Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-03
srlaht, ls02, BIZ q. W. DIlllpgham Co

and watch to see Virginia send those
lmpudent Yanks whirling back to the
! woods, or else
Wonder of wonders! So far from
scurrying at sight Of the "Stonewall,"
that sombre, black-crested line halts
| short at sudden word of command: a
crashing volley, driving point blank UP
| the gentle rise, sends it's storm of lead
square in the "Stonewall's'' face
Down go two battle flags. Down goes
Neff, colonel commanding the Thirty
third. Down go dozens i'll the foremost
rank, and to the amaze of Starke and
Lawton, the "Stonewall' fairly stag.
gers. Forward" is one hoarse shout
ed order, ''Fire!" another; and with
the skirmishers crouching, crawling,
rolling away to right and left, Virginia
blazes at Wisconsin now ramming fresh
cartridges into the smoking tubes, and
with never a thought of retreat. So
far from sweeping the field the Stone
WALL is brought to a halt and gets
another fierce volley, followed by rasp-
ing fire by file that is far more effective
than the downward aim of the com
mand, schooled rather to charge than
to shoot. Sol Meredith's Hoosiers are
sweeping at double quick straight from
the pike at the west of the grove.
Arms at the trail, at the shoulder or
anyhow, all eyes to the front, Indiana
is heading straight for the left of Wis
consin, and in five minutes more it's
long front is hidden in it's own fire.
flashing cloud. Another five minutes
and another brigade is in line for the
south, another battalion for the union,
and still not man has thought of
retreat-save only the thick stream
of wounded hobbling painfully back
for the rear.
Shall iron break the northern iron
or STEELE" mutters Old Jack, in the
words of the prophet, his eyes filled
with trouble, his teeth firm set as once
again the cheering, banner-waving, fire
flashing ranks of his devoted battal-
ions sweep down the gentle slope I'M
til almost lost in the smoke of the op-
posite lines, then slowly settle to
halt, astounded, for though full half
of Its left wing seems shot out of line,
and the Hoosiers and Black Hats are
shrunk to half their original strength;
there, shoulder to shoulder, daring, de-
fiant, indomitable stands the brigade
the swart faces of the men lit by the
flash of their guns, and Ewell, grim
old soldier, borne to the rear with
shattered thigh, groans to his mourn
full aides that at last the division has
met its match.
Jackson's pale face is rigid as he
himself bends over his loyal second in
command, and his lips move in prayer,
never in imprecation, ere they issue
their next order, TRY again" And
this time, Trimble, too, drives in with
Lawton, only to see that machinelike
regiment to the east of the Black Hats,
despite the numbers dropping in their
tracks and dribbling away from tbs
extreme right under the deluse of
shrapnel from the southern guns, doing
more fancy drill in front of the foe,
changing front forward by company
under command of that gamecock of
Northumberland, and then pouring
whitening fire into the left of the Louis
lana men. TRY again. says Jack, and
try they do, manfully, loyally-but
heavens, what can human valor win
against iron resolution? Two of Doub-
leday's battalions, one a mere skeleton
like most of those Of Baylors and
Taliaferro's, have ranged up in the
gaps OF the union brigade, shadowy
fabric now, visible only in the flash of
the guns, but as Paul Ladue trots
through the groups where surgeons and
stretchermen are trying to care for the
vast numbers of wounded, he looks In
vain for a division commander to
whom to deliver Jackson's last order
and the news that Ewell is down
Taliaferro, too, has been borne to the
rear, and Ladue rides on after Starke
to bid him take command. Gods, what
sight, what shambles, he finds at
the rear Of that line!-dead dying and
crippled by scores of the "Stonewalls."
Three colonies, Neff, Grisby and Bolts
have been shot from their steeds. two
OF them straight to their graves; four
majors are down of the Virginia COM
mand, and Walker, colonel of Talia-
ferro's Tenth. Full half the fighting
force of the Second and Fourth Vir-
GINA are stretched on the field. as,
for the last time, they close in on the
center in front of the now almost in
visible line of their foes, and with
strength, cartridges. hope ell spent
and gone, they drop their useless rifle
butts to earth and lean exhausted ON
the hot black muzzles At least they
hold the ground
80, TOO does that stern. silent, iron
command across those so yards Of
smoking void, with obstinate deter
m1nation," writes Old Jack, in rueful
admission of the stubborn valor of his
foe. And after all what has he ac-
complished? What has he not done this
night but blunder? All he had to do
was to remain there in concealment
beyond that unfinished railway grade.