The Somerset reporter., 1900-07-26

eral
I'VE must have news of Lee at every
hazard. Unless you break through
ut once your resignation will be accept
ed"
A dark and narrow ravine. up which
only eight men abreast could make
their way at once; at the turn a stone
wall, defended by two guns; behind
the guns the muskets of the infantry.
You must break through" repeated
| the brigadier over and over again. He
knew that he could not do 1t. He knew
that the best he could do was to pile
up more dead In the dark ravine.
When morning came, he stood on a
knoll and looked down upon the sun
bronzed and waiting veterans. and 1t
was like knife in his heart to give the
order to attack. A single bugle call,
and the column dashed forward There
was never a cheer nor a shout. Men
who feel that they are going to certain
death do not cheer. They draw a long
breath, choke back the gasp In the
throat and rush forward with heads
down. In ten minutes 1t was all over.
The wall had been reached and fought
over, but 1t could not be held. AS the
last few living Federals came limping
back the brigadler sat down and wept
Orders, orders, orders And yet he
felt himself a murderer More Confed.
crates had fallen, but the force was yet
strong enough to hold the gap. If he
could not carry 1t, he would be dis
graced. Like the brave man he was,
he took the one way out of it. At high
noon the column was formed again,
and the brigadier put himself at the
head of 1t. officers groaned and pri-
Yates murmured to see him there, but
he was firm. He led In the dark-he
was the first to reach the wall-he
mounted 1t and cheered his men In the
fight which won II. But when 1t was
won he lay among the dead. and the
Confederates retired less than half
mile to third wall. Two days had
passed, and yet the Federals had not
broken through. Then another brigade
came marching up, and there was an
other brigadier to take command. He
saw the situation as the dead general
had seen 1t, but he had less feeling
Column after column was formed up
and dashed against that third wall and
driven back, but in the end he won. 1t
was 20 lives for one every time, but
under his orders he could have doubled
the sacrifice.
At dusk on the evening of the third
day the last Confederate infantryman
had passed the gap on his way to the
Potomac. and the head of the column
was In Pennsylvania. Lee had played
his card and won. Not a gap had been
carried. and the news of his where
abouts had come from other sources
There was last stone wall In Thor
oughfare gap Behind it 100 Confed
crates crouched and waited. Their two
fieldpieces were useless for the want
of ammunition, and their muskets were
alone to be depended on. AS the sink
ing sun filed the ravine with deeper
gloom 800 Federals made last charge
They had to tread the dead under foot
to do 1t. That was the fourth charge
of the day. and 1t was checked as the
others had been. 1t simply meant
more dead and wounded to choke that
narrow way. Hundreds had been
dragged out. but hundreds still re-
manned. When night came down. 90
men with powder stained faces. who
had scarcely broken their fast or closed
their eyes for 20 hours silently march
ed out of the gap and headed for the
north in the wake Of the invading
army. There was no colonel. no cap
tains, no lieutenants. A sergeant COM
handed the remnant, and his COM
mand was:
"Out of h-ll and into Pennsylvania
-forward-ma march,"
And when the long night had passed
and daylight come again the Federals
found the stone wall undefended and
clambered over II and ran to the mouth
of the gap to shout to each other:
Lee has passed, and we are too
later'