Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-07-29

emily the earth shakes and quivers as
they open FIRE. Under the smoke-cloud
we can see the shells strike and burst
and the lines thrown in confusion, but
the gaps are closed up from right and
left as soon as created. Now every.
body begins tQyell and cheer and curse,
1t Is combination OF enthusiasm and
defiance. We are holding our fire, but
the guns have changed from she'll to
grape and canister. Such gaps arc
opened in those advancing lines that we
wonder the living do not turn and fly,
1t is only after the battle that you ad'
mire the stern discipline and reckless
courage which closed up the gaps and
forced the lines to come on. Now you
begin TO separate from the mass-to
note that one man is taller or shorter
than another. Now you hear them cry
Ing out and ,cursing and jabbering like
mob in the street. They are impa'
tient TO make a rush and be at us. They
are coming-coming, and you have a
feeling of pity instead of desire to kill
Now
We have held our fire until they are
only pistol-shot away. OF sudden n
great sheet of flame leaps out on our
front, followed by billow Of smoke
which springs 80 feet into the air,
and then there is such a roar as you
did not believe possible on earth. You
Ern ;,tA thn tpn1 mud Gre
| load and fire. There is an interval in
which you are taken out of yourself,
You could not give your own name il
| asked for it. The smoke blinds you, the
noise deafens you, and you fight me
| chanically. Somebody lays heavy
hand on you, perhaps seizes the mus.
ket in your grasp, and you come back
to yourself again. There is no more
firing. Your ears are roaring and you
cannot catch word spoken, and you
look along the lines, and the faces OF
your comrades have strange, queer
look to you. You have TO look again
and again before you can identify
them. What has happened? you ask
yourself, in dull, indefinite way. You
see men pointing, and your eyes follow
and take in the sight on the old field
below. From a point to which you
could toss your cap clear back TO the
fringe OF the woods are the enemy's
dead. and wounded. That brigade OF
brave men pressed forward until those
red volleys famed into their very faces,
and the regiments have gone back in
remnants and fragments. II was des-
perate attempt to break our center, but
it failed.',,
You remember the rest only as you
remember morning dream. You were
moved TO the left 10 reenforce-you were
moved to the right to drive back the foe
again-you countermarched TO your
first position. Now and then you saw
bodies of troops moving through the
smoke--you saw field guns galloping
this way and that, and you hazily re-
member the dead and wounded and the
serving out of fresh cartridges. You
are still an autoniaton, still confused
and bewildered and wondering over it.
when you hear human voice. II
sounds far away and indistinct, but you
make on; the words: Hello, old man
but haven't you got your jaws together
Iyet? Rouse up and let's have cur
Of coffee and bite to eat. Lands! bu'
didn't we give them Hail Columbia!"
There was a battle. 1t began soor
after sunrise, and now as you lool
around you in startled way the sur
i has gone down and twilight is coming
on. You marched and countermarched
you fired away GO rounds of ammuni
ton; you fought as brayely as anyone
and yet you can scarcely recall single
incident. Yen rise up and look abou
you, but all things have undergone
change. You move mechanically, YOU
cannot think clearly, and it seems a
If your comrade was tapping your ear
with drumsfcks as he says;
ut is the most terrible battle of III
war. They say the dead and wounded
number fully 10000. Lord! but how
you did cheer and curse and rave! 70,
must learn to hold on to yourself and b.
cool"
| ..t.. Wall of a Fnthe-