Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-08-25
4 they can only break through US !

Not n WOfd-rn0t u Whinpef W hh'
swer TO those Wild cheers Not q
movement Ia the line until the nearest
horses are burned with the wave OF
fame which rolls out and ehwraps
horse aud rider with a crimson robe
of death. They press on. Horses
leap over the dead or trample upon
them. Sabep and bayonets drink
blood, and men fight on after they
have fallen.
II il over again, and we have beat
Gu them hack, The highway Ia m
awful sight TO look upon as the smoke
floats sullenly away. There Is no
longer q path through tho dead. The
road Is packed with the dead aud
wounded-literally packed,
Fall back Yes. Their infantry
has come up aud aanklng parties are
being pushed forward. We leave
eighty'sir dead aud wounded to their
care, and We trail arms aud retire at
double.quick. Ono company has been
wiped Out OF existencc-onc man out
o: every eight 10 our ranks left 10
mark our Lattloline,
Fall back and fight. A quarter OF
q mile down tho road and We form
anew, our Aanks projected by the
swamps. They arc coming after US,
rendered more wary, but at the same
time more desperate and determined.
They cannot use cavalry here, but
they push forward line after line OF
infantry, to be checked, broken and
hurled back by n fire more hot and
steady than has been seen on the front
Of a whole brigade.
Fall back They are pushing cav
airy and infantry along a by.road TO
cut us of.
"Leave your dead and wounded!'
How many this tims' We have
fought twenty minutes and lost forty
two men. Double quick for half a
mile and we torn in tho bend OF a
road. They cannot flank us on the
right, but the left and front are open
for both cavalry and infantry. Here
is their chance. They flo to the right
and mass in the field. Brigade after
brigade wheels into place batteries
rush into position, and we are sullen
and silent, while a whole division
masses for battle against amere hand
tul.
Here come their skirmishers! They
are feeling our position. They skulk
and creep and crawl and dodge, and
emboldened by our silence battle.
line movc' after them. The creek be.
low us is our dead line. Every man
says to himself, and not gun is fired
until the purling waters wet the ene-
mics feet. Then there is a crash-a
reeling to and fro-and the waters Of
the creek are damned back by bloody
corpses.
Fall back for a new line! Who is
not with us as we move away?
Twenty-four of the handful mark the
spot where the enemy came nearest.
Eighty-six - twenty-four! |!
One hundred and tifty-two men gone
from our handful, and yet darkness is
long way off! Fall back and fight
fight and fall back; Every battle line
is marked so that it cannot be forgot
ten. Every hill and every bend in
the highway exacted toll in wounds
and death. We are fighting as the
sun goes down-we are fighting as
the harvest moon sails peacefully
above the trees. 1t is only as we see
a division In line across our path that
we forget our orders to die with the
rear-guard, and pass through to find
the army in position to beat back
whatever dare to attack. Three hum
dred and ninety. eight men will answer
roll.call no more in our regiment;
1893 from scarce $50 leaves 452. Was
it glory or was it murder!