The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-06-27


That's not true" returned Wash
inf on, every word singing like
whip, 1T was merely covering party
wi CD attacked you. Why did you ac-
&c, command, sir. unless you intend.
&c to fght?'
Il GiG 40 .ecn 1t prudent, General
Washington. to bring on general en-
ga enc" I.
Yau K f. obey my orders, sir,
Al you scw THAT they We're. See!
They are coming nowl"
lie wheeled his horse about, point
inr with one hand across the. valley.
Major Cain, have Oswald bring up
hi gvrs at once; Lieutenant Mcneil,
RTE to Ramsey and Stewart; have
Ii 3ir troops on the ridge within ten
m nutes-Genesal Maxwell, these arc
ycnr men?"
They are, sir"
Hold this line at any cost, the re-
serves will be up presently"
As he drew his horse about he again
came face to face with Lee, who sat
his saddle sullenly, his gaze on the
ground Washington looked at him
q moment. evidently not knowing what
to say. Then he asked quietly:
"Win you retain command on this
height or, rot, sir?'
Ut is equal to me where / COM
rnand"
"Then expect you will take proper
means for checking the enemy
Il shall not be the first to leave the
ground; your orders shall be obeyed."
What followed was but medley Of
sight and sound. l saw Washington
ride to the left; heard Lee give hur-
ried order, or two; then | was at the
rear OF our own line strengthening it
for assault. There was little enough
time left.
Under the smoke Of several batter.
les, whose shells were ripping open
the side Of the hill, the British were
advancing in double line, the sun
cleaning on their bayonets, and re-
vealing the uniforms of different
corps.
Steady. men! Steady!" voice after
voice caught up the command. Hold
your fret"
wait until they reach that fallen
tree!" / added.
Every man Of US had a gun, officers,
all. Coatless as though we came from
the haying field, the perspiration
streaming down our faces, we waited.
The rife barrels glowed brown in the
sun, as the keen eyes took careful
sight. We were but a handful, a single
thin line; If the reserves failed we
would be driven back by mere force
of numbers, yet before we went that
slope should be strewn with dead.
Crashing up from the rear came Os-
wald with two guns, wheeling into
position, the depressed muzzles spout
ing destruction. Yet those red ard
blue lines came on; great openings
were ploughed through them, but the
living mass closed up. They were at
the fallen tree, beyond, when we
poured our yolleys into their very
faces. We saw them waver as that
storm Of lead struck; the center
seemed to give way. leaving behind
a ridge of motionless bodies; then it
surged forward again, led by wav-
ing flag, urged on by gesticuIating of.
flcers
1.-THE cavalry! The cavalry!"
They were coming around the end
of the morass, charging full tilt upon
the right Of our line. / saw that end
erumble up, and, a moment later,
scarcely realizing what had occurred
We were racing backward, firing as we
ran, and stumbling over dead bodies
Maxwell rallied us beyond the
causeway, swearing manfully as he
drove us into position behind low
stone wall. Again and again they
charged us, the artillery fire shatter-
ing the wall into Fragments Twice
we came to baybnets and dubbed
guns, battling hand to handI and
Wayne was forced so far back upon
the left, that we were driven into the
edge Of the wood for protection. But
there we held. out front blaze of
fire. II seemed to me the horror of
that stfurgle would never end. Such
heat, st.ch thirst, the black powder
smoke in our nostriis, the dead under
foot the cries of the wounded, the
incessant roar of the guns, Again and
again it was hand to hand; | could
scarcely tell who faced us, so fierce
the melee, so suffoeating the smoker
caught gl;mpses of British Grena-
diers, of Hese,ans, of Queens Rangers.
Once ! thought ! heard Grants nasal
voice amid the Internal uproar Stew
art and Ramsey came to our sup
port; Oswald got his guns upon an
eminence, opening a deadly fire; Liv-
ingston's regiment charged, and with
a cheer, we leaped forward also mad
with the battle fever, and flung them
back, back down that deadly slope.
1t was not in flesh and blood to stand;
we cut the center like a wedge, and
dreve them pell-mell to where Lee
had been in the morning. Here they
rallied, fanked by thick woods and
morasses. Too exhausted to follow,
braath1oca m the