Year: 1868

my who were MAKING the aHack IN mont, ne passed
dong q depression Of the ground, about one hun:
dred yards to the rear Of the line, where the Con-
fsderates ware 30 calamity maintaining the contest
Just above his head few the bullets Of the enemy
with 6erce hiss Ike molten lead spattering upon
water. Ashaa from the battery Of the enemy ex.
ploded IN the am quite near, scattering its fzg-
menb around him, but be pressed on to carry his
orders through to the skirmishers on heright, be-
fore the enemy ahouM hare engaged them. Hay-
ing passed through this hollow-where 3 thin
growth Of oh,f field pines @ev-he crossed the turn
pike couple Of hundred yards to the right Of the
Confederate line, and here, ascending bill covered
with oaks and rhododendrons, he bore slightly to
the leh, each moment expecting to come upon the
Ene Of skirnishea he pushed his way through
the forest until at la, be had gone sofar from the
spot where the fight was in progress that the con-
viction forced itself upon him that be had missed
the detachment of which he was in search, and
had gone beyond them. He paused a moment in
thought, and rightly copjecturing that detach-
ment would not have been pushed forward 50 far
from the flank It wssdesigned to cover, he retraced
his course. .' ''


He had gone scarcely hundred PAGES on hisre-
turn, when, in an opening Of the forest, he came
suddenly upon the head Of regiment, whose line
of march intersected the route he was pursuing
Suddenly emerging from the cover Of the woods
be found himself in few feet Of the leading files
To his surprise and horror, he discovered that it
was q regiment of the enemy With which he found
himself face TO facel He was SO close upon them,
before he was aware of their presence, that it
would have been most desperate step to attempt
to escape. Quick as thought he rode boldly up to
the commanding officer with confident air.


>ssWhAt Regiment Is thia 2" demanded he; with
an air Of authority. ~.


'The -rd Massachusetts,, Major Grigsly in
command, " replied the officer, seemingly astound-
ed at the sudden encounter.


'DThe Generals compliments to you Major, with
orders to withdraw in all haste. BE has just as
certained that the enemy is present in force, and
that, while Aanking them, you are exposed to an
attack in flank and rear by an overwhelming force.
Your situation here is extremely critical, and the
whole line is to be Withdrawn. I must now carry
orders to the regiments that are engaged


Thus saying, Victor saluted, and without await


ing question or reply, pressed on at full gallop in
the direction Of the enemys line, where the firing
was heavy. He was scarcely out Of sight, howev-
er, when, turning to the left he hastened in search
of the detachment to which he had been sent with
orders. In few minutes he had the good fortune
to come upon them, closely sheltered in the wood,
some four-score yards to the right Of the point
where he had entered it. Hastily recounting to
the officer in command, the startling adventure
which had just befallen him, he urged him to move
forward, and by spirited attack on the Aanking
party, to increase their apprehensions Of being
surrounded and attacked by superior force. His
suggestion was promptly put in execution. The
cautious, but brave and alert officer at once set his
men in motion, and guided by Victor, soon came
up with the regiment of the enemy falling back
upon their main body. Avid yell and few well
directed shots, made them fearfulof being attack
ed and overwhelmed by superior forces, and throw
ing aside everything that could impede their flight,
their retrograde movement was converted into a
wild and shameful rout. The panic extended it
self to the lines that were engaged. Twilight was
deepening on the field when the enemy discovered
that one Of his fanking parties had been repelled,
and the other put to shameful rout. A cry passed
along the lines that they were themselves about to
de fanked by superior forces. just atthis oppor-
tune moment, portion of the Confederate line,
carried away by their ardor and impetuosity and
no longer under the control Of their officers, leaped
over the fence with yell and went charging down
upon the enemy. The line before them seized
with panic, waveredand broke; and then was pre-
sented the strange spectacle of thousands fleeing
across the field pursued by some five or six hun
dred halfdiseiplined men, whose darkening figures,
in the dim twilight seemed, to the fearstricken fu-
gitives, countless host Of merciless avengers.
The pursuit continued few hundred yards, and
the flashing of the muskets Of the pursuers, as
they fired volley after volley, lit up the gooming
sky and the shadowy field with lurid light. The
wild cries of rage and fear, and the shrieks OF the
agonized sufferers who fell wounded on the plain,
and in the wild contortions of anguish, breathed
out imprecations or cried aloud for mercy, seemed
to come from phantoms of hell, into whose fearful
state shuddering humanity was permitted to take
an awful glimpse.


It was Victer's first battlefield, and sense Of
awe came over him as he sat on his horse by the
borders of the wood, and looked down through the
deepening twilight upon the fitting figures and the


flashes of musketry, that brought out in strong re-
lief, like ftful CLEANS from ON angry cloud, the
strange figures of excited men and the dark masses
Of shadowy trees that, here and there, dotted the
field. The shouts Of triumph and e1ultation, ming.
ling with the shrieks and groans of the wounded,
came to his ears, like sounds that stupefy the SEN
ses in those uneasy dreams that visit the couch OF
the disturbed and fevered sleeper. Carried away
by his ardor and enthusiasm, he had seized the


musket Of disabled soldier and, on horse back
still, Joined in the pursuit of the fugitives Find
ing himself entangled in the wood, he bore to the
left and soon emerged into the open field where
the chief contest was going on. Coming suddenly
upon group, of men who had made temporary
halt under low and wide-spreading pine, and
were re-loading their muskets; at loss to know
whether they gere fiendsor foes, yet doubling not
that it was detached squad Of the Confederates
in pursuit Of the enemy, he rode confidently for
ward and asked to what regiment they belonged.
There was silence for q moment, when one Of the