Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-06-30

the trot, and the Deaths Head Cui
rassiers swept forward over tn
sm0ke-hidden field.
Ii was the first time Gabriel hat
seen them i'm desperate charge
! and his blood thrilled with pride Al
} he looked along the line of dark
stern faces, the black helmets anC
cuiraSses, the sable chargers.
line of gloomy terrible horsemer
they looked, where the only point.
OF light were the bright swords and
the fierce cleaning eyes of the sol
diers.
The exhausted footmen saw them
coming and looked round to chez:
them the weary artillerymen
paused in their frantic rammiug
and spOnging to wave their hats
and shout the smoke hung heavy
over the field the round shot came
tearing through their ranks; but
the dark lines closed sternly up and
moved silently on at the same
steady trot; the earth trembling
beneath them, the clanking of their
arinOr drowning all other sounds.
Gabriel rode abreast of his chief,
and so they went on until they saw
a red sheet of fire leap out of the
blush pail of smoke in front.
Then came a sickening crash and
they saw the colonePs body literally
| blown into bloody fragments by a
twelve-pound shot, while at least a
dozen CHASTITY gaps appeared in the
ranks of the terrible Deaths Head
Cuirassiers.
They had met a salvo of artillery
at short range, and even those
iron men staggered and began to
pull at their horses, Slackening their
trOt.
Then it was that Gabriel Lenoir,
waving his sword, shouted like
thunder:
"Follow me, Deaths Heads.
Who ,0iU go fitrt/test The blonde or
tie blacks 2"
His answer was a stern shout, and
the ranks closed up firmer than be-
fore.
Then with another roar of "ViUe
L'Enaperear, the Deaths Head
Cuirassiers burst out of the pail OF
smoke and dashed into the midst of
long line of Guns, stabbing horses
and gunners and riding up and
down the battery raging like de-
mons. silencing the whole thirty
guns in as many seconds.
The stiffness that followed was
broken by Il wild cheering in the
smoke behind them, and answer
ed by a terrible volley in front us
line of Russian infantry came run
ming down toward them.
For Il moment it seemed as il the
bold hOrsemen were doomed in the
hour of their triumph.
Then came the thupder and rat
tie of more cavalry on the right and
down rushed Lenoir's brigade to
the help Of the Deaths Heads,
while the wearied infantry OF Soult
plucking up fresh heart came
sweeping over the fields TO secure
the guns.
The Russian infantry stricken in
flank by LenOir, in front by the
maddened Black Cuirassiers, threw
down their arms and surrendered
by scores.
From that moment the battle
seemed to Gabriel like a dream of
blood and revenge as he rode
among the furious horsemen, cut
ting and stabbing mercilessly at the
fleeing infantry.
When he came to his senses fully
he found that there were no Rus
SLAMS nearer than a mile; that there |
army was cut in half, and that the |
batteries of the victorious French |
were playing on dense helpless
masses of men in the valley below,
while the battle was virtually over.
He looked around for his regi- |
ment, remembering that he was
now its major. ....
Some distance off behind him he
spied Case Tete with single trum-
peter, and he rode back and or
dered the latter to blow the rally.
And then, from all over the field,
with dripping swords, their arlnOr
streaked with blood, some wound
Ell, all looking as If tired out with
the grim men of GascOny
came troOping back to that familiar
call.
There was no more fighting in
that part of the field, but it took a
good half hour TO collect the regi-
munt together and form line.
They came in singly, by twos, by
threeS, in squads; some with Off
GERS, more without, but as they
came up every man made a pune
.Ilious salute to Gabriel, who sat on
his horse in front of the new line,
md the young man felt that he had
1t last conquered his enemies. One
by one, the officers who had looked
upon him so sneeringly before, rode
lp, and saluted with respect, and
when at last the regiment was
the adjutant, his face COW
cred with half-dried blood from a
iaber cut, reported and asked:
"What are the orders, major?
You command the Deaths Heads
lOw."
The words made our hero start,
hough he knew them to be true be-
ore.
He commanded the Deaths
Heads.
But as he looked over the dimin-
shed line of dark horSemen he
ighed:
"Yes, command-what is left.
lave you taken the repOrts?"
"Yes, major"
elbow many men are lost ?"
ave went into action with four
quadrOns of two hundred men
ach. We can muster three hun
red and fifty blades fit for duty
IOw, but there are hundred and !
who will come back
0 the regiment in a month or
wO."
Ten minutes fighting had re-
uced the regiment to less than =
alf its numbers and of the captains :
nd lieutenants only sixteen were !
Eft out of thirty-seven or eight.
Trim work in such time. .
Gabriel cast his eyes over the :
eld and saw body of cavalry :
aIlying at some distance in the
ear. He led his regiment there.
nd found Colonel Lenoir swearing =
t his men. 4
"My Deaths Heads have done
lree times the work you have, and I,
hey are back, while you haven't .
OF your reports ready yet !" he I
pared to a group of colonels who
yere trying to get their men in n
hape.
Then to Gabriel he said with a :,
urt nod:
"Take your regiment and report y
, his majesty by the church at
Il
He did not express surprise or .