The Washington times., 1913-09-13

H scene was still upon them.
wv Gordon gave the word For
ward The division, en-
Unused to the sublime. struck the dis
organized and scattered troops of Han
cock with tremendous force and drove
them back, stubbornly contesting every
foot of the way, the resistance grow
ing stronger and stronger as the blue
men We're crowded together by the con-
stricting walls of the angle. But Cor
don was not to be denied. Slowly his
men pressed on. The stress and strain
were terrific. There was more hand-to-
hand lighting over the ground that Ed
ward Johnson had occupied that morn
ing. Manv man, wounded and unable
to get away. fell and was trampled to
death by the press of feet.
As Lee had withdrawn from Gordon 8
front at the imperious behest OF that
gallant young commander. he had sent
Grafton. who had witnessed the whole
scene. with feeling almost of awe,
posthaste to bring up some more artil-
lery to take the place of the captured
guns. After a few minutes fighting,
which Lee watched with his heart in
his mouth and prayer on lis lips
Tor IL the Federal troops did not give
wav before that charge, If Gordon's
men failed, all would be lost-he saw
with relief indescribable Cabell's artil-
lefy comin~ up on the run They
wheeled TO the right, the officers salut-
Ing. waving their swords. shouting as
they saw Lee on old Traveller. and
dashed into action.
BY the time Rhodes and Ramseur had
also swung into the salient in a series
OF hurtlfng charges and added their
onslaught to the tremendous thrust of
the Georgians under Gordon. BY pro-
dlgious efforts they finally forced the
Union troops out of the salient and over
the works. But no farther To one side
OF that narrow line of earth and logs
tne maddened men in blue clung with
the gr1p OF an octopus. Upon II the
itanuc men In gray threw themselves
tigers
II was daylight now. All that long
gray day, with the rain whirling down
on them, the soldiers fought for that
hne. The Confederates had cleared the
salient and regained all that they had
lost except the extreme angles. They
could not dislodge the Union troops
from the outer face of that rortion OF
The line, nor could the Federal soldiers
IN turn drive them from the inner face,
With six feet of earth Separating them
Trey struggled through the long hours.
II was not series of charges and
countercharges, of successive advances
and retreats, az was usually the course
OF engagements. 1t was not a battle
IN which the fortunes of war wavered
from one side 70 the other but il was a
straight continuous, steady. hand-to-
hand fight of over twenty hours dura-
ton, and OF such a character as beggars
description. Never before, never since
was there battle like il.
Men stood behind the breastworks fir
ing until they were shot down. Guns
were run forward by hand after the
horses had been killed. from either side
and fired until their very carriages were
cut to pieces by musket fire. The
enonSes were dipped in blood which
0rcpped from the iron muzZ' ea as from,
ravening anlmars lips Men drank
The sickening compound I'm their con-
Stunning thirst IN default of water. The
slopes on either side were piled with
men past action forever TO whom no
one gave heed. The trenches were filled
with dead, the bitches with blood The
horrible mud was mixed with trampled
human lives. Wounded men fought with
the ferocity of tigers or the courage
of ions at bay. until they could fight
no more. ..
stantly. although they were subjected
Ia 2 fearful shatternG fire from the
guns placed .2r enough back from the
Works on either side to shoot over
friend and into the foe Still that
breastwork was lined with men, who
fought On with no note of time. know
ing that The last hour would strike
presently for them. Opposing coIors
Were p,Hnt"d on II face 10 face and
waved there until cloth and STATS were
shot 10 p.e-es
n the frenzy of their pa-slnr r,op
Hou'd leap On The, breast TTc-Sg and fire
down 'rte he trenches ~ The o.ber
sidc. Sometimes their comrades woIId
pass UP gun after gun, which the heroes