The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-05-04

when became conscious OF a faint,
rumbilng sound TO the south. ] held my
hand TO my ear, straining to hear aud inter,
pref the sound. Fleisehmann heard IL al
| the same moment. He gripped my arm.
Listen, he said, 1T is the French can
/ non coming north.
For some time we stood IN attitudes OF
| keen suspense. A breeze blew lightly
/ from the south, rustling the tree tops The
sound came agaiD--a low, well-defined roll,
as OF heavy wheels on a hard road. For
| full a minute we heard 1t plainly; then IL
died away as the breeze fell
They are not less than five miles away,
said Lowenberg. God, how they Creep
| Well, let us move down.
We descended through the forest, and
reaching the end of the woods worked
south. After advancing couple OF miles
the lines reformed and awaited the APP
proach OF the unsuspecting Gauls. Scouts
reported the road two hundred yards a
way Later came the lancer skirmishers.
They had seen the French-a division of
cavalry. followed by infantry and Held
batteries twenty thousand men, more or
less They We're covering about six miles
an hour.
1t was a trying wait. Lowenberg con-
ferred with his officers, and could but
stand there beside F'leischmann, quivering
with excitement / wondered what l
should do when the crisis arrived. l was
armed with revolver and sabre, but ! did
not wish to fight, for 1 was friendly to the
IL 4
withdraw; that they would strike at me,
and that / must strike back or go down.
Finally the chatter OF hoofs sounded
around a bend In the road, and minute
and trappings flashing in the pale NOON
light they Numbered by, stream of horse
men n mile long, hurrying forward to select
a camp, for It lacked but two hours Of day
light, and the troops were hungry after
A long interval of silenee-then the tramp
OF infantry, steady and regular like the
throbbng of a great engine. AS the sky
lightened to asslckly. graylsh yellow, they
came In sight advancing in columns OF
four. We waited until they were well "a
long In front of us. mile of the column
had passed. ! saw Lowenberg draw his re-
volver--the critical moment had arrived.
Onr front was easily half a mile long.
We were In two lines, each line four men
deep, with a space of ten yards between.
The hussars formed the center with Low
enberg, Fleischmann and myself close be-
hind.
As the shot rang ont our whole line
moved into the open field, broke into a trot
then into gallop. Eight thousand German
voices Joined in one mighty cry Of battle:
''Hurrah, Preussenl' And again. 'Hur-
rah. Preussen. Vorwaertsl"
Down we swept with thunder OF hoofs.
Cheer after cheer echoed back from the
high hills. Fifty yards--a hundred yards
the French were rallying around their |
shouting and gesticulating In !
great confusion. Some leveled their rides |
and patter of bullets angered the Ger |
mans, who opened with their carblnes and
let loose hail OF lead
/ can recall little of that mad rush. My |
horse was running away. I could not have |
held him Ii ! would. The bullets flew
thicker. The French were forming, kneel-
Ing ut the roadside and firing as rapidly as |
they could work their guns. Others were
running. All, II was no use either to run
Or TO hre. That solid wall of men and
horses slid like an avalanche down the
grassy hill 1t brushed the French back; 1t
iattened them; 1t crushed them into a mass
If shrieking. enrslng humanity. MY horse
feared and came down In their midst. bis
great hoofs crushing the skulls of two who
we're struggling to their feet. My very soul
sickened at the horrid smash of iron on
skull On we went straight through the
ieething mass Of men, and wheeling sharply
n the field beyond the road came back In
mother mad charge.
Suddenly Lowenberg's horse stumbled,
yavered and went down with d bullet In
his brain. Hleischmann was at the left.
lighting like a demon, his long heavy sabre
playing havoc In the huddled groups Of de-
French. But as the Colonel sank
With his steed Fleschmann closed In,
eized him by the collar dragged him out