The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-01-07
A FIELD BATTERY.
ONE OF WARS MOST AWE INSPIRING
SPECTACLES.
Light Artillery In Action-A Crisis In
Battlc-A Terrible Boom! Eooml of
Cannon-Charge of the Encmy-Horrors
of War.


Battlc-A Terrible Boom! Eoom! oi
Cannon-Charge OF the Encmy-Horrors
of War.
A battery is needed here at this particular
point. The enemy secs the opportunity aud
throws a dense mas, Of men against IL. The
crisis is approaching, An aide gallops oil
TO give the order 10 the nearest artillery. 1t
is over there on the adjacent knoll. The
aide has reached it; he points with his hand
where IL is needed Before he can turn his
horse around, guns and horses were all NOV
ing. Can they get here in time; We must
hold this knoll; it is the key point Of this
part Of the battle, and sec, the enemy is adj
yuucing for a grand assault Quick! order
up another regiment TO support the battery
when it gets here. There it comes, flashing
at intervals through smoke and dust like a
meteor A long train of guns and caiasons-
six, eight guns, and six, eight Caissons, and
six, eight horses to each gun and caissOn.
With tremendous racket, they dash full
speed across fields, never turning to right or
left, heading straight for this knoll. Drivers
all lashing their horses into n fury of foam,
officers pointing with their swords, and on
the gun chests sit the brave cannoneers, cool
and Indifferent outwardly, but knowing full
well inwardy that IN "a few minutes more
many Of them will bite the dust They hold
on to the chest handles for life, for rs wheel
strikes a log, the carriages Jump two feet in
the air. Now they turn slightly with the
greatest rapidity to avoid that huge bowlder,
they cross bitches, overturn hedges and
fences, all the horses galloping in cloud of
dust Ila, one horse has fallen-yes, struck
by bullet. The men jump down from the
carriage, the battery goes on-in n moment
the traces are cut, and the poor horse left to
die The carriage, drawn now by five horses,
hurries to rejoin the battery. There, they
all 60 down hollow, and disappear from
view for moment-the next instant they
are up again.
See! the captain gives sign. What a
change, AS if instantly turned to marble
every horse and carriage stops dead short
Then for five seconds what ineXtricablc CON
fusionl Horses, men, guns and caissonS to-
gether in horrible iumble-thcn all is clear
again. There back in the hollow, sheltered
are the caissons--a little below the hill
stands the line of limbers, and here on the
crest are the guns. What metamorphosis!
The statucike Cannoneers are now full of
life and excitement Now a cloud of white
smoke and red flame suddenly shoots out of
the black mouth nearest, a terrible boom
rings out. then another and another. Boom!
booml boom! the great mouths yell with
horrible delight, and at each boom goes down
"A wide swath of men in the advancing col
umn. Boom! booml boom! they roar i'll
joyful glee, and yet at each boom they recoll
in horror Mt their own power. Beyond the
enemies lines, away Off in the distance trees
split and fall, and houses collapse at some I'M
seen mysterious power Everything gives
way before the terrible storm of iron mis-
siles thrown out at each boom! boom! boom!
The enemy for an instant halt, and then
reform, on again and charge up the hillside
Will nothing stop '.em' No, they are deter
mined to have the battery that causes such
terrible destruction in their ranks, and though
with each discharge wide lanes are opened i'll
them, they do not falter. The brave can
noneers are falling fast Quick! Timber,
rearW sounds the bugle, while the long sup
porting line of infantry rises from the hol.
low, and pours volley after volley into the
determined foe Hal he halts-he is checked!
No, that is only temporary disorder. See,
there he comes again, with yell! Oh how
terrible! Quick spike the guns! Hand to
hand they fight. See, even as that officers
sword is appraised, the bullet strikes him, and
he reels from off his horse. Down goes the
horse, kicking and screaming in death
agony Men fighting with bayonets, dubbed
muskets, fire their guns in each others faces,
blow off heads of men close by. Blood!
Blood Blood!
What is that' Thank God! The joyful
yell in our rear is from reinforcement ar
rived just in time The enemy sees it, he
gives way, there he goes-what is left of him.
That is right pour volley after volley into
him, rush after him; do not leave any one
alive. The guns are safe but what "a scene!
There are piles of dead and wounded to-
gether. Pools Of blood on the ground, and
everything marked with blood Flies are
already settling on the dead What terrible
groans and moans and prayers for water.
Broken muskets, torn clothes revealing white
skin stained with red blood, canteens, haver-
sacks, guidons, cooking tins canister cart
ridges, broken wheels, dead horses and men,
all together.
Look at that mass Horses with entrails
scattered about; human legs and arms with
out bodies; bodies with Jagged splinters and
bones protruding through the flesh That
mans face is already swollen and this ones is
turned black Oh the despair, the hatred
or courage depicted on their countenances!
And the strange positions they take-eyes
protruding from sockets and tongues from
mouths. Oh it is terrible One can but
shudder and sicken, turn faint and giddy.
Yet it is war-the science that brings out the
noblest as well as the worst passions of men,
and that is the great civilizer of the world
William II. Hamilton, U. S. A., in Outing
Are Stones Alive?
We generally think of minerals as dead
-; MT ha, hn