The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-06
A SOLDIERS
EASTER MORN
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright. 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

and next moment we caught sight OF
horsemen on the turnpike beyond the
bridge.
Fall in. Fall inY' shouted our Off
Ger in wild excitement
Up on the hillside a thousand men.
women and children looked down and
held their breath and felt the blood
Jingle to their finger ends. They could
see the long line stretching back for
half a mile-6OO men to 1OO-and,
though they were our enemies, they
felt pity for u.s.
STEADY, now, and fire low
There was a crash and q roar of
iron shod feet as the first squadron
struck the bridge. and then a hundred
jets of flame leaped forth to meet the
troopers. and a hundred bullets led the
jets. Down went horses and men
down in one great heap of deMl and
dying which other horses could not
leap overland we rose up and swung
our hats and cheered. Up on the hill
side men turned pale, women wept and
children cried out in horror at wars
spectacle. We heard the enemy's u
giles blow the order to retreat and dis
mount, and then we looked to our off,
GERS for orders to fall back.
Hold the bridge to the last.'' had
been the order to the captain, and he
meant to obey to the letter
The smoke of our volley still f1oated
lazily over the town when we heard
| the tramp, tramp, tramp of soldiers
tctn
tween the chinks of the barricade we
saw lines of dismounted men coming
forward at a swinging pace. "A mo-
ment later it was double quick, and as
we opened scattering fire they reach
| ed the heap of dead and dying and
made a barricade of it. Five-ten-fif-
|. teen minutes of sharp firing, in which
| three or four men were killed on both
sides, and then the enemy swarmed
over the barricade and charged. The
long, narrow bridge was like tunnel
They were crowded together. and our
/ bullets could not go astray. A crash of
musketry-a great puff of blue black
smoke-and then all was silent-all
but the sobs of women and the walls
but only a skirmish. The living and
unhurt regained shelter of the barri-
cade, and ten minutes later the enemy
was crossing at the fords above and
below, and we were being fired on
from in front and on both TANKS.
Then the order came to fall back.
There had been q hundred of US at the
bridge. Only seventy retreated up the
hillside. sullenly, grudgingly and fir
! ing as we went, and the nOncOmbat-
ants scattered to right and left and
cried out as the bullets whistled over
their heads or plowed up the ground at
their feet We fought from behind the
stone walls, from behind houses and
stores and barns and sheds. We stung
the pursuing enemy at every turn and
left his dead on every rod of the open
streets By and by, as we fought sin
ely or in groups and when our dead and
wounded were everywhere, there came
the order:
ITO the church. To the church.!
Rally on the church,
Some one led the way-all others
followed. On the crest of the hill was
the old stone church, built long before
any one dreamed of fratricidal war.
For half an hour peace reigned. The
enemy was gathering up the wounded
friend and foe alike-and carrying
them into the quaint old houses to be
cared for by the frightened and sob
bing women. For half an hour, and
then the truce was broken and carbineS
volleyed and the bullets thudded
against the heavy doors and flew in at
the windows and were buried in the
walls and ceiling, beam and joist. We
fought back-we killed and wounded.
An hour went by and then there We're
only thirty Of US living. Surrender
would have been honorable, but no one
thought of surrender. BY and by the
sun went down and darkness fell
Some rested while others fought on
E but as we rested and fought there was
a feeling of awe over all Men uttered
: shrek as the bullets struck them
i cried out just once Then the awe OF
! God came upon them and they were
silent, or if they wept and prayed We
@ did not hear them. Until midnight nC
: one slept. 1ueH Cdulc SllCuCe dIt
peace and men fell down and CLOSED
their eyes and forgot war and its hor
f rors and dreamed of happy homes fal
G away
a Then the impatient enemy made {
sudden rush upon us in the darkness
] and in an instant war had returned
5 and death was stalking abroad again
: IF was n farea attacl, b,lt we renelIef
Y it and sank down once more. and wheI
5 our eyes opened again daylight shon'
in at the broken window. Hark,
b is the bell above US ringing out glaC
! notes of Easter morning. In a littl,
/ room to the left of the altar is a MAJ
). pulling at the hope. We stare at him
t And when he has pulled the rope
hundred times he comes down an'
tears the barricade away from TIL
doors and throws tbav1 vvida Onan cav