Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-03-01


senting the appearance of huge mon
ster clothed in folds of flashing steel.
On comes the enemy in its grand, full
pride. sure of crushing the beaten.
broken army of the Tennessee, in per-
feet step with arms at right shoulder
shift, seeming conscious of its might.
With blare of band and bugle the line
advances; we see it coming and won
der if some one will raise the white
flag. / load my gun and lie fiat on the
ground head downward; with teeth
tightly closed 1 await what seems our
sure defeat. Behind the front line
comes another andostill another The
woods are alive with them. On they
come; soon their lines begin to unfold
and develop; these movements are exc
cuted with exact step and with arms
still at right shoulder-shift
/ live an age In a moment. We are
startled by a cannon shot above us--a
signal for more. 1t is answered by
binding fash--a mighty roar The
earth trembles; something strikes me;
a darkness falls about me; smoke and
leaves and twigs and gravel and earth
fill the air. l start up affrighted, Won
dering If the heavens and earth are
coming together. 1t is the good even
ing' of Webster's great guns above us
to the bold, defiant confederate host.
Artillery along the line opens, and the
final struggle has begun
No white flag there Our cannoneers
are planting their shrapnel where it
will do the most harm, and it falls
amid the crowded mass of the enemy as
true as if it had been carried by hand.
The smoke before us lifts, and we see
beneath it the lines of the enemy, with
great gaps torn in them, closing up
and still advancing. We open upon
them line fire, the guns behind us are
still throwing case shot, the roar deaf.
ems and the smoke blinds for time.
Again it lifts and we see the gray line
staggering under the awful fire it faces
The gunboats take up the fight, but on
comes that determined line until only
corporals guard remain. We look
again. 1t has vanished-gone! An
other pushes on, to disappear like the
first Our line is blaze of fret is
volcano. 1t hurls defiance with its
shots at the proud, splendid bravery of
the enemy, who die but refuse to re-
treat.
The fight becomes fiendish; the enc
my concentrates its fire and brings into
action every available man and gun.
Arms are no longer at the right Shout
der, but are being used by experienced
men. The stubborn resistance of the
seemingly beaten federal army is a sur
prise to the legions of Beauregard. who
can neither crush or dislodge the blue.
The gray line trembIes almost as it
halts, wavers for a moment and then
suddenly falls back, the few that are
left firing as they go until the support
ing line is reached. Then we see real
discipline in battle. The retreating
line halts, closes up reforms on its sup
port See how deliberate and full of
action it becomes, maddened at the re-
pulse and burning to avenge the
fallen comrades! The fiery sons of the
south are again in perfect form, ready
to hurl themselves with their angry
impetuosity against their tired but I'M
daunted foe. For moment the gray
line is motionless; then all at once it
leaps forward with a mighty yell and
sweeps across the bloody space separat-
ing the blue from the gray. Following
the yell comes storm of leaden hail
full into our faces 1t is battle of the
giants A wild cheer from our line IS
hurled back upon them, ind shot an
swers shot The rosr Of artillery is i'm
cessant. The crash of musketry is
deafening. and the earth trembles
from the conclusion and shock. Watch
the play on the faces of the menl The
eye hnshss, the face grows wild and
grand, the form rounds out to It's full
est limit and the plain, dull soldier boy
rises into the grandeur and glory of
a Honeric god as he springs to his
feet. with no thought Of white flag or
defeat, full of desire to meet and de-
stToy the coming enemy. All individ-