Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1920-09-10

years before when, with EdIe by my
side, I had seen the merchant ship
fight with the prlvateers. II was so
loud now that II seemed to me that
the battle must be going on just be-
yOnd the nearest wood, but my friend
the sergeant knew better.
ITS twelve to fifteen miles on" said
he. "you may be sure that the general
knows that we are not wanted, or we
should not be resting here at Hal"
What he said proved to be true, for
a minute later down came the colonel
with orders that we should stack arms
and bivouac where we were, and there
we stayed all day, while horse and
foot and guns, English, Dutch and
Hanoverians, were streaming through.
The devils music went on till evening,
sometimes rising into roar. some
times sinking into a grumble, until
about eight o'clock In the evening II
stopped altogether. We were eating
our hearts out, as you may think, to
know what II all meant, but we knew
that what the Duke did would be for
the best, so we just waited in patience.
Next day the brigade remained ut
Hal IN the morning, but about midday
came nm order from the Duke, and we
pushed on once more until we came to
village called Braine something, and
there we stopped, and time, too, for O
sudden thunderstorm came on and a
plump OF rain that turned all the roads
and the fields into bog and mire. We
got into the barns at this village for
shelter, and there we found two strag-
glers, one from q killed regiment and
the other man of the German legion,
who had a tale to tell that was as
dreary ms the weather.
Boney had thrashed the Prussians
the day before, and our fellows had
been sore put to It to hold their own
against Ney, but had beaten him Off at
last. II seems an old, stale story to
you now, but you cannot think how we
scrambled around those two men In
the barn, and pushed and fought Just
to catch word of what they said, and
how those who had heard were In turn
mobbed by those who had not. We
laughed and cheered and groaned all
In turn, rs we were told how the Forty
fourth had received cavalry in line
how the Dutch-Belglans had fed, and
how the Black Watch had taken the
lancers into their square, and then had
killed them at their leisure. But the
lancers had had the laugh on their
side when they crumpled up the Sixty
ninth and carried Off one Of the colors
To wind II all up, the Duke was In re-
treat, in order to keep In touch with
the Prusslans, and II was rumored that
he would take up his ground and fight
big battle Just Mt the very place
where we had been halted.
And soon we saw that this rumor
was true, for the weather cleared
toward evening, and we were all out
on the ridge to see what we could see.
II was such bonny stretch of corn
and grazing land, with the crops Just
half green and half yellow, and fine
rye as high rs mans shoulder. A
scene more full of peace you could not
think Of, and look where you would
over the low, curving corn-covered
hills, you could see the little village
steeples pricking up their spires among
the poplars. But slashed right across
this pretty picture was long trail
of marching men, some red, some
green, some blue, some black, zigzag-
ging over the plain and choking the
ronds one end so close that we could
shout to them as they stacked their
muskets on the ridge at our left, and
the other end lost among the woods
as far as we could see. And then on
other roads we saw the teams Of
horses tolllng and the dull CLEAN OF
the guns, and the men stralning and
swaying as they helped to turn the
snokes In the deep, deep mud. AS we
stood there regiment after regiment
and brigade after brigade took posi-
ton on the ridge, and ere the sun had
set we lay In line OF over sixty thou
sand men, blocking Napoleon's way to
Brussels. But the rain had come
swishing down again, and we OF the
Seventy-first rushed Off to our barn
once more, where we had better quar-
tiers than the greater part Of our com
rades, who lay stretched In the mud.
with the storm beating upon them,
until the first peep of day.