Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-11-09

Il hate the idce q bcin' bit II u
heart" he said. That's too awful"
I nodded my assent.
Shouldn't Ike L have a bail in m.
lungs, either he added. ""rain'
necessary fer Il man { die IL he can OIL.
breathe. II n man gifts his leg sho
| off an don't lose his head an keeps
DRAWN his breath right along smooth
and even. I don't see why he cam,
live"
Taps sounded. We went asleep with
our boots on. but nothing happened.
Three days and nights We waited.
some talked of going home. l went
about quietly. my bosom under its pad
Of feathers. The third day an order
| came from headquarters. We were to
break camp at | 80 in the morning and
go down the pike after Beauregard. In
the dead Of the night the drums sound
cd. I rose. half asleep, and heard the
long roll far and near. I shivered in
| the cold night air as I made ready: the
| boys about me buckled on knapsacks,
shouldered their rifles and fell into line.
| Mufied in darkness there was an odd
silence in the great caravan forming
rapidly M waiting for the word to
move. At each command to move for
ward l could hear only the rub Of
leather. the click, click Of rifle rings.
the stir Of the stubble. the snorting Of
horses. When we had marched an hour
or so I could hear the faint rumble of
wagons far in the rear. As I came
high on a hilltop, in the bending COL
umn, the moonlight fell upon a league
Of bayonets shining above a cloud of
dust in the valley-a splendid picture.
fading into darkness and mystery.
At dawn we passed a bridge and
halted some three minutes for a bite.
After a little march we left the turn
pike, with Hunters column bearing
westward on a crOssroad that led us
into thick woods. AS the sunlight sank
in the high tree tops the first great bat
tie Of the war began. Away to the left
of us a cannon shook the earth, hurting
it's boom into the still air. The sound
rushed over us. rafting in the timber
like a fall OF rocks. Something W n,
Quivering in ne. 1t seemed as IL nv
vitals had gone into II big lump Of je'
chat trelnblel every step I took. We
%quickened our pacN;we fretted; we com
planned. The WEAKNESS III of
our legs: ZONE wanted to run Before
and behind us men were shouting hot.
ly, Run, boys: rum"
The cann0li roar was % continu
Gus. We could feel the quake Of it
When we came over a low ridge in the
open We could see the smoke of battle
in the valley. Flashes Of fire and hood,
OF smoke lpaped out of the far thick
cts to the left of lis as annon roared
Going at double quick. we began loOs-
ening blankets and haversacks, tossing
them into heaps along the line OF
march without hating. In half an
hour we stood waiting in battalions
the left flank Of the enemy in front
We were to charge at a run. Halfway
across the valley We were to break
into companies and, advancing. spread
into platoons and squads and at last in
to line of skirlnlshers, lying down fol-
cover between rushes.
"Forward.' was the order, and We
were off, cheering as we ran. Oh. /,
was a grand sight-our colors flying
our whole front moving like n blue
wave on q green. unreasonable sea
And it had a voice like that Of many
waters. Out of the woods ahead Of III
came Il lightning flash. A ring OF
smoke reeled upward. Then came &
deafening crash of thunders. one upor
another. and the scream of shells over
head. Something stabbed into our col
umn right beside me. Many wen
headlOng. crying out as they fell. Sud
denly the cOlOrs seemed to halt ant
sway like a tree top in the wind. TheI
down they went, squad and colors. ant
We spread to pass them. At the orde1
we halted and laid down and fired vol
ley after volley at the gray coats il
the edge Of the thickct. A bullet strucl
in the grass ahead of me. throwing /;
bit Of dirt into my eyes. Another
brushed my hat of. and I heard ;
wailing dealt, yell behind me. The colo
mel rode up. waving n sword.
Get up an charge..' he shouted.
On we went, cheering loudly. firing a
we ran. Bullets went by me. kissing IL
my ears. and ! kept trying to dodg
hem. We dropped again fiat ON OH
aces.
\ squadron Of Black Horse cavalr,
anne rushing out Of the woods at US
he riders yelling as they waved thei
words. Fortunately we had not tim
o rise. A man near me tried to get III
Stay down. ! shouted.
In a moment | learned something new
about horses. They went over us Xix
II flash. | do not think a man wa
trampled. Our 0wn cavalry kept ther
busy rs soon as they had passed.
or the many who had started Their
was only a ragged remnant near INT
We fired n dozen volleys lying there
The man Mt my elbow rolled upon m,
writhing like a worm in the fire.
I'VE shall all be killed. u man shou,
ed. where 10 the %colonel?"
Dead" said another.
Better retreat said a third.
"Charge" l shouted as loudly M eve
I could, jumping to my feet and wa,
ing my saber az rushed forwart
Charge"
!, 1t was the n thing needed. The
? followed me. In q moment we Ia
hurled ourselves upon the gray lin