Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-08-20
gu original AaarelsM.
Written for the Yorkvfle Enquirer.

VICTOR =.
stqud to ssaltts, tbsftnalt SPY
BY. wrrHERspooN Erwin.
CHAPTER ". s. -......
A battlefield the last shot has been fired
and the beaten party driven into fight with tht
conquerors following along their track-presents
horrible and ghastly spectacle to young soldier
whose feelings have not been rendered calous by
familiarity with the revolving sights, which such
scene must exhibit. Bleeding and mutilated forms,
faces horribly dis6gured BY ghastly wounds that
haunt one for life time, who has hnd the III chance
to behold them, and many a revolving image oi
death, which has come upon the sufferer in it
most horrible form, meet the spectator wherever
he may turn. On the faces Of some, rest sweet,
soft SMILE gentle as that of an infant siumbering
upon its mothers breast while thefeatures Of 9TH
ers are marred, even in death, with the dark and
unholy passions that the excitement Of the conflict
has aroused. Poor, perishing clayl Why should
itreturn to its nothingness and dust with the i'm
press of fallen world, and the seal Of guilt stamp
ed upon its brow? Why should mot the seal cfthat
innocence in which man was created, reappear up
on his pale brow, when wrath, envy, hate, pride,
avarice and ambition, have all fed from his cold
bosom, with the unholy spirit whose guilty passions
polluted the living temple2 b. ..r ....se- 90.
Shuddering as he picked his'way along the line,
where the enemy had received the deadly volleys
fred into their ranks and scarcely daring to look
too curiously upon the forms, growing dusky IN
the twilight and encumbering his way, Victor
passed on slowly towards the rear, encountering,
now and then, some Of the many scattered groups
returning from the pursuit Of the discounted tee
The field of carnage presented horrible and
sckeuing spectacle to him, mere tyro in the deeds
Of war. The groans and prayers of the wounded
and dying, heard on every. side through the gath
ering darkness, would have caused him to quicken
his pace, but that he feared to crush under foot,
some poor, mutilated wretch, too much engrossed
with his pain and agony to give awarning cry that
might avert his danger. Slowly he made his way
to the rear, where the Confederate soldiers, exut-
ing in their victory over the superior numbers OF
the enemy, were gathering together as group after
group returned from the brief pursuit y
Colonel Giles was not one Of those who gave way
toidle reoicings at the result 50 unlocked for. He
was grave when he thought of the morrow and the
fresh troops which the enemy would bring up to
renew the fight. As his wearied soldiers returned,
they were ordered to take their places in Hne that
each man might sleep upon the spot where he
would be needed in case off sudden alarm. Pick
cts were thrown out for considerable distance on
every side, and not until this was done did their
weary leader Gsmount from his horse, aud enjoy a
temporary rest from that anxiety which had sorely
oppressed him for many hours. By his gallant
and successful stand, he had, with six hundred
brave men, thwarted the schemes which heavy
corps had been sent to carry into effect. He had
effected all that could have been expected Of him,
and now he could repose in peace and satisfaction,
knowing that by every train that clanked along the
iron road, the gallant soldiers of the South were
Fastening onwards to maintain the fight 30 gallant
ly begun. One half of his hungry, weary COM
mand, stretched out like dim shadows on the
ground, were already buried in sleep when their
leader, having made all his dispositions to repel
night attack, resigned his horse to his groom, and
prepared to seek that rest which be so much need
ed. Sentinels, near at hand, were pacing their
several beats around the camp while at distance
of mile or more, viglant and welltrained pickets
were guarding every approach to the spot where
their weary comrades lay.
It was, perhaps shortly past eight o'clock, when
courier from the field of battle, came galloping
through the streets of Petersburg and the cang of
his horses hoof fell with painful dstinctness upon
the ears of the uneasy and anxious citizens. The
rumor of the fight had filed the city. The boom
ing of the enemy's guns had marked the begin
ming and progress of the fight, and when it ceased
to be heard, direfnl forebodings seized upon the
minds of the excited citizens. As the solitary
horseman came Gathering through the streets, he
seemed, to their excited imaginations, the forerun
ner of defeat-the first of discounted band es-
Gaping from rout and carnage. Surely mattershad
gone badly. Itwas foolish to have cherished such
hopes of success, as they had entertained but few
hours before, founded upon battalion-a mere
part of regiment of raw troops-fom Charleston,
who had never been in regular fight before.
They had been lying on the Carolina coast al
through the war; and had never fired a gun except
against porpuses, and, indeed in little skirmist
with negro regiment, that half dozen good over
seers could have beaten off the island with COW
hides. Very true, they looked like game-cocks as
they rushed through the streets to meet the enc
my, and their Scotch Irish and Huguenot blood
showed itself in their features. Eagle-eyed and
eagle-nosed, with world of endurance and hardi
hood written in their determined facee, they hao
come of pretty goodst next thing, indeed
to the gentle blood of Virginia cavaliers. Bu
what of all that-they were only SIX hundred, ant
the enemy like sands on the sea-shore. All! II
was dreadful day. The firing was over, and ev
erybody could tell what that meant Six hundred
men could not be expected fight long against ter
or twelve thousand And the citizens, as they
talked together in groups, made significant nod
with their heads, that gave deeper meaning tt
their words.
But that horseman! There was something 81
ominous in the very sound of his horses tread a
he galloped up the street, without so much as 1
word to tell how the day had gone. The citizens
listened for other sounds denoting the rout they
much arprehended. By-and-by-they thought
there viii be other horsemen galloping up tht
street, then broken lines of infantry streaming by
a.