shorter grows the line. Hea -en pit)- their poor mothers, whose prayers

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Modern Rathood. Nine o ' clock on a warm e ' eniug in the latter part of August, ' 95, a solitary figure could be seen sauntering along beneath the maples, which line the walk from the limit gate to the Cadet Barracks of the ' . M. I. He looked curiously at the line of old cannon, bisected b ' the Washington statue, which to the stranger appear so picturesque beneath the dai ' k green maple leaves of a summer evening ; and he gazed at the barracks, which stood white and ghostly in the moonlight. He passed through the arch. All was deserted. It was entirely too early in the year for man - new cadets to arri -e — to say nothing of the old men. He was met by Mr. Wintfield, who told him that five men had arrived that dav, each of whom was, like himself, one of those much-talked-about and unfortunate aninrals — Rals. He matriculated next morning, w-as introduced to the Superintendent, and then made his way, under escort, to his future lodgings for ten long months — the barracks. Up the steps he climbed until he reached the garret, so to speak, the abode of the Rats ; but, although the fourth stoop is so high above this earth, the Rats for the first few weeks have some difficulty in looking upon it either as a heaven or a ha ■en. His room was not exacth- like the one at home in its furnishings, but he was aware such would be the case, and, with the glamour of new surroundings to cheer him, he began to unpack. While so busied with two room-mates, w ' ith whom he had chosen to live for the next ten months and to bear the ills to come in one common burden, he was interrupted by a 3-oung gentleman who sauntered in, remarking, Howdy do. Rats ! This was an epoch in the Rat ' s career. From that moment he dropped his name for ten long months, and was to be known, except in his own class or in the section-room, onh ' as Rat or blister. Oh, how often and in what different tones of voice was he destined to hear that simple yet potent word — Ral . ' After some questions as to name, place of residence, and so on, the ' isitor left. He was an old hand, a first class-man, so he paid but little attention to Rat affairs. The Rat thought this a ery mild form of hazing. Alas ! no third class-men had yet arrived, and he therefore knew not the waj ' s of that greatest of all Rat disciplin- arians, the man who, with a joy beyond all others, had dropped his tail to the tune of Auld Lang Syne the year before. He blacked his shoes and got ready for dinner, and at the beat of the first drum he went down in front of barracks, where he found a number of his brother Rats. At the second drum they were formed in line by a spruce cadet Corporal, whose white trousers and close-fitting blouse contrasted strangely with the ' arious cits of the Rats. Having had the mysteries of the facings explained, and being told that left foot first was the wa - to set themselves in motion, they were marched to the Mess Hall, and on the way there and back the Corporal found faults enough with the different gaits of his awkward recruits to make them believe thev had never walked before.