Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-16
A FIELD BATTERY.
ONE OF WARS MOST AWE INSPIRING
sPEcTAcLES.

Light Artillery IN ActIon-A Crisis in
BnttIe--A Terrible Boomi Boomi of
Cannon--Charge of the Enemy-Horrors
OF War.
A battery is needed here at this particular
point. The enemy secs the opportunity and
throws u dense mass of men against it, The
crisis is approaching. An aide gallo, of
TO give the order TO tho nearest artillery. 1t
is over there on the adjacent knoll. The
aide has reached it; he points with his hand
where 1t is needed. Before he can turn his
horse around, guns and horses were all NOV
ing Can they get here in timel We must
hold this knoll; it is tho key point Of this
part of tho battle, and see, tho enemy is ad-
vancing for IA grand assault Quick order
up another regiment to support the battery
when il gets here. There it comes, flashing
at intervals through smoke and dust like
meteor. long train Of guns and caissons-
six, eight guns, and six, eight caissons, and
six, eight horses to each gun and caisson.
With a tremendous racket, they dash full
speed across folds, never turning to right or
left, heading straight for this knoll. Drivers
all lashing their horses into 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 inwardly that in few minutes more
many of them will bite the dust. They hold
OH to the chest handles for life, for as wheel
strikes 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, overtuTn hedges and
fences, all the horses galloping in cloud Of
dust. Hal one horse has fallen-yes, struck
by bullet. Tho men jump down from the
carriage, the battery goes on-in a moment
the traces are cut, and the poor horse left to
die The carriage, drawn now by five horses,
hurries to rojoin the battery. There, they
all go down a hollow, and disappear from
view for a moment-the next instant they
are up again.
Seel the captain gives sign What
changei AS il instantly turned to marble
every horse and carriage stops dead short
Then for five seconds what inextricable con-
fusioni Horses, men, guns and caissons to-
gether in a horrible jumble-then all is clear
again. There back in the hollow, sheltered
are the caissons-a little below the hill
stands the limo Of limbers, and hero on the
crest are the guns. What metamorphosisl
Tho statuelike cannoneers are now full of
life and excitementl Now cloud Of white
smoke and red flame suddenly shoots out of
the black mouth nearest, n terrible boom
rings out, then another and another. Boom
boom boom the great mouths yell with
horrible delight, and at each boom goes down
a wide swath of men in the advancing col |
uinn. Boolnl booml boom! they roar in
joyful glee, and yet at each boom thoy recou |
in horror at 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 Mt each booml booml booml |
The enemy for an instant halt, and then |
reform, on again and charge up the hillside. |
VIII nothing stop cent No, they are deter |
mined to havo the battery that causes such |
terrible destruction in their ranks, and though |
with each discharge wide lanes are opened in |
them, they do not falter Tho brave can
noneers are falling fast. Quickl Timber,
rear!n sounds the buglo, while the long sup
porting line Of infantry rises from tho hols
low, and pours volley after volley into the
determined foo. Hal he halts-he is checked
No. that is only temporary disorder See,
there he comes again, with Yell Obi how
terriblel Quickl 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 clubbed
muszets, fire their guns in each others faces,
blow off heads of men close by. Bloodl
Bloodl Bloodl
What is that9 Thank Godl The joyful
yell in our rear il from a reinforcement ar
rived just in time. The enemy sees it, he
gives way, there he goes-what is left of him.
That il 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
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 massl Horses with ontrails
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. Ohi the despair, the hatred
OF courage depicted on their countepancesi
And the strange positions they take-eyes
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,
ard that is the great civilizer of the world
William R. Hamilton, U. S. A, ia Outing