The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1847-11-16

of grape shot in their bosoms, rush shouting
on the guns. Moved down as they advanc-
ed, and stretched in ghaslly rows along the
| ditch, ihey dissolved like mist III the path oil
| the whiIlwind.
In the midst oil the gloom and tumult, two
hundred horsemen were seen. with fearless
rider at their head, galloping straight for the
| entrance oil The town, in order 10 gain the
enemy's rear. That was Pulaski, the noble,
The chlvalrlc Pole, and his strong cavalry
With their sabers shaking and flashing amid
The smoke, they rode all steadily forward
| through the fiery sleet, shouting as they
went until their gallant leader, struck by
swivel shot, was hurled, mangled and bleed
ing: 10 the earth-when they broke and fled.
The second column, too, al length recoIl-
ed, and then the third, and last, closed in over
pavement Of dead bodies; but still that
same deluge oil fire rolled over them, and the
ranks shook, and reeled, and disappeared IN
the covering smoke, as il they had been mere
visions, which the first breath could dissipate.
The uproar was terrific; and the heavy peals
OF artillery shaking the earth-the incessani
roar OF musketIy, mingl led with the maddened
shouts OF near len thousand warriors, and all
in the morning twilight. conspired 10 render
II scene OF appalling grandeur. But death
and carnage are nothing TO the excited pas
sions of men; and that last broken column,
stormed on. until, al last, it. too, turned dis
comfitted back. In the midst of this deadly
conflict the American column, with the chlv-
alrous Laurens at its head, pressed straight
on the Spring Hill redoubt, and crowding
into the ditch, in the face of a tremendous
fire, endeavored to scale the ramparls. But
the parapets were too high; and hurled back
rank alter rank. and moved down with mer
| CHESS slaughter, they recoiled on each other
in inextrlcable confusion. The brave South
Carolina regiment, regardless OF the fate Of
their companions, and of The iron storm that
beat them down, pressed fercely forward,
aud soon the two standards presented 10 it at
Fort Moultrie, were seen waving on The ram
parts. Vain valor the beseiged, seeing
that The fury of the attack had slackened, SAL
lied forth. with loud huZZas, and swept the
walls and bitches. Then the ill-iaIed Lau
rehs. seeing his troops routed, flung away his
sword, and with his noble soul wrung with
The biithrest anguish, stretched forth his
arms, and prayed for death, and refused 10
stir, till forced away by his companions
Close beside him. iu the ditch, lay that model
of d solder-ihe tender, the lion-hearred
Jasper, hugging his standard in death, and
declared that he would never surrender il
hot with his life; and there was his hearts
blood ebbing slowly away. he stretched him
sell upon ii.
The strife was over. and that bleeding army
rolled slowly back from the ruddy and black
ened ramparis. But what scene that DC.
lober morning presented The conflict had
lasted only little over an hour, and there lay
over a thousand Frenchmeu and Ameri-
cans, bleeding, or stark and stiff in deah-
(Six hundred and thirty seven French, and
four hundred and fifty seven Americans. J.
Here was solitary limb-there disembOw-
elled body, and headless corpse while The
ditch looked as if flood had suddenly wait
ed dead multitude into il. Around the Eb-
eneZer redOubts the blood was seen flowing IN
rlls from out the wrecks of the fight, and
gathering in deep pools amid the heaps ofthe
slain, while the most pitlul grOans loaded the
air. And over all this, like a pail, hung
cloud of smoke, which had settled down up
on the field, and was slowly twiuins itself into
fantastic shapes above the dead. Dark, and
sombre, and awful spread the Geld under this
sulphurous canopy. AT last the bright SUI
| rose over the sea, and the morning wind
breaking from its sleep, stirred the slumber
Gus folds of that murky curtain, till they
slowly lifted and rolled upwards, leaving the
blue sky 10 look down on The ghastly specia-
Gle. The dew glstencd in the early light,
but the red drops Of the human heart out
numbered them thousand to one.
Wide pits were dug, and The dead crowded
hastily into them-and when that October
sun went TO his evening repose, uorhing bat
The trampled and still ruddy earth, and broken
muskets, and dead steeds, remained TO tell of
the direful struggle.
D'Estalng had failed; and precipiarcly
raising the siege, embarked the troops and ar
tillery, and put TO sea. Lincoln, his militia
having disbanded, took with him his few
maining reg ulars, aud crossed over the Sa-
vannah and retired 10 Charleston. Prompted
10 this undertaking by the general complaint,
that our allies were etiecting nothing-D'E s-
taing undertook il hastily, then became eau
tious and dilatory when haste would have
brought success, and finally crowned the
whole BY rash act. v hich ended in a sigral
defeat and dreadful slaughter. The British,
protected by high ramparts suffered compar-
atively little. The whole blame of this IN
lucky affair rests ON D'Estaing, who, by right
Of seniority, took The supreme command
Lincoln seconded him ably, when he found
he could not alter his plans. and rather gained
than lost in public estimation by the result.