Evening journal., 1905-04-20

what they meant. / thought It a trib-
ute TO my wrestling. Men lay thick
there back Of the guns-some dead,
/ some calling family for help. The red
/ puddles about them were covered with
/ flies; ants were crawling over their
/ faces. ! felt a kind Of sickness and
turned away. What was left of my
regiment formed In fours to join the
advancing column. Horses were gal
loping riderless, rein and stirrup flying,
some horribly wounded. One hobbled
near me, front leg gone at the knee
Shells were flying overhead; cannon
balls were ricochetting over the level
valley, throwing turf in the air. tossnf
the dead and wounded that lay thick
and helpless.
Some were crumpled like a rag, as If
the pain Of death had withered them in
their clothes; some swollen to the girth
Of horses; some bent backward with
arms outstretchng like one trying an
odd trick; some lay as If listening ca
gerly, an ear close to the ground; some
Ike n sleeper, their heads upon their
arms; one shrleked loudly, gesturlng
| with bloody hands, Lord God Al
/ mighty, have mercy on mew
had come suddenly to a new world,
where the lives Of men were cheaper
than blind puppies I was a new sort
Of creature and reckless Of what came,
/ careless of all / saw and heard.
A stan officer stepped up TO me as we
Joined the main body.
You've been shot, young man." he
said, pointing 10 my left hand.
Before he could turn / felt rush Of
air and saw him dy into pieces, some
Of which hit me as I fell backward. l
did not know what had happened; /
know not now more than that / have
written. l remember feeling something
under me. like a stick of wood, bearing
hard upon my ribs tried TO roll off it,
but somehow II was tied TO me and
kept hurting / put my hand over my
hip and felt IT there behind me-my
own arm! The hand was Ike that Of
dead man-cold and senseless. / pulled
it from under me. and it lay helpless:
It could not lift itself / knew now that
!, too, had become one OF the bloody
horrors Of the battle,
/ struggled TO my feet, weak and
trembling and sick with nausea. /
must have been lying there long
time. The firing was now at a dis
tance. The sun had gone half down
the sky. They We're picking up the
wounded in tile near field. A man
stood looking at me- GOOD God" he
shouted and then ran away like one
afraid. There was a great mass Of
our men back Of me some twenty rods
/ staggered toward them, my knees
quiverng
Il can never get there" heard my
self whisper
thought OF my little flask OF whis-
ky and, pulling the cork with my
teeth, drank the half Of it. THAT
steadied me, and I made better head
way. ] could hear the soldiers talking
as / neared them.
look a-therew I heard many say
ing. "See 'em comet My Godl Look
at 'em on the hill therer
The words went quickly from mouth
/ TO mouth. In a moment / could hear
the murmur Of thousands turned to
see what they were looking at. Across
the valley there was long ridge and
back Of ii the main position OF the
southern army. A gray host was pour
/ ing over It, thousand upon thousand, in
close order debouching into the valley.
A big force of our men lay between
us and them. AS / looked / could see
mighty stir in IT, Every man OF
them seemed to be jumping up in the
air, From afar came the sound Of
bugles calling retreat" the shouting
Of men. the rumbling Of wagons. il
grew louder. An officer rode by me
hatless and halted. shading his eyes;
then he rode back hurriedly
"Hell has broke looser he shouted as
he passed me.
The blue coated host was rushing
toward us Ike a food--artillery. cav
airy, infantry. wagon train There was
a mighty uproar in the men behind me,
a quick stir OF feet. Terror spread
over them like the travelling Of fire.
1t shook their tongues. The crowd be-
gan caving at the\edg and jamming
at the center. Then it spread like a
swarm Of bees shaken of a bush.
"Runl Run for your livesg was a
cry that rose TO heaven.
Halt you cowardsw an officer shout
ed.
1t was now past O'Clock
The raw army had been ON its feet