The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-01-29


hind high rail fence distant not $50
yards away. | could not distinguish
the uniform. and | was not aware of
the direction from which our ri6emen
were to enter the battle.
My God. said the General" that
is the enemy
We were upon them before we were
aware of their close proximity. They
discovered rs. too. at once and were
preparing for the greeting.
Get out of the road!" shouted the
General. There was clump of trees
on either side of the highway upon
which he had thus far advanced.
Get out of the road! Don't you
see they are bringing the battery to
bear upon us from the hill yonder?'
| looked. and white puff of smoke
greeted my vision; and the same in
stant-
WhiZ-Z-whur-r-c
Went u shell right between the Gen
eral and his staff. and it bounded down
the road, exploding in our rear.
The General addressed me again:
Get out Of the road and gallop back
and have the cavalry moved on the
flank of that line yonder in the field"
Another shell came in the meantime
and made the air resonant with the
flying fragments.
Then there Was a voley of rifles and
faint cheer near to our nanks-for
our infantry were now moving out of
the woods and opening the battle in
earnest.
Captain Hart, too. had come, and he
unlimbered his guns on the battery on
the hill in our front-though he soon
turned his aim to the infantry line that
was nearer-and heard the shots rat
tling upon the rails behind which the
enemy had fallen.
Thank God, the infantry are here,
said one. They are the men whose
shoulders move the wheels on to vic
tory. | heard the commanding Gen
eral shout as the long line came hurry
ing on uSt as the men emerged from
the skirt of woods.
fence!n
A red and white and blue line of fire
answered from the enemy.
Fall down, and iire!' | heard an
officer shout.
Alas, many had already fallen-fall-
en- to rise no morei
Half a hundred men of II regiment
stood up, and their irregular fire rat
tied mockingly along the fence.
1t was the work of but Il moment,
for n whole brigade in our front an
swered the fire of our little band. The
battery rained grape and canister
and Shrapncl against the brigade, and
now the battle had joined in awful
earnestness all along the line.
Battery replied to battery. hostile
brigade replied to hostile brigade. with
sheets of iron and leaden fire. There
were in the terrific ain the hurtling
shot, the screaming. screeching shell,
and whistliug whirr of the deadly
mimic. Amid the roar were the shouts
of command. the wailing shrek of the
wounded and the means of the dying.
The hours were passing, the musketry
was roaring with an unbroken note.
the batteries were believing at each
other; suddenly there was deep, dull
thud-a mighty force which at once
shook the whole battlefield. Two
heavily-laden caissons were blown up
simultaneously. Then there was an
other sound which could not he mis-
taken. There was lull in the firing
on our right. and the whole earth
seemed to be laboring and groaning.
Thousands stood listening amid the
horrid hell!'
"Oh, it was the charge Of the caval-
ry!
Charge! charge! shouted the throats
of i dozen officers and the bugle blasts,
ringing out family in the din, ming
glCd and died away i'll the fierce shout
ing of the sguadronS.
Boom! boom! boom! went the artil-
lerv bosses.
Clang! cIang! clang! rang out the
glittering sabers. rs they lcaped from
the scabbard.
1t was, however, but an instant of
awful chorus when the wailing cry of
Waterloo, sauve qui puet.-''save him.
self who can.'--weut up before the on
rushing squadron of furious horse
men, who broke out in the wild shout
of victory that deadened the guns
along the whole line-and troops on
the right--troops on the left-troops in
the center-all caught the notes; and
there was one long and terrific thun-
der note of victory! The cheers of in-
fantry men greeted the shouts of cav
alrymen-while the little squad about
the artillery-brave fellows with bands
of red upon their uniforms, cried out,
as the defeated were seen flying in
stricken masses in front.
'Hurrah for our batterym
And well might the living victors
shout!
And well may the dead rest-friend
and foe in sin one red burial blent."
atlanta Constitution