Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-09-12

I covered that their bullets did no harm,
for they replaced them by fire Of
shells, which began to reach az in the
i hollows where we lay One Of these in
+ its explosion knocked off my shake and
killed man beside me.
II congratulate you, said the cap
4 tain as | picked up my shake. 'tYou are
safe now for the day.
+ / knew the military superstition
which believes that the axiom non bis
III idem" is al applicable to the battle
I field as to the courts Of justice. re-
I placed my shake with a swagger.
That's a rHdWyay to make one raise
ones hat, ! said as lightly as could.
4 And this wrctched piece Of wit was, III
/ the circumstances, received as excellent.
compliment you, !" said the cap
tain. You viii command a company
tonight, for / shall not survive the day.
Every time / have been wounded the
officer below me has been touched By
gome spent ball. and, " he added in a
lower tone, "all the names began with
r."
/ laughed skeptically. Most people
would have done the sarne, but most
would also have been struck, as l was,
by these prophetic words. But, con-
script though | was, I felt that could
trust my thoughts to no one, and that it
was my duty to seem always calm and
bold
At the end of half an hear the Rus
sian fire had sensibly diminished. We
left CIR cover to advance en- the re-
doubt.
OCr regiment was composed Of three
bats liors. The second had to take the
encry IN flank The two cthcrs Termed
tic storgning party. l was in the third.
On issuing from behind the cover we
were received by several volleys, which
did bat little harm. The whistling of
the balls amazed me. "But after all,
I thought, "a battle is less terrible than
/ expected.
We advanced at a smart run, our
musEetccrs in front.
All at once the Russians uttered three
hurrahs, three distinct hurrahs, and then
stood silent without firing.
4 don't like that silence, Z" said the
captain. cit BODIES no good =
began TO think our people were too
eager. | could not help comparing,
mentally, their shouts and clamor with
the striking silence of the enemy.
We quickly reached the foot of the
redoubt The palisades Were broken
and the earthwords shattered by oar
balls. With roar of "Vive Tempe
reurl" our soldiers rushed across the
ruins.
raised my eyes. Never shall / forget
the sight which met my view. The
smoke had mostly lifted and remained
suspended like canopy at 20 feet above
the rodoubt. Through a blush mist
could be perceived behind the shattered
parapet the Russian grenadiors with
rifles lifted, as motionless as statues.
| can see them still--the left eye of ey-
cry soldier glaring at us, the right hid
den by his lifted gun. In an ombrasure
at few feet distant Il man with fuse
stood by "A cannon.
/ shuddered. I believed that my last
hour had come.
"Now for the dance to open, " cried
the captain. These were the last words
I heard him speak.
There came from the redcubts a roll
Of drums. I saw the muzzles lowered
/ shut my eyes. heard Il most appalling
crash Of sound, 10 which succeeded
groans and cries. Then l looked up,
amazed TO find myself still living. The
redoubt was once more wrapped i'll
smoke. was surrounded by the dead
and wounded. The captain was extend
ed at my feet. A ball had carried off
his head. and / was covered with his
blood. Of all the company only six men
except myself remained erect.
This carnage was succeeded by 4 kind
of stupor The next instant the colonel,
with his hat on his swords point, had
scaled the parapet with cry of ''Vivo
l'ompereurl" The survivors followed
him. All that succeeded is to me kind
of dream We rushed into the redoubt,
/ know not how; we fought hand to
hand in the midst of smoke so thick
that no mar could perceive his enemy.
/ found my saber dripping blood, |
heard a shout of "Victory!' and i'll the
clearing smoke | saw the earthworks
piled with dead and dying. The can
mons were covered with heap of
corpses. ABOUT 200 men i'll the French
uniform wee standing without order
loading their muskets or wiping their
bayonetS. Eleven Russian prisoners
were with them.
The colonel was lying, bathed in
blood, uron a broken cannon. A group
of soldiers crowded round him, APP
preached them.
''Who is the oldest captain?" he was
asking of sergeant.
The sergeant shrugged his shoulders
most expressiyely.
"Who is the oldest lieutenant"
This gentleman. who came last
night, replied the sergeant calmly.
The colonel smiled bitterly,
Come, Sir, he said to me, ''yCR are
now in chief command Fortify the
gorge Of the redoubt nj. once with wag-
ons, for the enemy is cut in force. But
General c. is coming to support
you.
Colonel. l asked him, "are you
badly wounded?"