TRIBUTE TO
JUDGEMINOR
Incident Connected With Fight
at M il ford ill Whi.h he j
Was Wounded, I
RECITAL OF A WAR STORY
Interesting Reminisce!'? es Con?
cerning Several Fighte and
in Which a Nuninl'icr o?
?NJen Figure.
Editor of/The Tltnes-Dlspntchi
Sir.?The recent death of Judge E. C,
Minor recalls most vividly to mind the
events Immediately beforo and alter tho
fight at Mil ford, in Page'county, Vn.,
where ho was wounded thirty-nine yen is
ago, on the 22d of September. The d s
asirous battle at Winchester, .Hist three
days before, resulted In a defeat Tor the
Confedera tes, who retired slowly up the
Valley before Sheridan?tho cavalry di?
vision of Fltz Lee (who hud been wound?
ed) going up the Fuge Vu..cy, and the
remainder of the army going up tho
Shenundoah. At Front Royal, in thu fork
formed by the Junction of the two
branches of tho Shenundoah River, some .
of our men camped Cur the nlghii a place
made memorable by former fights. The
Federal cavalry, who aided much In
causing our defeat at Wnchestor, who
?were present In large force, arid wero
woil led, attacked here early In tho morn?
ing, and, It being quite loggy, were among
our men before they were awn.ro of their
approach, and for a time things were
decluedly mixed. They, however, had the
worst ot It, and wero finally reptil -ed
after a severe fight and some loss on our
side, one of whom was tho lamented cap?
tain Lassly, killed, und another, Lieuten?
ant James Scruggs, wounded, both of 1111
Second Virginia Cavalry. Tho enemy's
cavalry kept at a respectful distance uflor
this, until we got to Milford, twelve miles
further up the Valley, where their inten?
tions were so pressing that we turned
about to face them again. Here theru
was a sharp fight wth them. Our men
being dismounted and deployed across
the road, gave them a warm reception
from behind piles of rocks, ral'.s. &c It
was at this place that Judge Minor lost
his arm. while lighting behind a pllu
of rails. Our regment, the Fifth, was
at first dismounted with the others, but
was afterwards mounted nnd sent to Ulti
right In the mountains to prevent a flunk
attack. This little cove in the hills, or
manor, as it was called, seemed shut in
from the outside world und from harm,
and appeared to be a secure retre.it fron i
wars alarms. We had not been hero long '
before from our position on one hill, wo ?
could see the enemy on another, but
as they did not attack us, we did not
disturb them. We picketed here that
night and lost, by a sad mistake, a mem?
ber of the regiment, who was killed while
relieving the post, being fired upon by the
picket, who was very much excited in
the daikness. owing tu the nearness of ttit
enerny.
The Yankees advancing next morning
In large numbers upon nur small ? esi?
menti we retired slowly und leisurely
back, and camped that n.glu neur Ltirny,
rejoining the rest, of the brigade there.
From this point, tho only other brigade
in our division (Wlcichnm's) was sent
across the Massanutten Mountains, to
General E?rly's assistance, who was hard
pressed, leaving our littl ebrgidc nlon.
pressed, leaving our little brigade alone
of the enemy, coming up behind uy. 'Hie
next morning we were turned back to
meet them which we did at Sputiglielo
a short distance below Luray. Two of our
regiments were dismounted "on the right
of the road, and the other (the Fifteenth)
was held mounted on our left across tho
road, concealed by a small skirt of woods
and a high fence, nnd this en mo very
near being th'er undoing. Seeli:g a fence
close by, wo soon had It pulled down
and placed In small piles In front of us
for protection. The Yankees wero now
in plain view In front, and opened on us
with artillery, but, as wu hud none, w,?
could not reply. It appeared afterward
that their object was only to detnln us In
front njjjjl_,1??>; flanked us on ine right,
and SJ.wrr?t?nde<?' us before wu could get
away, and t-hey camo vory near cap?
turing all, to the last man. The men
stood their ground pretty well, until they
found themselves nearly surrounded, and
then there was such ? "skedaddle"'tis I
uy
ond&>y
Waiting until Tuesday will pay
you. No music, no souvenirs,
but prices that will induce you
to make your Christmas pur?
chases from th?
