The weekly Butte record., 1862-05-24

| bly, decreased, aud We left our shelter 10 at
tack the redoubt. Our regiment consisted o.
three battalions. The second had orders tc
charge upon the redoubt from the valley side
the other two were TO make the first attack.
was in the third battalion. As We emerged
from behind the natural rampant that had pro-
I tected Us, We were greeted with several dis
charges Of musketry, which, however. did but
little mischief in our ranks. The whiStling oi
the balls surprised me- could uot help turn
ing my head, and thus got laughed at by my
companions, who had become more familiar
with the sound. On the whole, said TO myself
battle is not so very terrible, after all We
advanced quickly. proceeded by the artillery.
Suddenly the Russians gave three shouts, and
then were silent and ceased firing. don't like
that silence, said my captain it bodies 10
good. thought our troops were somewhat
too noisy, and could not help comparing their
tumultuous SHOUTS with the imposing stiffness
of the enemy.
I'VE soon reached the foot of the redoubt ;
the palisades had been broken, and the earth
ploughed up By our fire. The soldiers rushed
in over these ruins with cries of Tlre I Empe,
retr louder than could have been expected
from men who had already shouted so much.
| raised my eyes, and shall never forget the
spectacle which met them The smoke bad
risen, and hung like a canopy, twenty feet
above the redoubt Through the blue vapor,
saw behind the battered parapet the Russian
granadlers, with pieces raised, motionless as
statues l can still see those men, each with
his left eye fastened upon Us, the other con-
ceaed by his musket. In an embrasure a few
feet distant, stood man close by cannon and
holding a firebrand. l shuddered, for | thot
my last hour had come. The ball is going to
begin cried my captain good night" They
were the last words | heard him utter. The
drums beat in the redoubt saw the muSkets
lowered shut my eyes. and heard horrible
crash, followed by clies and groaus. | opened
my eyes astonished to find myself alive; the
redoubt was again enveloped in smoke and l
was surrounded by the dead and wounded
My captain lay at my feet; be had been struck
in the head by shot, and | was covered with
his brains and blood. OF all my company
there remained but six men besides myself.
\ moment Of stupor succeeded this slaugh-
ter. The colonel, waving his chapeau on the
point of his sword, was the first to scale the
parapet, shouting VireF Empereur,' and was
followed by all the surviving soldiers. have
scarcely clear recollection Of what ensued
We entered the redoubt, know not how, and
fought hand to hand in smoke so thick that
we could not see each other. l must have
struck some one, for l found my sabre all
bloody. At last | heard the shout Of victory,
and the smoke clearing, | saw the heaps Of
dead bodies and the pools of blood which
covered The ground. The cannons, too, were
almost hidden by the corpses of those who had
fallen. About two hundred men in French
uniform were standing in disorder, some loading
their muskets, Others wiping their bayonets,
and with them eleven Russians, prisoners.
The colonel had thrown himself pale and
bleeding, on a broken cdisSon, near the en-
trance. The soldiers pressed around him
approached also. Where is the senior cap
tain p he asked of sergeant. The sergeant
shrugged his shoulders significantly. And the
rived yesterday, answered the sergeant with
perfect GOODNESS. The colonel smiled bitterly.
Come, sir; said he to me, you are command
erin chief; see that the entrance 10 the re-
doubt is promptly fortified with these wagons,
for the enemy is IN force however, General c.
will relieve US shortly Colonel said |, you
are grievously hurt Cut to pieces. dear fel-
low, but the redoubt is ours -