The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-08-10
How the Advance Guard Went into
the Fight.

All night long we toilod on our weary
march, and Just in the gray dawn Of tho
morning we halted in the mouth of the
valley for rest and breakfast.
Scarcely had the fires been lighted
, when courier i'll hot haste dashed up
to the brigade commander hurried
message, a quick, sharp word of COM
mand, the long roll (Which no soldier
ever heard without thrilD breaks on
the morning mir. No more thought Of
rest or breakfast now; we've Btcrner
work before us.
Two miles on the double quick brings
us to n road crossing ours alright angles.
A movement 10y the right flank, and our
two thousand men move out into the
dense forest, toward -what?
Half milo is passed; silence. Three
quarters We advance; nothing Nearly
n mile have we left the road behind us,
and no sign Of life, save the birds twit-
tering in the trcetops overhead, or an
occasional squirrel startling us by his
sudden chatter of alarm.
Suddenly the sharp crack Of q rifle in
front, followed by another and another,
tells us the foe is before MS. A moment
later the skirmishers fall back on the
main body, and just beyond the CLEAN
of steel i'll the hands of the enemy that
we've seen so often.
We've met them before; we've driven
them like chaif before the wind a score
of times. No fear of the result. Their
wild cheer is answered by q ringing
shout of defiance; the first rays of the
morning sun flash from the long line of
leveled rifles; ono yolley, aud our line
springs forward to meet theirs, which
waits not for the shock but breaks in dis.
order
"Wcll done, boys" says our General.
Again we advance, but not far. Down
on our little band, swift, resistlcss, pour
the heavy masses Of the enemy, bearing
us back by sheer weight of numbers.
STEADY, boys" Not rout or con.
fusion but faces to the foe, fighting MS
We go, yet back, back, steadily We go.
And still those colors are flying III the
very front rank, and the men close
ground, still fighting; yet back, back
we steadily go.
STEADY, boys!' back, back, till the
cross roads are reached. Then the
voice of the General rings out in wild
appeal:
"For Gods sake, men, stand. II We
lose this road, we're lost"
Aye, men. And like men they meet
the appeal. Squarcly in the center Of
the road those colors are planted, and
I harn tln tnlA th,,r /
nought but death shall ever drive them
hence. Not even that, for death is hold |
ing high carnival among us to-day but
who cares? We laugh Mt death and |
know no fear. Once, and again, and |
again, the on.coming host is met bv us. |
and once, and again, and again, it is
beaten back. But our ranks arc thin !
ming fast Hundreds have fallen. Oh, |
for helpl And still the battle goes on. |
One eighth, onc-fourth, one-third our
number have fallen, and there again
comes the enemy.
On they come, without q shot or n
shout; nearer, and shot and shell and
are rained upon them. And
still they come.
A hundred PAGES away, and from each
II our four guns the shrapnell goes
through the air and bursts in
he ranks Of the foe.
Still they come. Fifty PAGES away,
md every gun belches forth its double
hsrge of canister, and the musketry,
asst and furious, mows them down by
he hundreds. Still they come. Fifty
'aces away-twenty. God of mercy.
viii nothing stop them?
In our rear rings out sharp word Of
ommand. We haven't time to look
round to see what it means, but on
udden mighty rush from behind, and
reserve with cleaning steel sweep
'ast; we catch glimpse Of the battle
lag, we know that the army has come
p, and we've saved the road. But. ahl
t what fearful cost!-H c. Martindale,
n the Washington World.