Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-11-04

Stuart that Ricketts has gone out to l; Thoroughfare, and Mcdowell with one ! isolated division is marching eastward | from Gainesville. Now, up guards :, and at 'em!" Up Ewell and Taliaferro!
 Up guns and brigades-batteries three ! and brigades just five and away they { go at the edge of the sheltering woods : until nearly three miles out to thei southwest, and there the dusty, grimy,
 gray brigades lie down and wait for i, that devoted division. ! Off to the right front is cosy farm
 house and Ewell lets his wideawakes !, go sampling, and takes hearty sip, as a dark-eyed, young aide-de-campi rides up with a dripping canteen of thei soothing white fluid. Thanks, Mr.i , Ladue," says he That's most refresh : Ing. By the way, you knoW some of ]. these fellows we're expecting out yon-l 1 der, don't you?" and the general points southward. Ladue follows the gesture of his commander, and then, his eyes, dark, mournful and apprehensive, fix. upon that vehement soldier face. ], Wisconsin ?'' he falters. T feltv-i knew it must come sometime. ..Yes, sir, and John Gibbon com mands that brigade now they say. I've, known him for years To think of his being there and he a Tar Heel!" And. hers his kindling eyes turn to where Trimble's men are stretched upon the turf-North Carolina closed on Ala bama. ssComing!" They're coming! iI "See!' are the excited whispers, and l young officers spring forward and peeri l over the low crest in front. Poaglle, that year-old, yet veteran, gunner, has I dipped a hand to his bugler, and low and mutfied "Attention!" is sounded. Low and muf1ed, it is repeated still; l more faintly farther off to the east, where the horses of Wooding and
 Carpenter are grazing on the scanty 1 turf, and drivers and cannoneers spring to their posts.
 But Old Jack gives no sign. He isI waiting and watching. He is there in, saddle at the edge of the trees, indis- l tinguishable in the gathering gloom. He waits until the leading brigade of | the long column is clear of the east ward of the two groves. He lets it
 go until it drops into the low ground l about Groyeton,N then mods to Ewell l Rnd--the ball begins Out on a sudden l from the left of the massed< lines,; ! Poague's lean horses and gaunt, sinewyi I gunners spring to their work. Six black muzz1ed bankers are whirled round in battery. One-two- three-quick bel- lowing, with vengeful spit of fiams and sulphur smoke, the nearest bat. < Enrv ffc ak | across the field, and in spite and fury
 the black shells burst in whistling hail l over the startled heads of the second brigade. Out beyond the first battery I trot Wooding and Carpenter, forming \ action front on the slope little to I the northwest of Groyeton, and so 1 three batteries are suddenly hurling l their swift fire upon the now halted 1 column. Now see em take to covert" afI7sssihUut the seasoned ones by the gun: side, as the left half battery echoes the
 right, and all the front of Starkes bri- l gade is now covered by flashing guns,
 believing in chorus, the men, leaping in and out to reload, dimly seen
 through the billowing battery smoke, | and still, screaming and shrieking the
 shells sail high across the rolling earth I sea. See 'em take to cover" indeedi
 We'll might they do so, for just be- yond the pike the woods lie thick and q unbroken, but, sudden as the shot,
 each regiment has t'fronted'' to it's
 left. The steel ramrods of the fore
 most are seen flashing in air. The shrill voice of Old Gray ybeard. spurring
 back to his colors, has yelled the order N0 xrys1l II, bitten and poured and rammed and capped does he follow that with sIie down!" The right of their line is
 fiat on it's belly at the edge of the field, while sparring flashing and bounding,
 cannoneers racing alongside like mad,
 a wel1-handled battery Gibbons own,
 as Poague and Ewell more than sus-
 pect-the beloved of the brigade out
 on the field, comes front into line''
 at breakneck pace, whirls without
 halting it's bronze beauties about, and
 m another moment the loud-ringins
 light twelves'' are out-bellowing the
 trio of batteries blazing there northwest
 of Groveton, sweeping their sections
 with spherical case" Five, ten, if
 teen minutes the duel of death goes on
 Gibbons gunners are all regulars. lords
 of their trade, and old EweIl sees ii
 and knows 1t. Timber up, Poague!
 Back all of you! They are too heavy
 for our guns.'' is the order, and Pau
 Ladue spurs to carry it. Out of Sthe
 way, gentlemen gunners! It's onl
 time now, goes the word from Starke's
 eager ranks, and so on down the lons
 line. Into their saddles leap the field
 staff and commanders. The sun has
 gone down; the dusk is at hand; the
 night must not come until that stub
 born brigade has been swept from the
 earth. Who shall do it, Ewell or Talia-
 ferro?
 From the westward now, from the
 far right flank, a daring battery whips
 out on the field and unlimbers where
 its guns can enfilade Gibbons tri-
 umphant boomers, and young Talia-
 ferros little brigade, till now held 1T raar errnSs4 ct triS5iro off hahind itS fol.