The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-01-12


the right of the Crews farm, on tt
fields hidden by rows of shrubber,
the Confederate infantry marche
and massed until the earth trem bleC
To the left, under the dark pine
legions of men in gray stood wal
ing. From the pine bordered vs.
runa Grove road other legions de
bouched into the forest and march
ed by the flank until they forme,
in battle-line across the green field
which were drinking in the summe
sunshine. All the morning lines o
gray marched to the right or left
batteries wheeled slowly into DO
sition, and that ominous silenc,
which means more than murder heIC
the air and the earth in its grasp
a sudden tremor quickly ran along
tne lines of blue. The Confederate
skirmishers came out of the pines
in long, thin lips, and boldly ad
vanced into the fields. They can
count 200 Federal cannon on the
plateau, and they can see the blue
lines massed for battle, but they are
coming to feel the way across the
fields to see what that fringe OF
bushes .conceals, to discover what is
hidden behind the ridges. Phey
skulk--they dodge they
creep and crawl over the grass like
snakes. 1t is mere handful-rout-
ed and sent flying by one velley
from COUGHS advance line. The
Confederates now understand what
is before them, and they wait for
other brigades and divisions to come
up and swing into line. Every fifth
man in those gray lines will be a
corpse before this July sun goes
down. An hour aper. moon the storm
bursts, Out from those dark pine
woods sweeps double line of bat
tie, banners ripping, muskets CLEAN
ing, and lines dressed as if on
parade. In ten seconds more than
200 cannon, each piece haYing
clear range, open On the moving
lines with shot, shell and canister.
Where the shells burst gap fifty
feet wide is opened in the lines.
Where grape-shot and canister tear
through, men are piled three deep.
Malvern Hill quivers from center to
circumference under that terrible
roar-Of artillery, and yet those gray
lines gang on. Behind them the
fields are streWn with corpses, but
the living wall rolled on as il no
power on earth could stop it. The
same steady tramp, tramp-no fast
er, no sloWer-and men who looked
at them under the smoke cloud won
dercd if they were soldiers Of flesh
and blood.
Now, when the lines are only
stones throw from the men lying
behind the creek, a whole division
springs up at the word, muskets are
brought to an cain" and a sheet of
fire mile long leaps across the mar
row space and withers and scorches
and shrivels whole brigades. 1t is
one grand, terrible crash-oue leap
ing, Kissing hillow of Hame-one
furious shrek and scream of 10000
bullets seeking for prey, and the
am pushed tigers along the creek
and the grim guns on the hill have
no further work to do. OF all that
grand line of battle few poor hun
dreds hobble back beneath the shell
ter of the woods. From creek to
the forest the grass is no longer
green. 1t is gray with the dead
it Is red with the blood of men torn
to fragments. Men never made a
more gallant advance-lidss never
met with q bloodier repulse. Slowly |
the blue cloud lifted and foated |
away over the thick forest towards |
Landing, and the guns |
were still.
The Federal signal men on Nal
vern Hill now gave the gunboats in |
Turkey Bend the range and location
Of the Confederate right, and doz-
ell monster guns suddenly opened |
fire. Great shells rose with terrible |
whirr, sailed over the heads of Por
ter's men and fell among the pines
and exploded with crash which |
was heard miles away. Branches as
thick as mans body and fifty feet
long crashed down on the massing |
Confederates or were whirled about
like straws, and pines which had
braved the hurricane and the light |
ming fash for half a century were
splintered and riven and dashed to
earth at hlow. Under the cover OF
the woods-amidst the awful explo-
sions and the fearful crashes, the |
Confederates reformed and moved |
out again. The instant those gray |
lines were clear Of the forest, Nal
vein Hill shook and trembled again |
with the roar of cannon, and the |
gunboats redoubled their fire. Shot
and shell, grape shot and canister
whistled and screamed until there
was one awful and continuous
shrek. Every man in gray looked
into the eyes Of horrible death,
and yet the columns moved forward
without an instant's halt, Regi
ments were decimated before they
had traversed third of the distance
and yet the survivors moved for
ward. One shell from the gunboats
.lilled forty-one men, but the gap
was closed and eleven men left to
represent the company. Think Of
the 800 cannon-the shrieking,
screaming tons OF iron hurled into
that crowded mass, and then wonder
how men faced it! With heads bent
forward as if breasting a snowstorm
with teeth hard clinched and mus
kets tightly grasped, the Confeder
ates again dashed at the hill, TO be
again confronted and withered by
the fire Of COUGHS men. a single
volley and the gray lines were no
more. In place of them were heaps
of dead, writhing wounded. and a
few battallions rushing back TO GOV
er. Then silence fell upon hill and
forest, broken for the next two
hours only by the sullen boom OF
the PARROTS on the gunboats as