?
Which opens Tuesday morning,
December 8th.
?rowne ? Constine,
205 E^st Bronci Street.
had never seen before, and with what
lo.fs 1 don't know. Certainly many wore
left behind. One of my own company klll
o?l. one left dead, ns we supposed, for we
never saw him again. Many were cap- I
tured and a few got away.' Our adjutant,
Willie Abeli, of Charlottesvllle, riding at
breakneck speed to notify tlio mounted
men on our left that they wero almost
surrounded, was shot, but held on until
ho performed his mission, and falling
from his horso, died on the spot. Ills body
was afterward recovered from tho ene?
my, and was sent home. (Bev. J. C, Hlden
wrote a touching piece of poetry to com?
memorate this event called "Save the
Squadron.") Some of tho men had narrow
eseapei from capture. One, i ktmw,
Richard Cardwell, of Campbell county,
ran up the chimney of an old bouse on
the battlefield nnd remained there until
Ihe enemy left tho place, Some ran ino
a mill pond and were caught; I reached
a place where the water was shallow and
so got across. This was a bad day for
the Fifth Regiment, as well as the re?
mainder of the brigade. The survivors
were rallied at llonoyvlllo, some six or
eight miles from tho field, and there
iwultcd the approach of the enemy but,
is they did not como, we camped for the
night, and the next day, marched to?
wn ids Port Republic, meeting Kershaw's
division, which had been sent to assist
us, We wero as glad to meet these gal?
lant men, our former comrades, as was
Zenophon's ten thousand to see the sea.
There was some skirmishing at Port Re?
public with Sherld n's men, and v. ? moved
on to Wayesboro, which was the further?
most limit of our retreat. Here we turned
to face our enemies again, ?uid soon after
they boga uto retreat down the Valley,
burning, destroying and leaving desola?
tion, weeping women and children in their !
traii. It has always been a matter of
wonder to mo why Shoridan retreated at
that tme, having a thoroughly equipped
army of forty thousand men or more,
while tho Confederates did not have one
fourth of that number. He might have
crossod the James Rivor below Lyncn
burg, and coming down upon Geneiil
Loo's rear at Petersburg, while wl'h
Grant in front, tho Army of Northern
j Virginia would havo been between tha
j upper and nether millstone. As It was,
j ho retreated back to the neighborhood of
Winchester, creating great destruction of
I proporty as he went, which has mndc his
? name Infamous In all that section if nit
I elsewhere. Much might be written about
? sub-oquont ovents, about tho hatrowlng
I scenes wtnessed consequent upon this
wanton destruction of property In that
We want the purchasing public of Richmond to see our
immense stock of Holiday Grods and to make it especially
| attractive to every visitor we will put on sale for this week
That are Regularly Sold at
from $2.00 to S3.00 a dozen,
Six I lates to a Customer.
Our 25c, 50c and $1.00 Counters
Arc Filled With
ic-a?
and many other Articles, all marvels in
value and every piece a creation of art.
Christmas Presents
AN UNEXCELLED STOCK OF
Hand-Painted China, Rich Cut Glass, Stir?
ling Silver, Marble Busts and Pjdesta's,
J rd:nere.i, Umbrella Stands, Lamps, Clocks?
Bronze Figures, Brass Fenders and Fire
Seti, all o? the newest des'gns and never
iail.ng to interest the lover of Fine Art
Goods._
Toys and Doils
COn Second Floor.')
Our 5c, 10, 25, 50, 75c and $1.00
COUNTERS OF
Toys and Dolh are laden with the latest
novelties of the European markets. We
call especial attention to our latge line of
Velocipedei, Trycyclfs, Patrol Wagons,
Farm and Express Wagons.
ylor Co.,
IOII East ???? Street,
9 East Broad Street
*?. ?
benutJful Valley, about Tom's Brook,
Codnr Creek nnd plhof mati?re, but such
le hot my iiurpoao now, Att t Said In the
beginning, theso events were vividly ro
called by the donili of ?Judge Minor, whose
cheerful fnoo and empty sleeve Wo shall
hot see ngaln, mid whom wo shall sadly
miss.
