American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-08-10
NUMBER "a

the. same moment cheer arose--a wild,
tumultuous, shrill cry, from thousands of
throats-falling on the ear like sudden
and unsuspected clap of thunder. Our
skirmishers commenced firing aad falling
back at the same moment.
With lightning like clerity heavy col
umns of Rebels appeared in front of, or
rather tumbled out of, the forests, their
columns seemed to be endless, and carry
ing themselves with certain indescriba-
bic Uerge in the onset which made every
one who beheld it from our lines tremble.
" How will that fearful wave be broken ?"
was the piercing fear that filed every bo-
som, which was not allayed to see our lines
in apparent confusion--the confusion of
men grasping their muskets, taking the
touch of the elbow and facing to the front.
Words cannot describe the crushing sus-
pense of the first five minutes of the
charge,
Newtons lines were so thin they look
ed, in some places, like skirmish deploy-
ments. They opened, and the section of
artillery in position opened, but the mo-
mentum of the dust colored phalanxes was
hatefully steady Their colors snapped
saucily and streamed on steadily. Soon
every musket in Newton's division was
blazing, for at the instant Walkers Rebel
division attacked Blake's and KimbalPs
brigades, Bates Rebel division appeared
on the flank and confronted Bradley's
brigade, aiming for the bridge on Peach
Tree Creek. They seemed to spring from
the ground and to continue springing.
A stream of non-combatants commenc-
edfowing across the bridge. Pack-mules,
imprudently taken close to our lines by
fortuitous darkies, came scampering back,
the latter turned tawny brown with fright,
and reeking with perspiration Ambu-
lances tumbled over the bridge in demor-
allied columns A few armed stragglers
stalked sleepishly along, the consciousness
that everybody who met them would faith
ON their meanness imprinted on their fac
es and in their movements. The curtain
Of pickots guarding the interval in our
lines came rushing along, bedaubed with
mud bedraggled with water, having bare
ly escaped the Rebel rush with their lib
erty.
Orderlies dashed up theroad yelling for
ammunition trains, and teamsters climbed
tIees for lookouts, and reported that the
Johnnies were chargingby the acre; that
our troops were in confusion; and finally
summed up the first aspect of the situa-
ton, announcing it as id scaly.
There are some things happen in bat
ties which go to show that Providence
does not always favor the largest habita-
tions. Napoleon's own military career
disproved his fayorite maxim. 1t falls to
the lot Of some men to do the lucky thing
at the lucky moment; and when Captain
Goodspeed, Newton's chief of artillery,
twenty minutes before the charge, ordered
ten guns from the north to the south bank
of Peach-Tree Creek, he probably little
thought that hewa to contribute so much
toward crushing the Rebelion--to the re-.
pulse of what many think the most reck-
less charge the enemy has made during
the war.
1t was the work of moment to hurl
the ten guns, already near their destina-
ton, to the proper point on Newton's
flank, the work of another to unlimber
As the enemy reached a point within IS
yards of our rlines, these twelve guns OPEN
ed What exquisite music was in their
crash. How joyous was the whirl Of the
blue glamour from their throats. How
fercely flew swab and rammer. How
ceaselsely the lanyards were jerked.-
How hotly the cartridge bearers shot back
and forth from their cassions and how,
notwithstanding, the looker-on felt like
goading them to efforts still more desper-.
ate. There was something satisfying and
reassuringin the ear-sphtting din.
We could ten from the peculiar whis-
tie that our gunners were firing canister,
and we breathlessly waited for the smoke
to lift for moment, that we might see its
effect. The moment came. With a rag
ged front line the Rebel lcolumn had halt
ed, and were firing wild but tremendous
volleys. Colors disappeared and align
ments were lost. Colonels rallying their
men became tangled up with the swaying
and disordered lines, and melted out Of
view like Edgar of Ravenswood. Rider
less horses plunged across the field with a
puzzled gallop, swaying from side to side,
snufing the terror Of the moment and
screaming with fright.