Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-12-04
VI"
and Battle

IS; S: ; An: !:
~n,,s;Nk-f GEIJack son a T.
| -zg11ssssr...IItifSSSS.lL. Antiatam. 1t
! sS1R1R4tss5SAsss rSttS SIli(AlM was one of the
'aHI..TsaI As.sS!a sif fssSHh mysteries Of
! sSSatts + Ir rsl war that he
! lS}Hlhl H. VII ~ did not ami
| tVIN,IzzH MSssf1 d ISEI&y ilat,e him
s=ts''''''" and then take
| Lee in flank. We outnumbered him,
md we eNtesded our lines until only
4 skirmish line of gray opposed us,
but on no hsld Of battle in the whole
war did. the Confederates fight so
| fercely. 1t seemed as if every single
company had been told to hold it's
ground until the last man was wiped
out. We breasted up to the gray
lines time, after time, but they would
not give back. They faced us and
died. 1t they lost rcd. of ground.
they charged back and recovered two..
L REMAINDER how the corn waved
and rustled as we pushed through. il
| that daN-how the sillsen tassels be-
game detached and tloated into our
faces like spider-webs on a dcwy su1n-
mer's, morning. They were waiting
for usr-the men who, came up from
Harper's Ferry without halt-fb0t-
sore,. hungry, thirsty, but ready to
die, To save Lees left wing. They
made; never a halt to moister their
! parched Threats At the wells of
Slaarf,sburg-nevera halt for. the lag
CARDS to come up. Lee was in; danger,
and old Stonewall rode at their head.
The politicians simply slur them.
Those who breasted up against them
on the battlefield remember only
how CALAMITY they died.
AT first scattering fire-a man
falling out here and there. The pop!
pop! pop! increases in rapidity-now
| it becomes a continual roar-here
comes the command to charge, There
is Il chcer-~-a rush - and we are
checked. Men cannot dodge bullets,
but we dodge as they zip and spit
and whistle by our ears. A storm of
bullets cannot be breasted like gale
OF wind laden with snowtlakes, but
we bend OR heads and advance.
What is, it? Why am / lying on
the ground? Is the fight over that
the din of battle has so nearly died
! away? wonder and wonder. 1t is
like waking out Of a sound slumber
Now know what it is-I'm hit. A
bullet has crashed into my shoulder
spun me around like a top, and then
dashed me to the earth in a heap.
| Men struck that way lose conscious
ness for "a minute or two. The roar
| swells out again; l hear men cursing
and cheering, and | finally under
stand that our lines have been driven
back. | lift my head for hasty
look around, and l find that l have
lots of company. The dead and
wounded are as numerous as corn
hills.
a bullet in the shoulder is nothing.
A pint or two of blood lost from the
body is of no account. | t.lrn over.
seize a dead man by the arm and pull
myself up, but everything dances
before my eyes, and | sink down in a
heap. 1t isn't the wound itself, but
the shock of the nervous system. I've
seen a siX-footer drop in a heap and
cry like woman becausca bullet had
made one of his fingers an inch
shorter, and he was never charged
with being coward, either.
There is no such thing as time on
a battlefield. a general may watch
its flight, but a private soldier has nc
thought of it. The sun may have
been seen at the meridian when the
battle was opened. All OF a sudden
he is amazed that the orb has gone
from sight. He had fought on, givin!
no heed to time.
Only half conscious-only half real.
iZing that | was hit by and by felt
the cool breeZes of evening and lest
the glare of the sun. Some one gave
me water, but l felt too dreamy tc
open my eyes. Some one pulled T;
dead man off my legs-a wounded
comrade who had crept over to me il
search of water and died. But | die
not open my eyes; l could not. II
seemed as if great weights had beer
placed on my eyelids to keep then
shut. There was a babel OF sound!
around me, but l heard only one
voice. InaJ sounded miles away, a:
it said
"Now, then. you will be might,
keerful how you tote that boy, TO-
he's been powerfully hit. Needn''
mind me so much. though I reckon
I'm good for a wooden leg if YOU
Ianks kin spare the timber!"
1t was a 'rebel." He'd been caring
for me for hours as tenderly as h,
would for his own son, and yet the.
separated us that night never to NEE
again. | have meyer had opportunit,
to look into his face and thank him
/ never even saw him.
;. Pride Makes Men Brave.
when l run across a man who saw
be has never known what fear is re