Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-14
CHAPTER XVII.

Not one soldier in a hundred more than catches a glimpse of battlefield. He seldom sees what takes place outside of his own regiment. When two great armies srappIe, they must have room. The 1t may be three, four, five or six miles long. The lines of battle run across open fields, through the woods, over hills, across highways, through orchards. AS soon as the firing begins the smoke shuts in the vision to the right and left. Troops may stand or lie down, have the cover of breastwork or none at all, They may charge or be charged, gain ground or be driven back to a new line. However the battle goes, the soldier sees only what takes place in his immediate front.
 And how the opening of battle changes the nature of man! While he 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 trembIes. He doubts himself. He turns pale, and his knees grow weak. He would run away but for his pride. It is pride and not courage that holds him in his place. He may be d man who has never uttered an oath in the hearing of hls comrades man of Christian principles. A minute after the firing begins all the wicked ness born in bis soul begins to betray itself. He shonts 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
 
 even though in his exci- ment he fires among the tree tops or at the clouds.
 This is the excitement which numbs all feeling in somo men when wounded. HnT they light on until they happen to catch sight of their own blood and then sink helplessly down. It is a 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 from the monday mark to the edge of the horizon so swiftly that they are amazed.
 For half day Lee B 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 at last it grad ually died away, and a solemn hush fell upon the bloody field. One may 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 had not come he must reorganize his shattered commands, replenish his ann intuition and permit the wornout men food and sleep.
 A battle does not cease at once. It is an hour or more in dying away. There is sputtering and growing here and there, and men give up their work of death grudgingly. At last hush comes. It is absolute to the men who have been deafened by the roar for hours and hours. It is blessed relief, but they look at each other in alarm. The very stiffness frightens them. They. have seen dead and wounded men before them, to the right or left, in rear, for hours, but have scarcely given them a thought. Now when the hush comes the frenzy gradually goes away, and they stand appalled, at the slaughter. The hush does not last long. It is bro ken by the cries of the wounded-by men who have suffered pain and thirst and fear for long hours. There is nothing known to living man which can be com pared to these cries rising fiom field of slaughter as night comes down. Men who have suffered and made no outcry while daylight lasted now seem to be seized with fear 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 mess. Some cqrset some pray some re-