New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-03-13

UGlX6Ge
en- the eye and send the blood conrsingl
through ths veins. They 90 about their
work in nethodical fashion that
dampens ardor as water quenches fire.
They mock q soldier q mbition for plo-s
~. There is something in the calcutta.
ton, the preparation, to remind him
that, after all, the gold lace, the feath-
ers, the martial music, are but to cause;
him, like the pampered sacrifice, to for
get what he Is for to be shot.
But Mark Maynard was veteran.
and had seen all this before. He gave.
the ambulance corps a single glance.
and then, locking toward q group Of
Union officers partly concealed from
him BY the smoke Of the battery, saw
one Of them, with the stars Of briga--
der general on his SHOULD der, peer north
ward through q feldglass. Turning his
eyes in the same direction, he could SEQ
q light cloud rising west Of Ringold.
He watched it and observed that one
end Of it was trending toward ford,
north Of Reed 81 ridge. The officer soon
shut MP his glass, and in another mo-
5ment aids were galloping away to give
orders to .1treat. a column Of Confed-
crates, extending for miles, were march
ing to the ford to turn the Onion left,
and no time was to be lost in aetting
the little force back to the bridge.
There is a quick limbering of guns,
and skirmishers, cavalry, gunners, all
hurry back over the ridge. Atthe bridge
they find two regiments ready for any
duty to which they may be assigned.
They are directed to hold the ford to
which the column Of dust is moving.
Protected in that direction, the force at
the bridge awaits more confidently the
coming Of the advancing Confederates.
They have not long to wait. The Skin
mishers, thin line Of gray, are soon seen
scurrying over the ridg like light scat
tered clouds before white squat. y
The main line of gray is still tramping
over the Pea Vine valley, keeping the
slow pace Of their heavy guns The I'm
ion men do not wait for the stronger
force. They turn upon these skirmishers
and drive them back through the gap
to their more slowly moving comrades.
Mark. Maynard, following with the
rest. soon again found himself on the
ridge. There, in the valley below, was
the line Of battle he had seen, but near
or, crescent shaped line extending
from the bank of the creek above the
ford across the northern end of the ridge
into the Pea Vine valley. Battlefiags
appeared above the line at regular inter-
vals Each one of Is flags Maynard
counted, indicating "a regiment. He
knew that the little Union force east of
the Chickamauga could not stand
against what appeared to be at least a
division Of infantry, with very strong
force of cavalry. Nor was he wrong.
The scythe swung round as if moved
by the arms of Titan, moving with
its sharp edge the opposing Unionists.
They We're sent flying back to the bridge
and hurriedly put themselves into po-
sition to defend it. $ ~-
They are ready for the storm when it
breaks, meeting it with artillery and
charges Of cavalry. The Confederates
are driven, but by this time their artil-
lery has been got forward and posted at
point north of the bridge, where it can
sweep the valley of the creek, the bridge
and those whose purpose it is to defend
it. *+
Now there is imminent danger. Will
the little force on the east bank get
over, or will it be cut off and captured
by these overwhelming Confederates?
1t can only be saved by one portion
charging the enemy while the others
are moving by twos (the bridge will
stand no more) across the structure.
Among those who charged and re-
charged to keep off the gray coats swarm
ing upon them on that eventful morn
ing, always in the advance, in the spit
ting line Of foam that precedes the bill
low rolling upon the sand, Mark May
nard was ever present. AS each wave
rolled from the margin of the Chicka-
manga broke upon the southerners and
receded a number of the Union troops
had passed the bridge. -
Maynard waited till every man was
over. Then,> stepping on the bridge, he
Joined party who were tearing up the
flooring to prevent the enemy from fol-
lowing. At last these left for the shore,
and he remained alone. AS board after
board came up the Confederates pushed
nearer, but still he worked on. Bullets
sang to each other as they passed from
east to west and from west to east,
while the air was thick with intermin-
able explosions. At last all was done
that could be DONE Whether his action
had SO excited the admiration Of his enc
mics that they had no heart to shoot
him or whether an oyerruling power
would not let him die, he at last turned
unhnrt and Joined his comrades
He had been exposed as never before,
as he might never be again, but he had
not meG death.
\ CHAPTER XXIu ,s..
THE NINETEENTH OF SEPTEMBER.
Seldom has an army been in a more
critical position than the Army of the