Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-15

Ike murder 20 nre at MIN, bit war Is muir
der The powder fame jumped into his
face as pulled trigger, and then our lines
rose up and cheered again md again. We
had driven the gray lines hack / did not
cheer felt the guilt Of murderer. In
some Georgia home a mother would sob and
weep. a father would curse me, brothers
and sisters would grieve and refuse to be
comsorted Other men looked over the
breast works and cheered again My victim
was there; l dared not lcok-
Our position was too strong to be carried,
but we were fanked on the right and left
and coupe.led to fail hack, and the first Of
NcClellan's defeats had been inflicted
We had retreated mile by mile to Malvern
f.:l. Here we were to make last stand
s-ains the legions in gray which had eK-
rlt.rtly followed US through the swumps
and over the hills The great plateau bris-
tied with cannon, and was covered with
lines Of infantry. On the slopes were other
lines Along the base, making rifle pits Of
the banks OF the Wandering creek. were
the men who were to feel the first shock o!
battle.
For two or three hours the ground trem-
blei under the terrific fire Of artillery. Then
Magruder's men BROS cover from the pine
woods and swarmed across the cleared fields
of the Crews farm Every gun on the
plateau belched shot and shell: every mus
ket along the creek sent its bullet into the
charging ranks We broke them again ami
again, but again and again they reformed
and dashed forward t. grapple with death
In the last desperate charge, made just
as the sun was hanging on the tree tops the
first lines almost reached the creek We had
:~@x upJh a,,, rvf,1a
and more than once our muskets had been
laid in thu shallow rivr'et 70 cool OH. Des
perate as had been the charges, reckless as
the gray legions were, none of them had
passed the creek Shot and shell and bullet
had met them on the open meadow and rent
and shattered their columns
This wouil be the last charge. We all re-
alizei it as .e made ready to repulse it
With cheers that told Of brave hearts they
came on, and In moment the cloud OF
smoke shut the heads OK columns from view.
had fired -four or five times, when line OF
gray suddenly appeared Close upon US am
gave us a voliey. Right in front OF me-a
wrath rising out OF a deep sea foS-i sa"
the fair faced lad OF Gaines Mill HIS blue
eyes blazed again, LIS white teeth showed
between bis lips, his breath came naro ana
fast was down on one Knee, my mus
covering mn. AS ne iooxei in.o my iace
= 81" ~ -. 81 IA, What wsrs IN.
- .na t.,rs and be,rtachas in a Georgia
$50 - 49, :. i n soldier,. dutv To desc
10, tan,;I,, bo.rtbs.ones-to make mothers
-; -. 80 s;st,-. vaan was a hoy
- .nd 7 bod the heart of a how.
-. -, 80 nc ,,,,,led triooar and far
-. - hin, WING tbere with a ragged
nc =, h;s h,.a.st a. tha clond of smoke
Re -ar nm tho line thirty feet and
-, - vow ni,co
W. nod cha..t-eJ the exultant fos who hsl
-, ~, - -, weary milaa AMI our
SIS Sc, - ,,.;a, IN cheer with the
,,,,. M go would NOT come The
hov whom I thouoht 1 had murdered q:
-, Nj, mo-, ,riracuouslv escapei nv
III, hu, this time 7 must have killed him.
- H. th,,,,b. ,,.s n ,reat weipbt on NV
h..r, ~. Icing there ont ON the green
- .,a MS A ,.tb- e,a,cd eves staring up
e. 49, 60. ,ould not cheer felt more
III. ,.,ao,,;n,
;.9 in i,osn;ta, when Jackson AM
-, drore i,ora over the plains OF
sTa,',,,s,r-t = =, ,,,,o, Wasbinoton INIT when
u.cIarIoy, 80 Zoo 81. Antietam wa,
| -, =. ,h, 80 Uo.,.sr had bean fight
--,, -. -, TO- a., bo,,r vban our di
:, e,nrort HE beatep
treips The deal and wounded were
thickly strewn over the ground that morn
ing. Jackson's left was covering ford,
| and his right spun out to connect with
Lee, but we could not break him the
| bunker church was Just in front OF us, and
about 10 o'clock we got the order to ad-
vance We had TO clear standing fence,
push across an open field, and then meet
another fence which the Confederates were
using for cover. How the shells dropped
among us! How grape and canister moved
| our ranksl How the bullets few about our
| ears l wondered how we could be so
| steady under that murderous fire. l won
dered if our advance was supported, and
how many OF us would cross the field and
reach tie last fence
1t was a nightmare. There WINS no ceSsa-
ton Of the terrible clash and din, and the
smoke was SO tho, that we ran into the
fence before seeing il. We dropped down
| and began firing, hoping for the lines OF
support to come up, but through some
thunder were left to fight it out alone
Fresh regiments were brought up against
u.s. and our thin lines grew thinner and our
fire gradually slackened Then there sud
denly occurred breathing spell As II by
mutual consent the firing almost ceased, and
as the smoAe lifted the Confederates made
charge. Perhaps we were ordered TO 10,
treat l heard no commands. 1t seemed
certain death to leave tho cover OF inc
fence, slight as it was l supposed our
policy would be to break the charge by
rapid fire, AMI was loading and firing as
fast as possible when their first line reached
the fence The few of us on line thirty
feet long rose up and fired in the IA 'es
and then used the bayonet to keep them !.
They gave back, but encouraged Ly their
officers they came again Right II front OF
me, tare-heade1, with cur!s OF pJw1er