Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-05-30

toward each other Its right that the
northern people should decorate the
graves of the men who fell and in the
south we do the same. Hark to that
trumpet They are still gathering. They
know that Wen charge 'em pretty quick.
Just as soon as our sllirmishers and cav
airy turn their left faux. it'll be up and
at en-
Soft but mellow and clear, the note OF
the trumpet once more came through the
jungle across the marsh. The fire of the
skirmishers swelled into steady crackle.
That trumpet is a signal said the
regular, and it's like another but bigger
signal that | heard a long time ago.
Hear those shots over there. The eayal-
ry are on their TANKS now We haven't
got much longer TO wait; then We'll swing
forward as we did that day up Cemetery
hill, but to luc1ier end
at was hot them said the youth ten.
tatively
The regular laughed quietly.
"Hot?" he said. Hot was no name
for it. 1t was the road to the Internal
regions. I'm a Virginian. Jarvis and
was with Pickett | was no older then
than you are now. We were lying down
on Seminary ridge. facing the Yankees on
Cemetery hill and biding our time. We
had been fighting there nearly three days,
you know, Jarvis, but we, under Pickett,
did not come up until the last day Do
you see any of 'em, JarvisT'
mo. The skirmishers are still lively,
but don't see anything
Its still too early for us. There had
been tremendous fire of big guns about
300 of ,em altogether, for an hour or two,
and then they stopped all Of sudden.
1t was so still that you could hear an ant
crawl. Then came the signal for US with
| Pickett to charge home to the heart OF
the northern army, and we did it. | say
we did it, but we didn't come baek--at
least not many of us. 1t was about
mile across the open, and there were less
than 5000 Of us going against the Yam,
kee army of 10000 or 1000 men, though
if it had been the other way | guess the
Yankees would have done the same. That
was the hottest and liyeliest march, Jar
Wis, that 5000 men ever made. They be-
gan blazing at US at once with the big
guns on Cemetery hill and from the bat
teries that covered the hill called Little
Round Top, and the bullets and the shells
dashed US through and through. Hasn't
that firing come little nearer, Jarvis?"
Yes. | can see two OF our skirmishers
crawling through the BUSH"
''All right lei 'em work; it's their time,
and ours hasn't come. When we got
across that valley, Jarvis, there weren't
many of US left, but we went on all the
same, and then the rifles began ON us,
$4,000 or 60,000 of 'em, but then they
looked to me like a million. | couldn't
see anything but black smoke and red
flame, and as | went on | stumbled over
the bodies of my comrades. Even now,
| Jarvis, | sometimes hear in my ears the
roaring of all those cannon and rifles.
Now and then when the smoke was drv-
! en- aside by the blaze of the great guns
| we could see the northern batteries, and
| we kept straight toward 'em. We haven't
| much longer to wait now, Jarvis. There's
/ the colonel across yonder, and he's draw
Ing his belt little tighter. That means
that the charge is coming, and he'll lead
it himself"
Il don't hear the trumpet any more,
Wilson"
mo, it's sung its song for the day. The
enemy are crawling into the earthworxs
now. As | told you, Jarvis, we went on
up the hill and into the mouths of the
Yankee guns. Oh. they were there all
right enough waiting for us, and don't
remember much that happened then ex-
cept a roar and blaze and yells as il a
million devils were shouting at once. All
of our men who were left were killed or
taken, and ! fell down with one bullet
through my leg and another through my
shoulder"
''You were taken prisoner, Wilson,"
'Of course. When the battle was over,
a tall young fellow with blue eyes and
brown hair, just about as old as you ere
now, lifted me up and carried me into the
Yankee camp. He brought me a doctor
and until | got well he waited on me
same as if he had been my brother. That
was a curious young fellow, Jarvis-at
least | thought so then, but not now per
haps. He didn't seem to have any malice
toward us of the south, though he was
/ fighting us with al his might. lie had got
little wound himself in the charge just
enough to put him off active duty, but
not enough to keep him from helping me.
1t was then that began to find out that
the Yankees were the same sort of men
under the skin that we were. We'd argue
1 the question of the war in the most peace
/ full way, just like two preachers. Then
he'd tell me about his home way up
/ north. and I'd tell him about mine way
down south. Hark to that, Jarvis The
/ fights swinging close"
The fire Of the skirmishers grew fercer.
! To the ears of the listening men came
I the occasional shout of the combatants.
/ Overhead a coppery sun sailed in a sky
! of cloudless blue and the air became
closer and hotter The deserted huts in
1 the village looked like emblems of desc
lation. Everything betokened the COM
ing conflict.
Well the Yankee nursed me for near
MONTH" resumed the regular, 'and
suppose that / owe my life TO him-at
! least | feel that way. We must have
/ had hundred arguments about the war,
and ! never could convert him, and he
never could convert me, but we didn't
worry about that when we parted. I've
never forgot, Jarvis, what that Yankee
did for me, and it's one reason why when
the war WAS over | concluded that as
had been lighting against Uncle Sam for
four years | ought TO fight for him awhile,
and ~ matter of fact I've been fighting
| for him ever since-years and years