Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-11-09

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racket between the cavalry and the
enemy, which was taking place some
miles up the valley. The ambitious
hussars had apparently stirred up
some kind of a hornets nest, and they
were having a good fight with no Of
ficious, friends near enough to inter-
fere. The remainder of the army
looked toward the fight musingly over
the tops of tin cups. In time the col
umn crawled lazily forward to see.
The Twelfth, as it crawled, saw -
regiment deploy to the right, and saw
a battery dash to take position. The
cavalry jingled back, grinning with
pride and expecting to be greatly adj
mired. Presently the Twelfth was
hidden to take seat by the roadside
and await its turn. Instantly the wise
men'-and there were more than three
came out of the east and announced
that they had OWNED the whole plan.
The Kicking Twelfth was to be held in
| reserve until the critical moment of the
fight, and then they were to be sent
forward to win victory. In corrobo-
ration, they pointed to the fact that the
general in command was sticking close
to them, in order, they said, to give the
word at the proper moment. And in
truth, on small hill to the right, Maj.
Gen. Richie sat on his horse and used
his glasses, while back of him his staff
and the orderlies bestrode their champ
ing, dancing mounts.
1t is always good to look hard at
general, and the Kickers were trans
fixed with interest. The wise men
again came out of the east and told
what was inside the Richie head, but
even the wise men wondered what was
inside the Richie head.
Suddenly an exciting thing happened.
To the left and ahead was a pounding
Spitzbergen battery, and toy sudden
ly appeared on slope behind the
guns. The toy was man with a flag
the flag was white save for a square of
red in the center. And this toy began
to wig-wag wag-wig, and it spoke to
Gen. Richie under the authority of the
captain of the battery. 1t said: THE
Eighty-eighth are being driven on my
center and right"
Now when the Kicking Twelfth had
left Spitzbergen there was an average
of six signalmen in each company. A
proportion of these signalers had been
destroyed in the first engagement, but
enough remained so that the Kicking
Twelfth read, as a unit, the news of
the Eighty-eighth. The word ran
quickly: "The Eighty-eighth are be-
ing driven on my center and right" =
Richie rode to where Col Sponge sat
aloft on his big horse, and moment
later cry ran along the column:
kim up, the Kickers." A large num-
ber of men were already in the road,
hitching and twisting at their belts
and packs. The Kickers moved for
ward.
They deployed and passed in strag-
Cling line through the battery, and to
the left and right of it. The gunners
called out to them cheerfully, telling
them not to be afraid.
The scene before them was start
ling. They were facing country cut
up by many steep-sided ravines, and
over the resultant hills were re-
treating little squads of the Eighty
eighth. The Twelfth laughed in its ex-
ultation. The men could now tell by
on the crest. Parties of the Eighty
eighth were now retreating for reasons
which were not sufficiently expressed
in the noise of the Rostina shooting.
Held together by the bugle, the Kick
ers swarmed up the first hill and laid
on the crest. Parties of the Eighty
a;r 49,,
the Twelfth told them coarsely its sew
eral opinions. The sights were clicked
up to GOO yards, and, with crashing
volley, the regiment entered its second
battle.
A thousand yards away on the right
the cavalry and regiment of infantry
were creeping onward. Sponge decid-
ed not to be backward. and the bugle
told the Twelfth to go ahead once more.
The Twelfth charged, followed by a
rabble of rallied men of the Eighty
eighth, who were crying aloud that it
had been all mistake.
A charge, in these days, is not a run
ming match. Those splendid pictures
of leveled bayonets, dashing at head
iohS pdCc toWdIu the ClOSeu ranks OF
the enemy are absurd as soon as they
are mistaken for the actuality of the
present. In these days charges are
likely to cover at least the half of
mile, and to go at the pace exhibited
in the pictures man would be obliged
to have little steam engine inside of
him.
The charge of the Kicking Twelfth
somewhat resembled the advance of a
great crowd of beaters, who, for some
reason, passionately desired to start
the game. Men stumbled; men fell;
men swore. There were cries: '"This
way! Come this way! Don't go that
way! You can't get up that wayl"
Over the rocks the Twelfth scrambled,
red in the face, sweating and angry.
Soldiers fell because they were struck
by bullets and because they had not