Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-27

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 a 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 GER
tain death do not cheer. They draw a
long breath, choke back the gasp in their
throat and rush forward with heads down.
In ten minute it was all over. The wall
had been reached and fought over, but
it could not be held. AS the last few liv-
ing Federals came limping back the brig
adler sat down n wept. Orders, orders,
ordersl And yet he felt himself a muir
derer. More Co~nfederates had fallen, but
the force was yet strong enough to hold
the gap. If he could not carry 1t, he
would be disgraced. Like the brave man
he was, he took the only way out of it.
At high noon the column was formed
again, and the brigadier put himself at
the head of it. Officers groaned and pri-
Yates murmured to see him there, but he
was firm. He led in the dark-he was the
llISL W IGdth vi haii-hC AONANSN Az oNA
cheered his men in the fight which won it.
But when it was won he lay among the
dead. and the Confederates retired less
than half a mile to a third wall. Two
days had passed. and yet the Federals
had not broken through. Then another
brigade came marching up, and there
was another brigadier to take
He saw the situation as the dead general
had seen it, but he had less feeling. Col
umn 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 sacri-
fee.
AT dusk on the evening of the third day
the last Confederate infantryman had
passed the gap on his way to the Poto-
mac. 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 whereabouts had
come from other sources. There was a
last stonewall in T~horoughfare Gap.
Behind 1t 100 Confederates crouched and
waited. Their two field pieces were use
less for the want of ammunition, and
their muskets were alone to be depended
on. AS the sinking sun filled the ravine
with deeper gloom 500 Federals made a
last charge. They had to tread the dead
under foot to do ii. That was the fourth
charge of the day. and it 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 remained. When
night came down, so men with powder
stained faces, who had scarcely broker
their fast for 70 hours. silently marched
out of the gap and headed for the north
in the wake of the invading army. There
was no colonel, no captain, no lieutenants.
A sergeant commanded the remnant, and
his command was:
"Out of hill and into Pennsylvania
for~ward-march!'
And when the long night had passed
and daylight came again the Federals
found the stone wall undefended and
clambered over it and ran to the mouth
of the gap TO shout TO each other:
Lee has passed, and we are too later