Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-07-16
q me enemy. Zen seconds later the
bridge was jammed with horsemep

% rne enemy. Zen seconds Iater tbe
bridge was damned with horsemen.
"Fire fastl Fire fast! screamed
our major.
| The major meant well, but how much
firing could be done ON bridge only
wide enough for about four men
abreast after the men In front had
emptied their revolvers? How were
any but the surest shots and those near
est the front to fire without hitting their
own comrades, who already We're using
their revolvcrs as hammers or hitting
the Johnnies with bare fists? There
We little firing on the other side, for
aaSriy all the Confederates carried
shotguns or muzzle loading muskets,
which they could not reload in haste,
so after firing once they used their
guns as lanccs, punching our men in
breast or face and being horribly ours
ed in return.
Meanwhile each horse was looking
out for No. l. The horse is n wedge
shaped animal, and each of our four
footed wedges pushed his head and
shoulders between those of horses in
front of him. This gave the animals
absolute rest as well as safety while
| their riders were fighting.
The major turned to the rear. first
cautioning his captains to maintain
the pressure. and soon we heard him
say:
1.-TWO rear companies dismount!
Third company deploy on the right;
fourth on the left! Pepper their rear
with carbines as long as there's n man
of them in the saddle, Aim carefully!
BE careful not to hit our own men!
This promised sickening slaughter,
Tor our men with their carbines could
get within 100 yards of the most dis
tant Johnny and do n great deal of
harm before the enemy could dsmount
ana fire more than single shot. Prob
/ ably the enemy would follow our ex-
ample as soon as they saw what we
We're up to, If any of them were left
after we had given them volley or
two. This Is not joke. Our Sharp
carblnes We're ms true as sporting rifles.
For several months we had been
taught. when fighting dismounted with
carbines or revolvers, to shoot from
rest whenever possible, and our prac-
tice shooting showed that anywhere
within point blank range we could
shoot WELL
at the majors orders three men of
every set of tours in the last two COM
panies dismounted and hurried to trees,
logs and fences near the creek.
Now, men," said the major to us,
"as soon as they begin to fire and clear
away the rear you press upon the ad-
vance with all your might. If we
drive them off the bridge, divide, right
and left, as soon as you get across and
ride down their tanks. and we'll cap
ture every mothers son of them who's
alive"
This seemed practicable, and hoped
1t might begin at once. Had there beer
no other reason, it would be vastly
pleasanter to take lot of prisoners
into camp than to bury an equal num-
Der of Confederate dead. for burial
party duty stays in ones mind.
why don't those skirmishers begin
firing" shouted the major. though 1t
was not easy to hear him above the
horrid din on the bridge.
"Crackw went one of our carbines. /
refined my horse toward the edge of the
road to see when the enemy's rear
should become weak enough for the
pressure to begin.
Crack, crack, crackw sounded In
rapid succession. but the sounds were
not like the report of revolver or car
bine. Something new was occurring
on the bridge, for all the men, both
gray and blue, seemed to press to one
side. second or two later that entire
bridge, containing 40 or so Union troop
ers and as many Confederates, went
down with crash and Il splash into
the creek below.
Here was the unexpected again. and
great deal of 1t, too, so l looked anX-
iously at the major to see what he was
going to do about it. He didn't seem
bit puzzled. On the contrary. the bridge
had scarcely fallen when lie roared
"Skirmishers cover the road on the
other side of the bridge! Don't let a
reb get away! Second company dis
mount; lie down along the edge of the
bank! Cover every reb trying to get
out of the water and order him to come
ashore herer
Out Of their saddles dropped Nos. l,
and Of each set Of tours in our
troop, and in less than half minute
each had picked out for himself gray
target in the great gully below. The
skirmishers had already begun to
blaze away at the gray targets on the
other side of the bridge, but the John
niles, like sensible soldiers, broke right
and left into the woods. left their
horses pretty well sheltered from fire
by the standing timber and then took
cover themselves behind the trees near
est the creek and began to operate ex-
actly according to our tactics, firing on
our skirmishers and trying to secure
prisoners from the struggling mass
below. We were the stronger in num-
bers and weapons. but nature gave the
enemy one immense advantage. AS
members of the Potomac army will re-
member, creeks on the Virginia coast
almost invariably have one bank high
and steep and one which is low and
shelving. and where we were fighting
the steep bank was on our side
Our fellows could not easily get out,
much less drag out prisoners. but the
al, 1,, =