Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-02-22
on THE FIELD OF RATTLE.

mile in the rear, are the first of them
They have been killed by solid shot o.
bursting shells. They are lying in
heaps, and in nearly every case the
face is covered by poncslo or blanket.
Down this front of mile in length we
find dead man here and there as we
advance, sometimes two or three to-
gether but there are no wounded.
They were removed under fire. Half
mile in the rear of the battle line we
come upon the first of the men killed
by the muslet fire. They were not
really under fire. but acting as sup
ports, and yet the ranks lost heavily
1t is curious to note the positions of
the dead where the bodies have not
been interfered with. Nine out of ten
are lying broad on their backs with
arms outstretched. Their feet are
pointed all around the compass, but
more of them lie with their heads to the
east than in any other direction. The
men shot in the head are lying at full
length. those below the neck have one
leg drawn up and their fingers are
cenched. There is not on any face
what you would call look of pain or
anguish aud neither do you find smiles
or placidity Look into the faces of
one hundred men killed in battle and
you viii find the same general express
sion, whether old or young. IL is n
look Of surprise or fear. This look rests
90 TIE faces of men killed in their
racks as il were. The MORALLY
wounded man NAV turn on his side to
die, and you may find him with a smile
% his Gee. He has had time to breathe
prayer: to think of his wife and
children and home; to realize that his
hour has come.
The battle line runs across high
way, over an old cotton field, across a
meadow and into the woods. The men
made breastworlxs of rails and dirt. At
one spot they had the cover of stone
wall, at another the banks of a wind
ing creek. Here was where a brigade.
without the slightest cover, rushed in
to hold a gap in the line. The dead
and wounded lie just asthey fell-five
dead to one wounded. The enemy
used grape and canister from battery
planted on that ridge. and the missiles
nd terrible execution. Here along the
oreastworks the troops were lying
down and fred from that position.
Nearly every dead man still rests at
iul length on his stomach, though
their faces seem half buried in the
grass Many of the muskets still rest
across the breastworlxs. Here for three
hundred feet we cannot find wounded
man. Most of the dead were struck in
lhe face or throat.
With his back to the wall sits dead
nan who probably lived an hour or two
alter be was hit. His knees are drawn
% Tor a rest for his arms. and his head
thus supported Next on his eft is
'aptain lying on his back with his out
stretched right arm still holding the
sword, and that sword rests across the
O'dy u another dead man The officer
vas struck fairly between the eyes by
1e billet His lips are parted as II
snouung command when death came.
We hesitate for a moment and then
Yep over the breastworlks and advance
!" NE creek At this spot it was mid
ay between the combatants. Night
Nlore last friend and foe filed their
santeens here, sometimes elbow to ell
N' but purposely ignoring each
e'oers presence. Here is the horror OF
-e battlefield We knew it would be
ont were impelled to come.
he banks Of the creek are nowhere /
- than two feet high, in some places
y are five or six The bed Of the /
se4n IS six or eight feet wide. but the /
~ Of the water only half that and
IN SIX inches to a foot deep On a
l.a' Of half mile all the wounded on
- sides who could creep or pull them
&c along inch by inch made for this
-. as fighting ceased They reached
oan.rs and flung themselves down
~. hlled the bed from bank to bank. /
H1s three, four. or i've deep Here