"Dead to the hopes which upon him woro
centered ?
Dond to the hearts, how aching In?
stead;
Dead to tii? sympathy claimed by tho
sorrowing;
Dead to tho tears which abavo him are
shed/
bead until all of life's boatity and fra
;. granee;
Dead unto all the endearmonts of home.
Oh, angel ofidcath; with grief freighted
pinions,
Why to so precious a lite must you
come?
Not dead, only resting on hillside, In
valley,
Are lips that aro mute nnd forms that
aro still,
And lives that wero pure, were robbed of
no beauty;
No hopos that wero cherished, faltod
they' to fulfill;
Saved from tho burdens which weary the
shouldors.
Saved from tho wrinkles which furrow
th?. brow?
Saved unt? Infinito power of fulfillment;
Perfection completo; rest otornal from
now,
Father, wo hear, and Thy wisdom acknow?
ledge,
Ita truth and Its purity ?omforteth some,
But waters of Marab are bitter for mor?
tals,
Ohi grant us a Lethe In days yet to
come."
P. J. WHITE
The Dying Soldier.
t,ay him down gontly, where shadows
Ilo still
And cool, by tho 6ldo of the bright
mountain HI!,
Where spreads the soft grass Its velvety
sheen,
A welcoming couch for repose so serene;
Where oponlng flowers their aroma
broathe
From clustering tendrils that loving
wreathe,
And quivering loaves their murmurous
song
In whispers aro chanting the bright sum?
mer long.
There lay the young bero. See from his
side
Plows swiftly tho current whoso dark
pulsing tide
Is bearing awny tho bright sands of Ufe
And closing forever this wild dream of
strife.
Feebly uncloses tho fast dimming eye,
Onco bright, as tho Jewels that light up
the sky,
A moment ho looks on the blue arched
dome, .
Then whispers In anguteh, "Oh, take?
takx? me homo!
But no! Far away o'er the mountain
and fen
Cles the homo that I never shall enter
again, '
Where loving onee wait to welcome In
joy
Bnck to Its sunlight their own soldier
boy.
Father, when proudly you, gave up your
child,
s.n? crushed back the tears while your
lip sadly smiled.
How vague was the thought that wo
nevermore
Should meet till we stood on eternity's
shore! ? ?
And, mother, again I feel thy hot tears
Rain on my cheek. Not the mildew of
years
Nor shadows of death can tarnish tho
bliss
Th<? blessings you gave In that last holy
kiss. 4, '':';:?
Oh! darkly''shall gather the clouds o'er
the hearth,
?That echoed once gaily with music and
mirth.
Oh, God, may Thy spirit be there to
sustain
When record shall mingle my name with
the slain.
And ono, too, whose fair cheek whiter
still grew
As I pressed on, her lips my last sad
ad'.eu!
Will she soon forget?" Then raising his
hand,
1-1,3 lovingly gazed on the small golden
band
Thnt circled his finger, while over his
face
The gray shadows of death seemed steal?
ing apace.
"Dear comrades, farewell! My battles
are o'er;
Together In conflict we'll rally no more;
'TIs bitter to die ere my country Is free;
But painted In glory her future I see.
Farewell! Ufa Is o'er, earth fades from
\ my sight;
Around mo Is closing death's long,
dreamless night."
Then softly as starlight molts Into day
On pinions of angels his soul passed
away.;
Those strong men are bowed, In anguish
they weep
O'er the dead, still so fair In death's
quiet sloop.
Then parting the flowers thoy laid him
to rest
And heaped the green sod o'er tho young
martyr's breast.
Weep, heart of tho South; weep, maiden
and sire,
Wreathe darkly with cypress love's
bright mystic lyre;
Weop for tho heroes, so brave and so
truo.
Who nobly havo yielded tholr life blood
for you. ?Anonymous.
Christmas
The
Gulf Stream of Life,
By Rov. Thomas B. Gregory,
Glory to God In tho highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke, 11-14,
(Prepared for The Tlmes-Dlspatch by
?~-???? WHERE about nlnoteon
g^ I hundred years ago this old
V_P I earth of ours was visited by
a sweet and beautiful Spirit.
