Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-08-01

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ford hills on the other side Of the river
Then the fighting begins afar down
on the left. Franklin Is attacking
Jackson down there. They will Crap
pie on the plains-in the forest--on the
hillsides--and tonight they will count
their dead by the thousands,
Wait Wait! Wait!
1t Is nine o'clock eleventh is
noon, The thunder Of the battle be.
low has filled our ears oil these long
hours In our front the skirmishers
have kept up growing, but there has
been no fighting. We are sheltered
here. When we move out death will
hold high carnival. Hungry cold
apprehensive-we wait and wait. All!
Here comes the order at last! Watch,
nowl Five confederate regiments have
been posted behind that stone wall,
and the artillery on the hills has an
enAlading fire. It Is the Second corps
here In the town. Frenchs division
moves to the front-Kimball's brigade
takes the van. Then men throw away
knapsacks, haversacks-even their can,
teens as they move into position
Forward now-Kimball leading-the
other brigades behind--Hancock sup.
porting. Up the billy streets-clear of
the houses-and Kimball dashes at the
hill Crash Flannel Roar With the
euddenness Of o thunderclap hundred
cannon open fre-Ave thousand Mus-
kets blaze. Kimball is lost sight Of In
the fame and smoke-brigade after
brigade Is hidden from sight Of the sup
porting columns. Nve-ten-ffteen
minutes, and q wild mob falls back on
Hancock Not one single company has
kept Its organization amidst the hail
storm Of death. Hancock moves for
ward into the Aame-advances step by
step--stops--falls back, and more than
two thousand men lie dead or despcr-
ately wounded on front only quar-
ter Of mile wide. Not man behind
that stone wall has been grazed--not
dozen on the hillside wounded.
"lt's slaughter It's butcheryl'
shouted thousand men as they fell
back over the stony road, many Of
them leaving trails Of blood as they
moved, while the men behind the stone
wall cheered and cheered again.
Now Towards division comes up,
and the disorganized regiments are re-
formed for another attack. Disor.
ganized but not panic-stricken-- not
cowed. Men who limp with their
wounds take their places in the ranks
and move up to the second attack
The broad highway--the lanes-the
yards and gardens and village com.
mons are encountered with dead, and
the wounded cry out pitifully as the
ranks, sweep past on their way to
slaughter. With shout and cheer and
curse the blue ranks dash the graveled
highway as before, and again the hills
are shaken with the thunder of the
guns--again the sheets Of fame leap
out from the crest Of the stone wall to
scorch and wither and destroy. Men
stand In the roadway and lanes and
fields in logged and sullen way and
await death. Some remain after the
bugles sound retreat"
How many dead and wounded nowp
-Four thousand and morel Under cover
Of the smoke-cloud hanging about
Marys hill men In gray creep over
the stone wall and hold their canteens
to the lips Of the wounded and pity
them. Ask the men Of Cobb's brigade
and Of the Twenty-fourth North Caro-
lima and they will tell you that scores
OF their canteens were thus emptied
Now comes pause. There is fierce
fighting above and below us, but here
there is an ominous silence. Wounded
men come limping down the roadways
come crawling on hands and knees
come praying or cursing, and the plains
above are blue with their burden Of
death, officers growl and mutter,
Privates curse and threaten. No one
believes that we shall be ordered ikto
that slaughter pen again, but Brown
side is obstinate and determined. Up
comes Humphrey with his four thou
sand men, every company marching as
II on parade-every musket at right
Observation-Disclosures a musket loaded.
They are going to carry that stone
wall at the point Of the bayonetl Four
thousand men in the open, muskets un-
loaded, against FIVE thousand behind .
stone wall with their ammunition just
replenishedl We cry out against IT.
the wounded cry ort-even the dead
seem TO protest against the useless
slaughter. Up they go-marchl march,
--oyer the same track-over the dead