Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-10
INTO A MAELsTRoM OF DEATH.
The Strange Exultation Attending Caval.
~ Charge.

NV ~ ~ NfHGGS hSNf VT OCh
The Strange Exultation Attending Caval.
~ Charge.
We had been held in reserve on the
second day at Gettysburg so long that
men and horses became nervous and
afraid. Ny horse was an old veteran
who would drop his head and pick at
the green grass with battery firing on
either side of us, but as the moments
dragged away on this occasion he
evinced woman's nervousness. /
looked down the lines and saw that the
alignment was constantly being broken
by the horses backing up or forging
ahead. They could see the fighting to
the right and in front and the smoke
from the Union battery to the left and
in front of us drove back and over us
and the horses breathed it in and blew
it out of their nostrils in gasps.
A tremor of eXcitement-a sort of
shlver-ran down the line.
The wind had shifted bit to blow
the smoke to our left, and down across
the meadows we saw the Confederate
cavalry forming with the green woods
for background. Jeb. Stuart's men
were there-Ashby's men-men from
Hampton's Legion - Imboden's Vir-
ginians -Rosser's Rangers = guerillas
from Mosby's command. There were
fragments from every cavalry COM
mand we had met on the turnpikes of
old Virginia, and there wasn't a
squadron which wouldn't stand for a
charge. The battery began firing more
rapidly, and there wasn't man of US
who did not realize what was coming
long enough before we got the word.
Some of the horses knew it too. You
could feel them filling their lungs and
stringing up their nerves for hard work
The troopers in gray wheeled into
line under fire which must have tried
the nerves of the bravest, and then the
compact mass got the word to advance
They were coming for our battery,
which was without infantry supports.
There we stood, two thin, short lines,
representing thousand dragons, but
not numbering one-half that figure, and
a body of five to one was moving down
upon us. | saw several of the gunners
look back. They saw the odds and
wondered, perhaps, why we did not run
away.
''Attention!'
We had obeyed the order before it
was given.
Right dress!''
We were a minute ahead of the com.
mand.
Forward draw sabers-guide right
-trot!''
All! We are off! The gray moves
north and the blue moves south! We
are going to meet in the meadow be-
low. We must hold them back until
infantry supports can be brought up.
Every man knows that he is moving
down into a maelstrom of death, but
no one lags. A strange exultation
creepS into the heart. 1t is as if you
had heard some grand, good news and
wanted to shout over it and tell every
body of your good luck.
"Gallop-charge!"
Death! Why if one could die a score
of times instead of only once there
would be no fear. l sit so lightly in
the saddle that my horse seems to have
no weight to carry. He skins over the
ground as if he had wings, and begin
cheering and yelling in chorus with my
comrades 1t is living missile of 500
men thrown at the front of 5000.
What a crash there will be! How
horses will go down and men pitch
from their saddles! Afraid? No! Why,
man, would not miss this scene for a
years life! My hand clutches the saber
with a strength l did not know | pos
sessed. feel q hunger for blood such
as never felt before.
"Yi! vi! Whoop - rah!' and we
strike them fair in the center The
800 have the greatest momentum, and
is pounded into soft wood. Men strike
at me. There is a flash, flash, and a
pop! pop! Of pistols. strike back.
feel the desire of the tiger to Stay.
''Rallyr'
We have driven through the mass,
and the bugles sound the call to gather
for the return. The horses obey it with
out touch of the rein. 1t seems that
the whole living mass is riding in cir
Gle, and that there is blood on every
man and horse. All of a sudden we
shoot out from under the smoke-cloud
into the sunshine-not the 500 but the
3OO-and the battery opens again. We
are to the right of it, and it sends
grapeshot into wild mob to drive it
back into the cover Of the woods. 1t
is a sight to look down over that field.
Five hundred dead and wounded men
and horses are lying there. 1t is only
as sit on my horse and look over the
field that | begin to feel weak and grow
frightened. My head begins to swim
things grow dark, and some one
helps me to the ground. I have pistol
ball in my shoulder and the blood is
running down my back from saber-