Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-04-05

Rosser's rangers-guerril1a from Mos
by's command. There we're fragments
from every cavalry command we had
met on the turnpilSes of old Virginia,
and there wasn't n squadron which
wouldn't stand for charge The bat
tory began firing moro rapidly, and
there wasn't man of us who did not
realize what was coming long enough
before we got tho word. Some Of the
horses knew 1t, too. You could feel
them filing 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 com
pact 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 one thousand dragons,
but not numbering one e-half of that fig
ure, and body of five to one was NOV
ing down upon us. saw several of the
gunners look back. They saw the odds,
and wondered, perhaps, why we did not
run away.
"Attentionn
We had obeyed the order before it was
given.
Fright dress"
We were a minute ahead of the COM
mand.
"Forward-draw sabers-guide right
-trot!'
Ah We are off! The gray moves
north and the blue moves south. We
are going to meet in meadow below.
We must hold them back until infantry
supports can be brought 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-charger'
Death! Why, if one could die score
of times instead of only once there
would be no fear. 1 sit so lightly in the
saddle that my horse seems to have no
weight to carry. He skins over the
ground as if he hao wings, and begin
cheering and yelling in orus with my
comrades. 1t is a living missile of 500
men thrown at the front of 5000. What
n crash there will be! How horses will
go down and men pitch from their sad
dies! Afraid? No! Why, man, would
not miss this scene for years life! My
hand clutches the saber with strength
l did not know l possessed. / feel
hunger for blood such as never felt be-
fore.
"Yi! Yil Whoop-lah!" and we strike
them fair in the center. The five hun
dred have the greatest momentum, and
we drive through the three thousand as
a wedge is pounded into soft wood. Men
strike at me. There is a flash, flash,
and a pop! pop! of pistols. / strike
back. i feel the desire of the tiger to
slay.
"Rallyw
We have driven through the mass, and
the bugles sound the call to gather for
the return. The horses obey without
touch of the rein. 1t seems that the
whole living mass is riding in circle,
and that there is blood on every man
and horse. All of sudden we shoot out
from under the smoke-cloud into the
sunshine-not the five hundred, but the
three hundred-and the battery opens
again. We are to the right of it, and it
sends grapeshot into wild mob todrive
it back into the cover of the woods. 1t
is sight to look down over that field.
Five hundred dead and wounded men
and horses are lying there. 1t is only
as 1 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. have pistol ball
in my shoulder; and the blood is run
ming down my back from saber-cut on
the head.-Detroit Free Press.