Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-09-14

was running away TO save his life, but
from some menace which he could feel
and not yet understand. An army Of
forty thousand men bravely pushing
ahead and feeling victory in the air will
leave its dead at every wall, and fence,
and creek, and on every slope, and
cheer and cheer as it pushes on. The
same army, IL withdrawn for any rea-
son. will be so worked up inside of half
an hour that the bursting Of u shell
will break the formation of a whole
brigade.
II Is the rear guard a general looks to
with deepest concern when compelled
TO withdraw In the face of the foe. II
Is the post of honor for some one seek
ing death. 1t is the place of all TO try
the nerves of the oldest veterans. A
victorious army is jubilant and agrees
sive. A defeated one is nervous and
fearful. The rear guard steps in be-
tween the wolf and its prey. 1t must
retreat, but it must fight us II falls
back There will be dead men, but
they will not even be moved aside to
escape the wheels The wounded may
Ic placed in the fence corners or
dropped into the bitches, but there will
be no time for gentleness.
Here we swing into the main road, up
which the last hurrying, struggling
company has disappeared. There are
q swamp and long causeway between
us and the enemys advance. Up the
road they are trying TO save the wagon
train. We must give them half an hour.
Our two guns are planted to sweep the
narrow road, and never man lives TO
get within pistol shot Then he push
es forward a column Of infantry. They
fiji the road and overflow into the
swamp, where ooze and water are hip
deep. We shell them-we change to
grape and cannister--we I'LL the black
waters of the swamp with dead men.
But there are five Thousand men form
ing that living, moving wall-one thou
sand of US. They push forward their
artillery, Their infantry creep for
ward from tree to tree and from bush
TO bush, aud we are driven. II is either
retreat or humiliation. We leave our
dead and wounded and fall back. The
enemy cheers again As he advances,
and we turn and fire and push on again.
|
| dead to bury, more wounded to care
for; but, alas! we dare not stop tc
count our own loss.
Here are wounded men sitting by the
roadside or lying at full length on the
grass. Some rise up and hobble pain
fully along with us: others beg toi
water and fall TO weeping. We cannot
be burdened. We cannot even be mer
ciful We are the rear guard-not her,
to save a hundred but thousands. Al
the foot Of the hill are two broker
wagons, an ambulance with n wheel of
heap OF knapsaclSs and musketi
thrown away by weary and fearful
men; half way up the hill more aban
doned wagons and two or three dying
horses; at its crest caisson and NOR,
spoils for the enemy.
"llaltl Here we check them againl'
The guns are planted and the infan
try positioned and we can see that tn,
highway clear back to the swamp Is
mass OF moving men. Thirty 90 one
perhaps, but we must fight II is onl,
when they overflow into the forest an,
and field and are on our tanks that tn
guns are linbered up and we fall back
Across plain for half a mile, pas
farmhouse and its barns and orchard
and the highway turns TO the left AM
enters the forest We halt at the turn
There Is just time to draw long breatl
when the head OF the wild beast scent
ing our bloody footprints comes int
view. Our shells scream down tn
dusty highway and mingle blood wit
dust They rend and tear and main
and kill, but the living wall is no
checked. Then grape and canistc
whir and whistle md scream, and tn
muskets of our infantry blaze an
craclSle, but we cannot stem the tide
Even as we are ready to fall back on
OF our guns is dismounted, and we mus
help the horses draw away the otheI
There are more dead and wounded
only skeleton command TO Stage
back and look for another position.
Here the highway leaves the wood
and nscends strong hill, The after
noon has wanod and the sun "a disap
pouring, Half way up ;he hill the las
horse falls In his tracks, and we dral
the cannon and its caisson up by hand
1t Is our last stand. The army is SAT
and can ask no more ot MS. as we bin
up each others hurts we can hear th
foe cheering down the road Five mir
utes later the last shell is fred. Their
Is no more grape, no more canister
Gun and caisson are overturned int
the ditch. We hold the hill for te
minutes with FIRE OF musketry whie
iaAElA t,n RRainAt the evening sky like