The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-09-24

! TO mountain anu ilOln InouutdiH u CIOuu,
became a continuous roar like the I'M
broken roll of thunder storm. Solid
shot was tearing through the woods and
crashing among the trees and shells eX-
plodipg in unexpected places. l recall a
round shot that came richocheting over the
ground, cutting burrows, and tossing the
earth into the air. Its speed gradually
| diminished, and member of our COM
mand broke out OF the ranks and was about
to catch the ball as if he were at a game OF
base ball, but united yell OF "Look out"
''Don'tw Take Care!' caused him to de-
sist. Had he attempted it he would have
been knocked into the middle of the last
Worlds Fair, and we would not have had
the occasion to write about the other
monkey shine got off by this Cecil county
lick EN- all. But III due time shall call
my readers little to one side and whisper
the other monkey business, because this
time one Of Cecil's boys did run and the
white feather was displayed to the whole
brigade. l will respect this old Vets
silvery locks, because they have since been
swept by many cold, chilly blasts from the
icy mountain of time, and | will not give
him away. But if Maj Purnell, Colonel
Davis, Johnny Bennett. or any of the boys
choose to let the cat out of the bag, after
the old feline jad has slumbered therein
for 80 years, they can do so. But I will
never, no, never. And amidst the scream
ing Of bullets, the screeching of shells, and
the terrible thunder and crash of cannon,
the command forward march, was given
We did not hear the verbal command, but
the clear, silvery notes OF the bugle which
arose far above the other din, like glory
in the air, told us that the awful ordeal
was at hand. And we marched off across
the moved field, and when near the hay
stakes, being in line of battle, that is two
deep, one marching behind the other with
elbows nearly touching, and when we got
| up to the obstruction we broke to the
right and left and reformed on the other
side.
Behind these stacks were concealed
several Johnnies who had belonged
to the skirmish line which was being
driven in by this new line of battle And
here is where our smarty, who attempted
to play base ball short time before
in catching with that hot twelve
FOUNDER at first base got in a beautiful
run, but it didn't count and he came back
home satisfied with the error which was
marked against him. When the Johnnies
broke out from those hay stacks, the smart
and brave Cecil boy, with these very words
yelled, Look at the d ID stockholders, y
started full tilt across the moved field and
when they got in the corn field, one Of the
| bold Johnnies turned on the Cecil Yank,
and brought him back out Of the corn field
all rung up.
The Cecil brave, thought that he had the
whole rebel army in route, the Johnnies
had fired their loaded guns, but the Yank
was so bent on capturing real live Johnny
that he never once thought OF his own
fowling peace, and when the Johnnies
turned on him mid the big corn, he had
no time to spare for anything else but hast
ened back like a whipped cur.
We could hear no other command, save
Orderly Purnell's oft repeated STEADY
now boys and soon they were hushed,
for when we got in the corn field the ter
rible fray was on in earnest. There
lays the bulky form Of our Major who was
CALAMITY leading the Maryland boys when
the cruel bullet broke his thigh and he fell
from his noble charger, but where is the
steed d? All, there see, in the clover
field he is staggering, and now he must
soon fall, for he is between both fires. ]
see the horse no more that day. Oh no,
there are to many other events Of a more
terrible nature to call the mind in
another direction. Now see! we are out in
the clover field, and am so stricken with
awe that really I have not as yet fred my
first shot.
Our bugler at this point is standing two
PAGES pear me, when cannon ball sweeps
the head from his shoulders, and how
strange, his headless body falls in the direc-
ton from whence came the cruel shot. l
wipe the blood and brains Of my comrade
from my face with my old blouse sleeve. l
am not frightened near as much as when
the battle was remote look to my left
and there under an old scrubby apple tree
| see my old friend Amor Dunbar He is
loading and firing his rifle just as calmly
as he had tied my haversack to my gun
over at the Antietam, short time before
and that was the last time that l saw
the loved form OF Amor Dunbar alive,
and if did see the stark and blackened
corpse the next day did not recognize it.
Neither did his own brother, Sergeant John
b. Dunbar, who was a member OF Com
pany /, our command. We hunted the
battle grounds for miles, each way the
next morning hut from the thousands Of
the mangled dead we could not recognize
the once handsome form Of Amor Dunbar
Our readers may wonder why we did not
search the pockets of our dead comrade,
thinking that we might perhaps, find some
IL. 4