Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-10-19
HOLDING THE BRIDGE
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

stone wall, a creek %meandoring through
the fields and across a highway to empty
its waters into a river two or three miles
away-all these are points which may
bring victory or defeat when 100, 900 men
grapple in a struggle. The guns rush for
the hills and knobs when they go into &C.
ton the cavalry must have u clear sweep
Of the fields if they arc to break lines of
infantry; the marching battle lines are
broken and thrown into confusion by a
ditch across which q farmers boy could
spring with case.
A mile and a half above our right wing
is a simple wooden bridge spanning the
creek to onnect tho highway. Above and
below the bridge are steep banks, over
grown with bushes. A farmer or hunter
would plunge downward through the
bushes, bound over the babbling waters
without effort and be at the top of the
other bank in q moment. Not SO with the
|, battle line. 1t halts, wavers and marches
by the right or left flank to find another
crossing above OR below. The guns change
position at a dead run the cavalry trot or
gallop; the infantry move slowly and
grudgingly and waste precious time. A
battle is won or lost because a single bri-
gade loses a quarter of an hour in reach
ing the position assigned to it. A division
is turned aside by a wall, a regiment by
q rail fence. These are the orders to the
captain of Company f:
"You will march your company to the
bridge and take up such position as you
think best to prevent the army from cross
ing. If attacked by a hundred men, hold
it; If attacked by a thousand, do not fall
back. If the enemy forces the bridge, he
will take III right wing and flank, you
understand"
81 understand, replies the captain. II
am to hold the bridge to the last"
"To the last"
Company F marched away by the right
face and was soon lost to sight in the
woods. In an hour 1t was throwing up
an earthwork at the north end of the
bridge. 1t was a simple ridge of earth, ex-
tending east and west across the highway
and into the fields for a distance Of 100
feet, with its center thicker and stronger
than its wings. When that was finished,
the men pulled down small trees and up
rooted bushes, cloeged the highway to the
south Of the bridge and heaped obstruc-
tons on the bridge itself. For two hours
they worked like farmers, each man
Strengthening up now and then to 1lirt the
sweat from his temples, and they then
took III their muskets and were ready.
Did you ever try to imagine the sounds
created by a great body of troops-a di-
vision or u corps-mOving forward to bat
tlep You hear a PARKWAY ncighing of
horses, a rumbling of wheels, the blow
ing Of bugles and the rattle of drums.
All the various sounds go to make up one
general, awesome sound, as il you could
see through tho forests and over the hills
and knew that q great tidal wave was
sweeping toward you from the shores of
the sea. The sounds come nearer and
nearer, and you seem to feel the tramp of
the thousands of feet. You hoar a mighty
muttering, as Of mon scolding at each
other. Your ear catches fragments which
speak Of menace and peril and make you
look behind to see if the road is clear for
flight. 1t Is the march of the specter Of
death, and it's fleshless bones rattle as it
tramps forward over tho highways to an
other feast of blood.
SAOy NoAhAS INV
The enemy should have sent q force for
ward to seize the bridge three hours ago,
but Of the hundred details of a battle some
are overlooked or some one blunders. In
front of the division marching at will over
the dusty road Is an advance guard to
clear the way; in front Of the advance a
few cavalrymen. The latter are first to
make the turn Of the highway and note
the distractions and the earthwork at the
north end. They smile In derision. In
front of them are 100 men behind them
five brigades. There will DO a rush down
the marrow road with it's walls of clay,
over the bridge, ovJr the earthwork, a
score of dead and wounded friends and
foes, and the specter of death will hardly
have been halted Oh its march.
"See and hear 'em, Tomy' queries all
old veteran Of his right hand man "a he
peers over the top of the earthwork,
"Aye, Ben!' Is the answer.
"How many?"
"a division at least"
"And what are we goin to dos"
ode here, Of course! Didn't the cap
tain say we were to hold the bridge to the
last"
But, d-n it, 1t amt n fair show"
protested Bon. "Who's figbtin 80 to l
and cxpectin to come out en- topg"
"Nobody. We are comm out in the
trenches with two feet Of earth to cover US
up. Feel shaky, old mani"
Mum, but 1t amt a fair show"
Better save yer breath. We amt look.
in for fair shows jest now. Lordy, but
what a chance to swipe it to EN-! They
are formin up around the bend, and we'il
hev it redhot in about a minit!''
Around the bend Of the road 200 infan-
try formed up in lines eight abreast. Tho
width Of the road allowed for no more.
With bayonets fixed and muskets at the
trail they waited for . minute and then
made a dash. From the center of the
earthwork leaped a sheet Of flame q third
of the way across the bridge-from the
right and left other sheets Of flame. Every
musket had a rest on top Of the ear.hwork
EVERY sight covered u human target.
The head Of the advancing column did not
reach the planks of the bridge. 1t melted
away in the midst of the distractions, to
create other distractions, and 40 men lay
dead and wounded as the smoke lazily
drifted away down the stream.
Purity fair fur what time we was at IT."