Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-13

HllI OI the ROAD. his Helu glass DIT his eyes,
he showed against the sky, he and his
horse, sharply defined and motionless as
an equestrian statue. The bugler had
dashed down the road In The opposite di-
rection at headlong speed and disappeared
around a corner. Presently his bugle was
heard singing IN the cedars, and In an in
credibly short time single gun, with its
caisson. each drawn by six horses and
manned by It's full complement of gunners,
came bounding and banging up the grade
In storm of dust, numbered under
cover, and was run forward by hand to the
fatal crest among the dead horses. A
gesture of the captain S arm, some strange
ly agile movements of the men In loading,
and, almost before the troops along the
wheels, great white cloud sprang forward
shock, which turned up the white of the
forest leaves like a Storm the affair at
Coulter's Notch had begun.
1t is not intended to relate in detail the
progress and incidents of that CHASTITY
contest-a contest without vicissitudes, its
alterations only different degrees of des-
pair Almost at the instant when Capt.
Coulter's gun blew its challenging cloud six
answering clouds rolled upward from
among the trees about the plantation house,
deep multiple report roared back like
broken echo, and thenceforth to the end
the federal cannoniers fought their hope
less battle In an atmosphere of living iron
whose thoughts were lightning and whose
deeds were death.
Unwilling to see the efforts which he
could not aid and the slaughter which he
could not stay, the colonel had assembled
the ridge at point quarter of mile to
the left, whence the notch, itself invisible
but pushing up successive masses of smoke,
seemed to crater Of a volcano In thunder
ing eruption. With his glass he watched
the enemy guns, noting as he could the
effects of Coulter's fre-if Coulter still
lived to direct it. He saw that the feder-
al gunners, ignoring the enemy's pieces,
whose position could be determined by
their smoke only, gave their whole atten-
ton to the one which maintained its place
In the Cpen-the lawn in front of the
house, with which it was accurately in
line. Over and about that hardy place the
shells exploded at intervals of few sec
onds. Some exploded In the house as
could be seen by thin ascensions of smoke
from the preached roof. Figures of pros
trate men and horses were plainly visible
''If our fellows are doing such good
work with a single gun, said the colonel
to an aide who happened to be nearest,
they must be suffering like the devil from
six. Go down and present the command
er of that piece with my congratulations
on the accuracy of his fire. y
Turning to his adjutant he said: did
you observe Coulter damned reluctance to
obey orders"
Eyes. sir did"
''Well, say nothing about it, please. l
don t think the general will care to make
any accusations. He will probably have
enough to do in explaining his own con-
nectiOn with the uncommon way of anus
ing the rear guard of retreating enemy.
Colonel, said the adjutant, Il don t
know that ought to say to anything, but
there is something wrong in all this Do
you happen to know that Capt. Coulton is
from the south?''
mo; was he, indeed?"
II heard last summer the division
which the general then commanded was in
the vicinity of Coulter's home camped
there for weeks and
''L1sten!' said the colonel, interrupting
with an upward gesture. ''Do you hear
that?'
THAT was the silence of the federal gun.
The staff, the orderlies, the lines of infan-
try behind the crest, all had heard - and
were looking curiously in the direction of
the crater, whence no smoke now ascend
ed except desultory cloudlets from the
enemys shells. Then came the blare of a
bugle, faint rattle of wheels; a minute
later the sharp reports resounded with
double activity. The demolished gun had
been replaced with sound one.
Eyes, said the adjutant, resuming his
narrative, ''the general made the acquain-
lance of Coulter's family. There was
trouble don't know the exact nature of
its something about Coulter's wife. She
is a red-hot secessionist, as they all are,
except Coulter himself, but she is a good
wife and a high-bred lady. There was a
complaint to army headquarters. The
general was transferred to this division.
1t is odd that Coulter's battery should
afterward have been assigned to it. "
The colonel had risen from the rock
upon which they had been sitting. His
eyes were blazing with a generous indig-
nation.
See here, Morrison, said ne, looking
the gossiping officer straight in the face,
did you get that story from gentleman
or Harp
81 don't want to say how I got it, colon
ell, unless it is necessary he was blush
ing trife-.'but I'll stake my life upon
its truth, In the main. -
The colonel turned toward a small knot
of officers some distance away, Lieut..
WilliamsI' he shouted.
One of the officers detached himself from
the group and coming forward, saluted.
saying: Pardon me, colonel, [ thought
you had been informed. Williams is dead
down there by the gun. What can | do,
sir?"
Lieut.. Williams was the aid who had
the pleasure of conveying to the officer in
charge of the gun his brigade-comrand-
ers congratulations.
Co." said the colonel, land direct the
withdrawal of that gun instantly. Hold
I'll 90 myself.
Hestro1e down the declivity toward the
rear of the notch at break-neck pace,
over rocks and through brambles, followed
by his little retinue in tumultuous dis
order. At the foot of the declivity they
mounted their waiting animals and took
to the road at a lively trot round a bend
they encountered there was appalling.
Within that defle, barely broad enough
for single gun, were piled the wrecks of
no fewer than four-they had not noted
the silencing of only the last one disabled
The debris lay on both sides of the road,
the men had managed to keep an open way
between, through which the fifth piece was
now firing. The men? They looked like
demons of the pit! All were hatless, all
stripped to the waist. their reeking skins
black with blotches of powder and spatter-