The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-09-17
CHAPTER XVII

Not one soldier in hundred more
than catches glimpse of battlefield.
He seldom sees what takes place outside
of his own regiment. When two great
armies grapple, they must have room.
The front may be three, four, FIVE or six
miles long. The lines of battle run
across open fields, through the woods,
over hills, across highways, through
orchards. As soon as the firing begins
the smoke shuts in the vision to the
right and left. Troops may stand or lie
down, have the cover of breastwork
or none at all. They may charge or be
charged, gain ground or be driven back
to new, line. However the battle goes,
the soldier sees only what takes place
in his immediate front.
And how the opening of a battle
changes the nature of a man! While
he is waiting for it to begin every nerve
is strung to its utmost. He may be a
brave man, but in that hour of waiting
he denies it to himself. He trembles.
He doubts himself. He turns pale, and
his knees grow weak. He would run
away but for his pride. It is pride and
not courage that holds him in his place.
He may be man who has never uttered
an oath in the hearing of his comrades
man of Christian principles. A minute
after the firing begins all the wicked
ness born in his soul begins to betray
itself. He shouts and raves and curses.
His facial expression is so changed that
his own brother could not identify him.
For the time being he is madman-a
devil. He cries: kill! KILL Kill!"
even though in his excitement he fires
among the tree tops or at the clouds.
This is the excitement which numbs
all feeling in some men when wounded,
and they fight on until they happen to
catch sight of their own blood and then
sink helplessly down. 1t is sort of
nightmare in which no man can be held
responsible for his words, and in which
no one notes the flight of time. To
some an hour seems day. To others
the sun passes from the monday mark
to the edge of the horizon SO swiftly
that they are amazed.
For half day Lees whole army had
hurled itself against the Federal lines.
Every foot of ground on that long front
had drunk blood. The line was broken
only at one place, but that was fatal.
There the fight continued to rage until
long after nightfall, but at last it g1 1ad-
ually died away, and solemn hush fell
upon the bloody field. One may con-
quer and yet be so near vanquished that
he has no strength fol- another blow. So
it was with Jackson. He had broken
the Federal line, but he could not fol-
low up his advantage. Even if night
had not come he must reorganize his
shattered commands, replenish his am
munition and permit the wornout men
food and sleep.
A battle does not cease at once. It is
an hour or more in dying away. There
is sputtering and growing here and
there, and men give up their work of
death grudgingly. At last hush comes.
It is absolute to the men who have been
deafened by the roar for hours and
hours. 1t is blessed relief, but they
look at each other in alarm. The very
stiffness frightens them. They have
seen dead and wounded men before
them, to the right or left, in rear, for
hours, but have scarcely given them a
thought. Now when the hush comes
the frenzy gradually goes away, and
they stand appalled, at the slaughter.
The hush does not last long, 1t is bro
ken by the cries of the wounded-by men
who have suffered pain and thirst and
fear for long hours. There is nothing
known TO living man which can be COM
pared to these cries rising from field
of slaughter as night comes down. Men
who have suffered and made no outcry
while daylight lasted now seem to be
seized with fear of the darkness. Men
Eho seemed 70 haye been struck dead