Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1880-07-08

daylight amitlst gSoans snd prayers end
curses--to wear away . night which
seemed years long, while men sbTIeked
IN agony and died-while wounded
hovses sighed and groaned and dragged
Themselves alc6gE whiIe ghpuls plud-
ded over the bIood-Ted grass and vet
their fingers sin ksrln blood - they
searched The bodies Of The dead and
wounded E0F piundegl
FORWARD r. came The order.
locked ND and down sbe line - we
Left the cover cf che vsooas, and the reg
iment was dressed 6 If On parade. We
were The bottle front Of brigade. and
were going 10 charge Z battery bali ?
mile away. No administers QUITO
firing. The balteEy wss belchiug away
under : cloud Of blue smoke and the
ground was open and clear.
Tramp lrampI tramp No Tagging
40 soTgsng ahead. Cemmon time
march march march Il was snaiPs
mace. but we were 10 ineTease 4: The
Ieft of The line wss swinging ahead :
little a. The impatient men inereased
their steps, wben sndaenly The enemy
discovered our maneuvvF. There was
q Ion In the firing Eor fifteen seconds -
the battery changed front, and thea .
shell tore through our centre and bat
tered six or eight men into bloody
pulp. 80
We went, each man shutting his teeth
hard al he entered the smoke-cloud,
from under which the red tongues OF
death leaped forward to scorch and
witheF dozens and scores and hum
dreds.
A grim veteran on my left raised
a cheer. Il was yet on his lips when Q
grape shot tore hole through his breast
and sent him into dry ditch, dead be-
fore he struck the grass. Two boy
brothers on my right halted for an in
slant a. the grape and canister shrieked
around them. / looked back and they
were gone-dead under the feet OF the
second hne.
How far il wasl How long Il took
fobass over that quarter Of mile -
Now wesee shadowsasound the guns
now the powder-Aames burn our faces
now we are cheering and shooting
and using the bayonet. The guns. are
oursl Men fall TO the ground as they
step into pools of blood. Every gun
has its blood stain--eveFy wheelis COW
cred with crimson spots. Men died
before the guns--around them-behind
them. We cheer--hipi hip! hur--l
Where am II The afternoon sky 10
over-head-the roar Of the battle is IN
nv ears-I am lying on my back on the
ground. What does it meant How
came thiss Heavens What a burn.
ing, blisterIng sensation IN my left leg
above the knee am wounded. and
am lying where | 6rst went DOWN
The guns were here, but they are gone
now--part OF them eaptured--part OF
them dragged away By hand. The tide
of battle has shifted, and over this mead
ow the dogs Of war are tearing at each
others throats.
Is there any one else herel ] In
my head. Any one else Great God !
but the field is covered with dead and
wounded--with men writhing and groan-
ing-with fragments Of bodies-with
paIe-fsced dead, with blood-stained dy-
ingl i can touch the dead on either
side, and close behind me . piteous voice
calls out: $500
"Comrsde, for the love of Heaven
give me drink e. -
That pam again. IL the leg being
roasted over slow Ere ! Scream and
shrek and clutch the grass and keep
company with the thousands Of others
who are being tortured 10 insensibilIty
BY pain or driven 70 distraction by the
still continued carnage.
Ait Il - night. The falling dew
has brought more than one poor soldier
back 10 life and renewed suffering. The
batteries are silent. The muskets are
resting after their deadly work. There
Is silence-noI From woods and mead
Ow and knoll and valley. and almost
every yard Of ground on that long bat
tie front, rise groans. and cries and
pleadings. A general prides himself
on stragetic movements colonel will
be promoted for bravery major Is
fiatiered by the cheers OF the living
a captain y proud that his men stood
like a stone wall, and the result Is Eve
thousand dead and wounded and man.
gled men--fathers, brothers and sons.
This in glory. Scream aud shrek.
but some one has won fame. Pray and
plead and rave and curse, but the tele-
graph il flashing the news Of glorious
victory over the country. The enemy
has NOT retired as yet, but Is getting
ready 10 fell back ~ the night grows
older.
Hark Il some one snovingi Yes.
il is step. Il Is some wounded man
hobbling away under cover OF darknessi
Nearer-reaTer-- some one looks
into my lace. IL Is the ghoul of the
battle 6eld,-the hyena who drugs hls
talons through blood and gaping wounds
to rob the dying mems pockets.
go away am moi dead!" Ishsek
in ms face - be bends closer, and he
leaps aside TO gsowl and curse and
search the body OF one whose pale. up
turned face is Just catching the silver
rays of The new moon. / hear more
steps. Ghoul meets ghoul and holds
whispered conversation, and they sepa-
/, rate with hands full OF plunder. Now
comes / heavier step. A troopers horse
Is dragging across the fields. shattered
leg making him almost utter human
groaas. He is more merciful than the
the ghouls. He weaves and turns 10
avid the bodies in bis path--he even
LII "a .<.sfs Ma s,s,aa aeass IA klan fares