Somewhere In little Pales?
tino?In Bethlehem or In Na?
zareth, it makes no difference whlch-a
Child \va_ born,, and that Child, "grow?
ing In wisdom and In staturo and In favor
villi God and mon," touched the great
heurt of the world and made it throb
with a newer and u nobler Ufo.
At tho close of a long day's work you
walk forth for a bit of exercise and a
t,t tatli of fresh air, and, like the son of
Kiel), who wont out to look for his fain?
er's asses and found a kingdom, you get
much more than you bargained for.
There Is some poetry In your soul, and
suddenly, at a turn in your walk, a vis
?on greets you such as the gods might
contemplate with wonder! It is a Bun
sel scone. The King of Day, as he soys
Kcod-bye (lings back hie parting smllo,
ami there it ?? u\\ over tl,u WfiBler? Bkv?
In vlulet and orango, In crimson mid
gold I , , ,
"Magnincontl" you exclaim, and you
lee! the glory you would be powerless
to describe.
Hu we feel the spirit of tho Christmas
timo without being able to describe It.
Tlio heart Is no phychollst; but, all the
same. It knows when It Is glad,
Those ot us who are "not as young as
MahTand 14th. Sts. FISHER'S Main and 14th. Sts.
~"=S== G1?T TH?E H?B?T?GO TO FISHERS.
Your Highest
Expectations
?will b? moro than realized hero to-morrow. Persone
wishing to save money should turn their steps to?
wards Fisher's. Let us commence on
Men's Overcoats.
A groat assortment?hundreds of etyles to choose from?and
all lowly priced. Overcoat buyers, have you seen the Fisher Coat,
mudo 62 incile? long, singlo breasted, bolt buck, f?? ??
and acknowledged by all to bo tho best Coat jftftl 00
ever sold for.. ffr* w? W
' Mudo of all-wool Kerseys, Meltons and Fancy Ovorcoating,
lined with tested linings, broad shoulders, close-fitting collars.
They have the wear, stylo and valuo of other ?l? ^ ?f\ _r>#_.
stores' $15.00 Overcoats, yet our price is JkJfiJ 00
?^ravenelle ^OaiS, Overcoat or Ruin-Coat-tho
proper thing for to-duy's dress?they all wear them. Our stock
is comp ete, und a guarantee goes with every Coat wo sell. Thoy
have tho long, narrow lapel, narrow collur, broad, padded shoul?
ders, and extreme full back. Very swell Coats for
?10, gI2.50, gI5> gl8, end $20.
Special Sale Children's Suits at $2, $2.50 and f 3, in al s zes.
Children's Overcoats at $2.50, $3.50 and $5, all sizes.
GET
THE
HABIT.
we used to be" have not forgotten?never \
will forget?the day on which for the first
time we looked at Ufe through lovo's ;
eyes! It was a royal day, the glory of ?
which can never bo repeated. In tho rosy
Imo of the new Inspiration all things
seemed beautiful and life was "one glad, I
sweet song!" ?
Wo could not have defined It then; we
cannot define It now. But how rich It !
was?that'first glimpse of things through
the eyes of love! |
"Well. Christ Is Just like that "love's j
young dream." He Is beautiful. Ho
makes everything about us beautiful.
He ,tranflgures our Uves and the world
In which we live. He Is music, and
gladness, and hope, and victory! And'
yet we cannot defino Him. He Is too
great to define?just as beauty Is too
great, just as love Is too great.
It Is an old story that no human beings
are, as a rule, prone to selfishness. The
first law of nature?"self-preservation"?
often asserts Itself In a way that Is hard
and cruel In the extreme. It Is too often
the case that, absorbed In self, wo forget
all about our duties to others.
Another part of the same old story Is
the fact that many times again wo are
Inclined to be cynical?dosplaers rather
than admirers of our follow men. Pro?
fessing to bo disgusted with the old
Diogenes, who sal In his tub making
ftces at humanity, we are yet often guil?
ty of the same ugly spirit.
