Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-02-09


hand among us hard gripped on sabre
hilt, we waited that word which sure
ly could not be delayed, while from
end to end, down the full length of
our straining line, rang out the yell
of exultant pride.
STEADY, men: steady there, lads!"
called the old Colonel, sternly. his own
eyes filled with tears. Our turn will
come
Torn, rent. shattered. bleeding,
treading upon the dead and mangled
in rows, those iron men in blue came
on. They were as demons laughing at
death. No rain of lead, no hail of
canister. no certainty Of destruction
could check now the fierce impetus
of that forward rush. God knows it
was magnificent; the supreme effort
Of men intoxicated with the enthusi-
asm of war! Even where we were
we could see and feel the giant power
in those grim ranks of steel-the tat
tered flags, the stern. set faces, the
deep-toned chorus Of Glory. glory.
hallelujah." that echoed to their tread.
Those men meant to win or die. and
they rolled on as Cromwells Iron
sides at Marston Moor. Twice they
staggered, when the mad volleys
ploughed ragged red lanes through
them, but only to rally and press
sternly on. They struck that crouch
ing gray line of infantry, fairly buried
it with their dense blue folds, and.
rrritI Nf fviY1 ar,h
closed down upon the guns. Even as
they blotted them from sight. an aide,
hatless and bleeding. his horse
wounded and staggering from weak
ness, tore down toward us along the
crest. A hundred feet away his
mount fell headlong. but on foot and
dying he reached our front.
Colonel Carter" he painted. press
ing one hand upon his breast to keep
back the yelling blood, charge, and
hold that battery Until we can bring
infantry to your support"
No man among us doubted the full
meaning of tive were to save the
army! The very horses seemed to
feel sense of relief, hands clinched
more tightly on taut reins to hold
them in check; under the old battered
hats the eyes of the troopers cleaned
hungrily.
"Virginians!" and the old Coloners
voice rang like clarion down the
GREATNESS line, there is where you
die! Follow mel"
Slowly, like some mighty mountain
torrent gaming force. we rode forth
:. walk, each trooper lined to pre-
cision OF review, yet instinctively TAX
ing distance for sword play Halfway
down the slight slope our line broke
into snar-, trot then, as the thrilling
notes of the charge sounded above US.
we swept forward in wild. impetuous
tumult.
Who can tell tho story of those
seconds that so swiftly followed?
Surely not one who saw but the vivid
flash of steel, the agonized faces, the
flame of belching fire. | recall the
frenzied leap of my horse as we
struck the line ere 1t could form into
square; the blows dealt savagely to
right and left; the blaze of voliey
scorching our faces, the look of the
big infantryman | rode down; the
sudden thrust that saved me from
levelled gun; the quick swerving of
our horses as they came in contact
with the cannon; the shouts of rage;
the blows; the screams of pain; the
white face of Colgate as he reeled
an fell. These are all in my mem
DRY, blurred, commingled. indistinct,
yet distressful as any nightmare. In
some way. how | know not, ! realized
that we had hurled them back. shat
tered them by our first fierce blow:
that the guns were once again ours:
that fifty dismounted troopers were
Juggling desperately at their wheels.
Then that dense blue mass surged
forward once again, engulfed us in
it's deadly folds, and with steel and
BULLET, sword and dubbed musket.
ploughed through our broken ranks.
rending us in twain, fairly smothering
Us by sheer force of numbers. | saw
tie old Colonel plunge head-down into
II. ruck beneath the horses feet;
the Major riding stone dead In his
saddle, CHASTITY red stain In the
centre of his forehead: then Hunter,
of e, went down screaming, and
knew was the senior captain left.
About me scarce hundred men bat
tied like demons for their lives in the
midst Of the guns. Even as ! glanced
aside at them, shielding my head with
rplifted sabre from the blows rained
upon me. the color-sergeant flung up
his hand. and grasped his saddle POM
mel to keep from falling. Out of his
opening fingers l snatched the splin-
tered staff, lifted 1t high up. until
the rent folds of the old flag caught
the dull glow of the sunlight
til Virginia." | shouted. Rally
OF the colors!"
could see them coming-all that
was left Of Thanksgiving their way
through the press, cleaving the mass
with their blows as the prov of a
ship cut the sea. With one vicious