The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-05-22
9uaersa,. gt|telligenset,
THE CRISIS OF BATTLE.
A Thrilling Picture of the Dread Reall-
ties of War.

It is the crises of the battle-the
hour in which the victory will be de-
cided! So it was at First Bull Run
at Aptietam-at Gettysburg-at
Chancellorsville-so it was in every
great battle of the war. There came
a moment when the roar of musketry
died away to crackle-when the ar
tillery only growled here and there
when you caught che cries of the
wounded above the uproar.
It is 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Just as the summer mist was rising off
the fields this morning, making the
soldiers look like specters as they
moved through the woods, Grant
flung forward Hancock's corps to
grapple with the watchful andtsturdy
Lee. Cannon were laundering and
musketry volleying before one could
see the redness in the east. Five
hundred men lay dead or wounded as
the sun looked into their faces. From
that hour to this we have been fight
ing. We have advanced and been
pushed back -retreated and recovered
our ground. We; have charged and
been charged. Reinforcements have
come to us-the corps of Hill has been
strengthened .time and again. Right
here on these hundred acres of field
and. forest has been the real grapple.
The fighting right and left. has been
only apart of; the plogramme-has not
been torgain or lose. ''A'- '''e''s .-''a-''
There have been breathing-spells at
intervals-a quarter of an hour when
human endurance reached the limit
and we had to fling ourselves down to
rest. Canteens have been reflled
again and again with the horrible wa.
tiers of the swamp, and men who could
find anything to appease their hunger
have eaten it as they rested in battle
line. To the right, the left-in front
and rear are dead and wounded men
dead and wounded horses from the
batteries. During the intervals some
of the less severely wounded rise up
and hobble towards US, or being una
BILE to reach their feet pull themselves
over the ground. Somes cry sout in
agony--some call to US as ;ifaffighted.
It is often SO with men hit in battle
and left behind or between the lines.
The shock of the bullet unnerves
ssTheysfear being hit again, or
being tranpIedS under foot BY charg-;
ipgNc yalrysor ground into. .ethe earth
BY She sheayy wheels ofbhe field
6ieces. They sob like { children as
they hug the ground-they call llsout
like frightened women as they drag
themselves along towards trees and
stumpsI and fences .. e,
Down ON the right thousands Of
muskets are still volleying; down on
the left our lines are cheering as they
repulse charge. Here on this hell
spotit has suddenly grown strangely
quiet. Grant has been watching and
is going to make new move on the
chessboard of battle. Lee has been
watching, and over beyond the forest
masses Of men in gray are hurrying
up. It is the long breath before the
final struggle-the last look which a
thousand men will ever cast towards a
dull-red sun glimmering like great
human eye through the powder smoke.
One more drink of the muddy wa
ters-once more the cartridge boxes
are replenished-men stand and look
about them in wondering way, as if
awakened from deep sleep.
A brigade is coming across the cor
ner Of the meadow to give US support
Ia battery is coming down through
theropen-woods -assist.in .theshnal
struggle. There is no cheering-you
hear no talking except as the officers
pass along the lines and utter encour-
aging words. There are dead men
under our feet, but we leave them
there. Here and there is wounded
man who begs for water or pleads to
be carried tothe' e'rear. "a sergeant or
corporal khoHs 4 canteen to- his lips,
but men cannot be spared tolcarry
them aways sHe may bes kilIed-zhe
may escaps .withSt the wound already
inflicted. One-a dozen-a hundred
men more or less do not count in the
total Of $4,000 which will be made up
two hours hence Ls!E5ss - -.
A culver up and down the lines
Get ready! We are occupying the
ground we formed our lines on at day
light. There has been no sgain-@no
loss. We. must beat Hill back--roll
hinls aside-push over him or these
thousands have died in vain. If he
can hold US in check it is drawn
fight, and thatEis9a victory for Lee.
"Attention Right dress4l 'FRONT.'
Now look your last upon the sink
ing sun-upon the green trees show
ing through the powder smoke-upon1
comrades beside you and the dead and
wounded whose red blood has mois-
tened the earth until it clings to your
feet and you feel the horror of it.
"Forward-march p
+ Companies, regiments, brigades, di-
visions-Hancock's whole corps, is
brought up to its full strength by re-
Inducements, move as one man. There
is no shooting-no cheering-until we
have advanced 200 yards. Hill is
ready. He is also advancing. On a
line, a mile long, and running from a
dusty highway over an old meadow,
through wood, across second field
and to the skirts of a second wood,
the dogs of war meet in a last grapple.
We cheer and push forward. The
alignment is broken in moment, but
we push on in gangs and mobs, Men
fall dead without cry-men shrek
out as they are wounded and reel and
totter and drop to the earth. If or
ders are given we do not hear them;
There is mad frenzy to push ahead
to kill with bullet and bayonet.
We face storm of shell, grape, canis-
ter and lead. but we push ahead.
The sun goes down and twilight
comes on. Have we rolled Hill aside2
There is cheering, but is it from the
blue or the gray ? The musketry has
died out to a mere sputtering, and the
big guns are silent. I look about me
and question lieutenant on whose
cheek there is great stain of blood.
'Driven back p he curtly replies as
nj, 11:11 80, L.. ,4,onr Gov