Eut what did Christ do? Without de?
grading any one He lifted up and enno
bled all. He created tho Enthusiasm for
Humanity! Speaking tho great word
about the worth and lovableness of man,
He wna able to make millions bollevo It
nb Ho believed It and lovo ?V as Ho
loved It.
He came not to be a king, but to bo a
servant. Caesar might bo king; He
would bo a friend.
Christ believed that men were worth
loving and that there was something
beautiful down beneath the ugliest hu?
man Ufe.
Such was tho spirit of tho Carpentor's
Eon, and such Is tho spirit of the Christ?
mas' timo that commemorates His na?
tivity.
Christmas Is a season that, levels our
artificial distinctions nnd makes us mem?
bers one of another.
The "master" remembers the "servant"
and tho servant the master; the "good"
and tho "bad," the wise and the foolish,
the rich and the poor, the Illustrious and
tho lowly, forgetting tho differences be?
tween them, arc all alike Inspired by
tho one grand sentiment of peace and
good will I
Old Diogenes gets out of his tub, a
bmlle steals over his hard faco, his old
heart begins to beat with real human
sympathy and he hastens away to shake
hands with some one and be happy!
Such Is tho Influence upon us of the
Christmas time.
Even now, as wo wrlto theso words,
we can see a gallent ship making her
way toward us from tho Old World.
The spary of the billows Is settling upon
her nnd freezing as It settles. Deck,
masts, yards, ropes, canvas are sheeted
with Ice.
Through tho shrouds tho cold wlnda
shriek like "spirits damned."
The black hcnvens frown, and the
frown Is stereotyped on the face and
he,art of every one on board.
It Is a dismal, dreary eight. But th?
?hlp sails on?and prerontly sho seems to
feel a strange, now life!
Her sails freed from the Icy fetters, ???
??? themselves to catch the tempered
breezes; the warm waters skip merrily
along her sides; chanticleer In the coop
lifts up his head and lustily crows y the
dog barks for Joy; and every living thing
or board seems to realize that the ship
has struck?the C?ulf Stream!
As we go sailing over the ocean of life
It Is permitted us once a year to strike
the? Christmas time?the Gulf Stream of
life?and we aro warmed and Inspired
and made In some mysterious way to
feel that "all Is well!"
To Be Married.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Smith, of No. 1721
Balnbrldge Street, announce the approach?
ing mnrriago of tholr daughter, Miss
Alice Smith, to Mr. Frank A. Davis, of
Richmond. The ceremony is to be per?
formed at the home of Mr. Smith, on the
evening of Thursday, December 10th.
PRETTY DOLL CLOTHES;
PATTERNS AT SMALL COST
A complete outfit for little Miss Dolly is represented here in such garments as real little girls
wear, It is a wardrobe that will keep the little mother busy sewing for many hours, and then what
joy to dress the dolly in the different garments, When she arises in the morning the kimona is just
the thing- to put on while her hair is being smoothed out. Then there is the charming little Empire
gown lb wear at breakfast. Now, after breakfast dollies are always taken out for a drive in the open
tir, so we must get her ready, Suppose we put on her sailor suit, and in this kind of weather she
must have a coat, hood and mittens. If it looks like rain, perhaps she had better wear the raglan
instead of the coat.
The time passes so quickly that me must hurry and get ready for luncheon. Madame Dolly de?
cides to wear her dainty little round-yoke dress, as it is a style that is so becoming to dollies, and
?low we must go over and see how grandma is?so just slip on the Red Riding Hood costume and
away we go again. How lovely of grandma to come home with us, and now that she is going to stay
for dinner, Miss Dolly must wear her evening gown, with short sleeves, low neck and the long
rtain, How pretty she is, and she doesn't look a bit tired?but when'she reclined on the sofa her
?yes closed, right before the company, and what do you think one should do with her under the
circumstances? Why get her right into her night dress and put her to bed, of course, '
These little garments are for 12, 18, 24 and 30-inch dolls, Complete sets of these patterns may be
had at The Times-Dispatch counter Monday for ?5 cents, ?K