The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1905-03-25
THE FAMOUS OLD BIG ELK RANGERS

on that evening ~ years ago, but
they would be wrong because every sin
, gle word herein is truth to the best of
| my recollection. 1t was my dead rNn-
| rade Tom Kelly. who called my attcn-
| ton to the sun. "DOn't tat sun look
| like Il houre Oh fire, boys" said Tom.
Some one in Company & replied. but
don't call to mind just who it was, and
| am glad that | don't, because it start
ed the cold chils up and down my spinal
column. Said he, YES, it will be us hot
us he'll when she gets up on the other
| side next day.
And sure it was. Because General
Sherman once said that War was hell"
| and if it is we had lots of it next day.
| rccollrct of once hearing Lieutenant
! William Drew outline the following. he
being Il member of Company c. Second
| Delaware. who had been promoted from
| the ranks for bravery
ION July the first 1862. we had been
constantly fighting by day and march
| ing by night. living upon wheat shcllcd
| from bundles of standing grain. and Il
| few blachbcrrca hardly ripe, rinscd
down with warm and muddy water. and
| but little of that; nearly half the com
mand lrld gone down through wounds.
| death and exhaustion. Sunk under the
strain: those remaining were lying in Il
| deep gully all the early part of the day,
while the enemies artillery to the south
was firing north over or heads. the
| Rebel skirmishcrs kept in check by our
constant firing.
| In this gully under the hroiln= sun
every comrade felt himself done for
StamHchS gone, backs legs and bodies
| utterly wAstrd-lyimg there like sheep on
| the ground. careless alike Of the enemies
caur>nwIdc. Of famine. of thirst and of
! the fearful march of the past week.
/ Suddenly. near sun down the enemy
made Il final charge. and we We're order
ed to fix lnyonrtS and forward up that
| hill toward the yelling host of charging
| Rebels. As our long line moved up each
man knew that many must awaken i'll
| the other world. sixty seconds later. |
! WAS numb and rHrayZcd by the terri
Bile pressure. and can never tell how |
| mustered strength to 30. but the great
machine moved ON. and | Il little wheel,
moved with it. CHANGING down the aid
| Vancing ranks. but for Il second only, the
| spectacle will burn in my brain in few
cred dreams and restless Slumbcr$ till
my very last hour The serted line of
| CHASTITY faces. and eyes cleaning with
famine and desperation, greeted that
single glance. rs they moved on and up
to the top of the hill where they found
the charging host. \ sort of dcmoniac
wilderness and nightmare fer murder,
seemed to follow aS the explosion came.
1t seemed an age while the ReEs swept
forward again and again the waves of
destruction came against our line and
went back. leaving the ground covered
with the dead and dying. Perhaps it
maght have lasted half an hour, all Of
, our cartridges were expended and we
were >nn our very last legs, when the
RehS went back and our line fell down
to the ground like drunken men; but
we had saved the extreme left of the
army
Our hugIcS sang truce. for the night
cloud had lowered.
The sentinel stars set their watch in
the sky;
Thousands sunk on the ground over
powered
The weary to sleep and the wounded
to die.
Not onc-hAIf Of the survivors of that
awful ordeal lived to the end of the
war, and less than onc-third of those are
alive today.
j. POLK RACINE.