Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-24

line during the momentary lull encouraging the men to make gallant stand, he heard well-known voice growing:
 Why n thunder didn't they giv' feller chance ter git a bite ter eat afore they driv us inter this fight.n
 "Oh, shet yer mouth, Max, UT gunner'll think it's cannon n ram swab inter it,' said a cheerful voice at his side. The Colonel recognized the gray. locks and slouch hat as belonging to Arkansaw Tom.
 Thank God the brave old fellow is still alive" said the Colonel.
 The enemy was determined to follow up every advantage they had gained, and again poured down upon the army they had driven from it's position. Hooting, yelling, shouting and screaming like so many tiends let loose from the internal regions, they again struck the Union line of battle. The roar of firearms and laundering crash of artillery made the earth and heavens quake.
 This was Shiloh all day long, It was as if hell had suddenly been uncapped, and tiends, fire and sulphur turned upon the earth. Shot and shell flew like rain among tho men and trees. There was no distinct firing, but a terrific, continuous roar, while the whole horrible scene was at times vailed by cloud of smoke. From out the lines of white vapor there issued continu- ous jets of flame which ran along from line to line, never entirely dying away.
 My God! what a scener' cried an officer near Colonel Mason.
 Well might he so exclaim. As soldier who was in the hornets nest once said to the writer:
 "N acas c day in hcN!''
 The incessant roar, the crash of cannon, falling of branches and even trees, cut down by the artillery, the dying men and horses, and rivulets so tinged by human gore as to look like streams of blood, with piles of slain ill every direction, made 1t seem like a day in perdition. The half of Shiloh never has been, and never can be told. Ten thousand incidents escape the minds of narrators every time they att tempt its description. The narrator only remembers that for hours the earth trem- bled, and men fell like grass before the scythe. Friend and foe were at times so intermingled that it was difficult to tell one from the other. Blinded by smoke, deafened by earthquaking-rep and burning with thirst they scarce were humans. The forest was filled with small game, such as abound in the woods. The poor little birds and ami mals paralyzed with fear, by that continu- ous roar and din, seemed incapable ot flight.
 Luke saw birds sitting on limbs from which they refused to stir until knocked of by the soldiers or hit by a stray shot. flares were so frightened that they sat crouched upon the ground until kicked over by the soldiers, and thea they would only hop away short distance and crouch to the earth again, too much terrified to leave the field.
 It seemed to Luke the longest day of hi. life. It seemed as if Joshua had again com manded the sun to stand still, and that it would never go down. Oh, that night or Buell. would come was the prayer of both officers and soldiers, for every body real tzed that this was Waterloo for one of the armies in the field
 It was five o'clock in the evening, and the Federals on the right and left of General Prentiss' brigade had fallen back, and the rebels taking the advantage they had over the brigade, swung their lines around to the rear of it. Luke discovered that their object was to flank them, and with what remained of his regiment succeeded in cutting his way through to the rear, thus escaping capture; for almost all the re mainder of the brigade was taken-witt them brave old General Prentiss
 It was nearly night when they finally fel back under bluff on which Colonel J. D Webster, of General Grants staff, had ar ranged about twenty-five pieces of artillery These cannon soon added their thunder tt the general din. Luke was sure he hat never seen artillery handled so effectuall, before. Their grape and canister moved down the Confederates, checked them, ans saved the Union army.
 Thus ended a day of carnage. Whe1 l night came the firing had almost ceased A cold rain fell during the night, but mer lay in their ranks on their arms, while al over the field went up the most piteou cries and groans of wounded that ever ca heard.