Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-13
THE SLEEP OF pEATH.
The Captain Did Not Know There Was :
 Fight.

fiSht-
 It was hot summer day, with bees and butterflies fitting ab5,it in tho woods and now and then tho song of n bird to greet the ear. There had been no picket firing for threc or four days, and although the enemy held the ground right up to the fence on the other side of the old cotton field and 25O, coo men were almost within cannon shot, girding up their Joins to do battle three days later, it was so quiet and peaceful in the woods where our reserve picket was stationed that men drowsod and nodded with muskcts in hand.
 The captain sat with his back to a tree and his face to the enemy smoking his pipe and reading n book. lny on my blanket smoking and watching him. By and by saw the book fall from his hands, his chin sink down on his breast, and I held up n warning finger to one of the men who was whistling us he got out his house. wife to mend n rent in his jacket. By and | by looked away from the captain across the field. Away over on the far side, in | the shadow of the grecn trees, I caught the flash of steel now and then. It was tho sun striking on gun barrel or bayonet in the hands of the enemy. Between me and the edge of the field n squirrel ran over the ground and made his way up n tree While he was yet barking, as if to call our attention, chipmunk came out | of his hole in the ground and sat on the | pile of fresh earth and whisked his tail | and chattcrcd mcrrily.
 l Suddenly n shot rang out from across the field. An accident probably or perhaps some soldier trying his aim on smaller game than n man. No one minded it. 1 thought heard the hum of the ball, but 1t might have been tho dronc of n bee. l turned on my back and was looking at the | branches overhead when a second shot made my pulses jump. This one was from l a cavalry carbinc and was fired by one of our own men in the gully at the edge Of the field. I sprang up to look, and for a moment the sight dumfounded me. Just breaking out of the woods on the far side, where they had como up and formed so quietly as to create no alarm, was n full brigade of the enemy. They were march | ing straight at us. It was not the begin ming of n battle, but a reconnaissance, q feeler to find the weak spot in the line a mile behind us.
 Pop! pop. pop! from the pickcts. March! marchl march! The 90 men of Us on that front were too small game for n brigade to open on.
 Captain. they nrc coming-a whole bri- gade. Don't you hear the firing
 Thus to the sleeping officer, but he slept on. There was no time to run and lay a hand on his shoulder.
 Fall in! Forward, march! Halt! Fire at will! Down on the ground, boys. and give it to 'cm hot, We've got to hold 'cm for q minute anyhow!'
 Ono lieutenant on dCtail-thc other back in camp-thc captain asleep behind us. Every instant I expected to hear his voice shouting orders hc passed along the short, weak line behind us, but 1t did not come.
 March. march! march! thought of a great wave of water sweeping inland as I peercd under the smoke and saw the brigade coming forward at common time and arms at right shoulder shift. Here and there one fell out as our bullets found their billcts, but n full battery of artillery playing grape and canister on that mov- ing mass could not have checked its mo mcntum.
 What shall We do. scrgcant' Run ol be gobblcd:"
 What shall WIG do, captnin''
 So they asked of nc. and sn I asked oi the captain. though he was not thcrc. Now we can make out individual faces. Now we can almost tell the color of tho eyes In thrce minutes morc the wave will swCrI over the ground on which we are lying.
 Captain! Captain! Whcrc's the cap tain' We cant fight whole brigadc. " Ono moro vullcy. men, and then fal l back"'
 The vollcy was given, and We rose up tc make n run for it. Too late! Every EuI in the front rank of the brigade cam down from the shoulder and up tn tn face. and after the crash uf nuSketry then were five of Us left to take to fliEht-On on, on past the dead and the sleeping an' close up to the battle line Thcrc q diVi ; sion opened fire, assisted by artillery, an' the onward movement was checked. Tel minutes of hard fighting. and the brigad [ | was routed. We followed tho broken rrgi ments back and recovered our lost ground There were dead and wounded hero an there, but I looked for tho sleeping cap tain. Therc he sat, the same as when tn alarm sounded.
 Captain! Captain Dust! Wake ur Don't you know thcrc has been n flghtf'
 He did not move. l shook him ruughl by the shoulder, and the body topplcd owe to the right. Captain Dust WAS dead dead from the bullet whose hum l ha heard and likCncd it to tho drono of bet Death came as he slept. Tho hall foun his heart. and he had not so much q moved n finger. M. QUAD.