Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-02-11
Left On the Field.

of da ylight amidst groans and pray
ers and curses-to wear away a night
which seemed years long. while men
shrieked in agony and died-while
wounded horses sighed and groaned
and dragged themselves along-while
ghouls prowled over the blood-red
grass and wet their fingers in warm
blood as they searched the bodies of
dead and wounded for plumber?
Forward !" came the order.
| looked up and down the line as
we left the cover of the woods, and
the regiment was dressed as if on
parade. We were the battlefront of
a brigade, and were going to charge a
battery half mile away. No skirm-
ishers out-no firing. The battery
was belching away under cloud of
blue smoke, and the ground was open
and clear.
Tramp! tramp! tramp! No lag.
ging-no forging ahead. Common
time-march march march It
was snail's pace, but we were to in
crease it. The left of the line was
swinging ahead little as the i'm.
patient men increased their steps,
when suddenly the enemy discovered
our maneuver. There was lull in
the firing for fifteen seconds as the
battery changed front, and then a
shell tore through our center and bat
tered six or eight men into bloody
pulp.
"Double-quick-charg and away
we went, each man shutting his teeth
hard as he entered the smoke cloud,
from under which the red tongues of
death leaped forward to scorch and
wither dozens and scores and humid
reds.
A grim veteran at my left raised a
cheer. 1t was yet on his lips when a
grape.shot tore hole through his
breast and sent him into dry ditch,
dead before he struck the grass. Two
boy brothers on my right halted fol
an instant as the grape and canister
shrieked around them. l looked
back and they were gone-dead under
the feet Of the second line.
How far it was How long it took
us to pass over that quarter of a mile
Now we see shadows around the
guns-now the powder flame burn:
our faces-now we are cheering and
shooting and using the bayonet. The
guns are ours Men fall to the
ground as they step into the pools OF
blood. Every gun has its blood-stair
every wheel is covered with Grim
son spots. Men died before the guns
around them-behind them. We
cheer-hip! hip! hui!
Where am l? The afternoon sky
is overhead-the roar of battle is in
my ears-I am lying on my back on
the ground. What does it mean
How came this? Heavens What
a burning, blistering, gnawing sensa'
ton in my left leg above the knee
| am wounded, and l am lying where
first went down. The guns were
here, but they are gone now-part Of
them captured-part of them dragged
away by hand. The tide of battle
has shifted, and over this meadow the
dogs of war are tearing at each others
threats.
Is there any one else here Z lift
my head. Any one else Great
God but the field is covered with
dead and wounded-with men with.
ing and groaning-with fragments Of
bodies-with pale-faced dead-with
blood-stained dying l can touch
the dead on either side, and close be.
hind me piteous voice calls out:
"Comrade, for the love of Heaven
give me drink y
That pain again. Is the leg being
roasted over slow fire? Scream and
shrek and clutch the grass and keep
company with thousands Of Others
who are being tortured to insensibility
by pain or driven to distraction by
the still .continued carnage.
All! 1t is night. The falling dew
has brought more than one poor
soldier back to life and renewed suf
fering. The batteries are silent
The muskets are resting after their
deadly work. There is silence-no
From woods and meadow and knoll
and valley, from almost every yard Of
ground on that long battlefront, ris,
groans and cries and prayers aud
pleadings. A general prides himseli
on a strategic movement-a colone
will be promoted for bravery--a major
] is fattered by the cheers of the living
"a captain is proud that his mel
stood like a stone wall, and the result
is five thousand dead and wounded
and mangled men-fathers, brother
and sons.
This is glory. Scream and shrek
but some one has won fame. Pray
and plead and rave and curse, blu
the telegraph is flashing the news of
glorious battle over the country
The enemy has not retired ms vet