Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-07-07

ISM ao~ feit. troops may stand or lie
down, have the cover of breastwork
o, none at all. They may charge or be
a'arged, gain ground or be driven bsex
to a new line. However the battle goes,
the soldier sees only what takes place
In his liz mediate front.
And bow the opening of a battle
changes the nature of man! While
lie Is waiting for it to begin every nerve
Is strung to its utmost. He may be
brave man, but in that hour of waiting
he denies it to himself. He trembles.
lie doubts himself. He turns pale. and
his knees grow weak He would run
away but for his pride. 1t is pride and
not courage that holds him in his place.
He may be a man who has never uttered
an oath in the hearing of his comrades
man OF Christian principles. A minute
after the firing begins all the wicked
ness born in his soul begins to betray
itself. He shouts and raves and curses.
His facial expression is so changed that
his own brother could not identify him.
For the time being he is madman-a
devil. He cries: XIII. Kill Kill!'
even though in his excitement he fires
| among the tree tops or at the clouds.
This Is the excitement which numbs
all feeling in some men when wounded,
and they fight on unit, they happen to
catch sight Of their own blood and then
sink helplessly down. 1t is sort of
| nightmare in which no man can be held
| responsible for his words. and in which
no one notes the flight of time. To
some an hour seems day To others
the sun passes fror.. the MONDAY mark
to the edge OF the horizon SO swiftly
that they are amazed
For half a day Lees whole army had
hurled itself against the Federal lines.
Every foot of ground on that long front
| had drunk blood. The line was broken
only at one place, but that was fatal
| There the fight continued to rage until
| long after nightfall, but 1T last it grad
| ually died away, and Il solemn hush fell
| upon the bloody field. One NAV con-
| quer and yet be so near vanquished that
he has no strength for another blow. So
| 1t was with Jackson. He had broken
| the Federal line, but he could not fol-
| low up his advantage. Even if night
shattered commands, replenish his am
| munition and permit the wornout men
! food and sleep.
A battle does not cease at once. 1t is
| an hour or more in dying away. There
is suffering and growing here and
there, and men give mp their work of
| death grudgingly. : last hush comes.
| 1t Is absolute to the men who have been
| deafened by the roar for hours and
hours. 1t Is blessed relief, but they
| look at each other III alarm. The very
Stiffness trightens them. They have
! seen dead and wounded men before
them, to the right or left, in rear, for
! hours, but have scarcely given them Il
thought. Now when the hush comes
the frenzy gradually goes away, and
they stand appalled, at the slaughter
The hush does not last long. 1t is bro
! ken 10y the cries of the wounded-bv men
who have suffered pain and thirst and
| fear Tor long hours. There is nothing
known to living man which can be CON-
pared TO these cries rising flom a field
of slaughter as night comes down. Men
| who have suffered and made ne outcry
| while daylight lasted now seem to he
| seized with tear of the darkness. Men
who seemed to have been struck dead
are revived by the falling dew to plead
for life. Some call out in quavering
voices, like children when in the dark
ness. Some curse; some pray; some re-
| vile. Here and there enc, realizing that
he IS wounded unto death and that helr
will come too late. maintains silence.
With an effort which starts the red blood
afresh, he carries his hand to the pocket
III which lies photograph of sweet
heart or n last letter from the wife at
home, and the burial party finds his
dead fingers clutching the relic and his
glazed eyes fastened upon this last
glimpse of things mortal
The full horror of battlefield is re-
allied only at night. While darkness
shuts out a thousand horrible sights. i.
yet adds to the horrors. Here and there
parties searching for some officer. dead
or wounded move about with lantern
or torch to guide them. They step over
the dead. They tread upon hands and
arms outstretched. They slip and stag
! 50 VA NV 'l''tS Va cal III wei W IN biDbtl.
the wounded hear and see them moving
about. and they call out with renewed
strength for succor. A wounded horse
who has been lying down in IL pool of
blood sees the light approaching, and
there is something human in his whim-
perings. He pleads and coaxes. With
a great effort he gains his feet and hob.
bles along and utters his peadings and
reproaches.
On this battlefield of Cold Harbor are
nine or ten thousand dead men. ten O,
twelve thousand wounded. The living
and unhurt are exhausted with the day I
struggle, and the wounded must lie
through the night. There are no search
ing parties abroad, no details to give
succor. From forest and thicket and
field the cries of the stricken continue
hour after hour. but they cry in vain. L.
the swamp over which Hood charged
wounded men lap the water thick with
mud and slime. They struggle as they
sink slowly into the ooze, struggle and
shout and pray, but dig their OWL
graves, as it We're. and some of theil
| blaC IpnpQ homes ara ibera today Hero