Atdaylightthebuglesounded\"Rightforward！foursright！\"again,andthe300ofusresumedouronwardplodovertherocky,cedar—crownedhills。
Inthemeantime,otherthingsweretakingplaceelsewhere。OuresteemedfriendsoftheSixty—fourthVirginia,whowereincampatthelittletownofJonesville,about40milesfromtheGap,hadlearnedofourstartinguptheValleytodrivethemout,andtheyshowedthatwarmreciprocitycharacteristicoftheSouthernsoldier,bymountingandstartingdowntheValleytodriveusout。Nothingcouldbemoreharmonious,itwillbeperceived。Barringthetriflingdivergenceofyewsastowhowastodriveandwhobedriven,therewasperfectaccordinourideas。
Ournumberswereaboutequal。IfIweretosaythattheyconsiderablyoutnumberedus,Iwouldbefollowingtheuniversalprecedent。
Nosoldier—highorlow—everadmittedengaginganequalorinferiorforceoftheenemy。
About9o\'clockinthemorning——Sunday——theyrodethroughthestreetsofJonesvilleontheirwaytogiveusbattle。ItwasherethatmostofthemembersoftheRegimentlived。Everyman,womanandchildinthetownwasrelatedinsomewaytonearlyeveryoneofthesoldiers。
Thewomenturnedouttowavetheirfathers,husbands,brothersandloversontovictory。Theoldmengatheredtogivepartingcounselandencouragementtotheirsonsandkindred。TheSixty—fourthrodeawaytowhathopetoldthemwouldbeagloriousvictory。
Atnoonwearestillstragglingalongwithoutmuchattemptatsoldierlyorder,overtherough,frozenhill—sides。Itisyetbitterlycold,andmenandhorsesdrawthemselvestogether,asiftoexposeaslittlesurfaceaspossibletotheunkindelements。Notawordhadbeenspokenbyanyoneforhours。
Theheadofthecolumnhasjustreachedthetopofthehill,andtherestofusarestrungalongforaquarterofamileorsoback。
Suddenlyafewshotsringoutuponthefrostyairfromthecarbinesoftheadvance。Thegeneralapathyisinstantly,replacedbykeenattention,andtheboysinstinctivelyrangethemselvesintofours——thecavalryunitofaction。TheMajor,whoisridingaboutthemiddleofthefirstCompany——I——dashestothefront。Aglanceseemstosatisfyhim,forheturnsinhissaddleandhisvoiceringsout:
\"CompanyI！FOURSLEFTINTOLINE！——MARCH！！\"
TheCompanyswingsaroundonthehill—toplikeagreat,jointedtoysnake。Asthefourscomeintolineonatrot,weseeeverymandrawhissaberandrevolver。TheCompanyraisesamightycheeranddashesforward。
CompanyKpressesforwardtothegroundCompanyIhasjustleft,thefourssweeparoundintoline,thesabersandrevolverscomeoutspontaneously,themencheerandtheCompanyflingsitselfforward。
AllthistimeweofCompanyLcanseenothingexceptwhatthecompaniesaheadofusaredoing。Wearewroughtuptothehighestpitch。AsCompanyKclearsitsground,wepressforwardeagerly。Nowwegointolinejustasweraisethehill,andasmyfourcomesaround,Icatchahurriedglimpsethroughariftinthesmokeofalineofbutternutandgraycladmenahundredyardsorsoaway。Theirgunsareattheirfaces,andIseethesmokeandfirespurtfromthemuzzles。Atthesameinstantoursabersandrevolversaredrawn。Weshoutinafrenzyofexcitement,andthehorsesspringforwardasifshotfromabow。
IseenothingmoreuntilIreachtheplacewheretheRebellinestood。
ThenIfinditisgone。Lookingbeyondtowardthebottomofthehill,I
seethewoodsfilledwithRebels,flyingindisorderandourmenyellinginpursuit。ThisistheportionofthelinewhichCompaniesIandK
struck。Hereandtherearemeninbutternutclothing,proneonthefrozenground,woundedanddying。Ihavejusttimetonoticecloselyonemiddle—agedmanlyingalmostundermyhorse\'sfeet。Hehasreceivedacarbinebulletthroughhisheadandhisbloodcolorsagreatspacearoundhim。
Onebraveman,ridingaroanhorse,attemptstorallyhiscompanions。
Hehaltsonalittleknoll,wheelshishorsetofaceus,andwaveshishattodrawhiscompanionstohim。Atall,lankfellowinthenextfourtome——whogoesbythenicknameof\"\'LevenYards\"——aimshiscarbineathim,and,withoutcheckinghishorse\'space,fires。TheheavySharpe\'sbullettearsagapingholethroughtheRebel\'sheart。Hedropsfromhissaddle,hislife—bloodrunsdowninlittlerillsoneithersideoftheknoll,andhisriderlesshorsedashesawayinapanic。
AtthisinstantcomesanorderfortheCompanytobreakupintofoursandpressonthroughtheforestinpursuit。Myfourtrotsofftotheroadattheright。ARebelbugler,whohagbeencutoff,leapshishorseintotheroadinfrontofus。Weallfireathimontheimpulseofthemoment。Hefallsfromhishorsewithabulletthroughhisback。CompanyM,whichhasremainedincolumnasareserve,isnowthunderingupclosebehindatagallop。Itsseventy—fivepowerfulhorsesarespurningthesolidearthwithsteel—cladhoofs。Themanwillbegroundintoashapelessmassifleftwherehehasfallen。Wespringfromourhorsesanddraghimintoafencecorner;thenremountandjoininthepursuit。
ThishappenedonthesummitofChestnutRidge,fifteenmilesfromJonesville。
LateintheafternoontheanxiouswatchersatJonesvillesawasinglefugitiveurginghiswell—nighspenthorsedowntheslopeofthehilltowardtown。Inanagonyofanxietytheyhurriedforwardtomeethimandlearnhisnews。
ThefirstmessengerwhorushedintoJob\'spresencetoannouncethebeginningoftheseriesofmisfortuneswhichweretoafflicttheuprightmanofUzisatypeofallthecowardswho,beforeorsincethen,havebeenthefirsttospeedawayfromthefieldofbattletospreadthenewsofdisaster。Hesaid:
AndtheSabeansfelluponthem,andtookthemaway;yea,theyhaveslaintheservantswiththeedgeofthesword;andIonlyamescapedalonetotellthee。
SothisfleeingVirginianshoutedtohisexpectantfriends:
\"Theboysareallcuttopieces;I\'mtheonlyonethatgotaway。\"
Theterribleextentofhiswordswasbeliedalittlelater,bytheappearanceonthedistantsummitofthehillofaconsiderablemoboffugitives,flyingattheutmostspeedoftheirnearlyexhaustedhorses。
Astheycameondownthehillasalmostequallydisorganizedcrowdofpursuersappearedonthesummit,yellinginvoiceshoarsewithcontinuedshouting,andpouringanincessantfireofcarbineandrevolverbulletsuponthehaplessmenoftheSixty—fourthVirginia。
Thetwomassesofmensweptonthroughthetown。Beyondit,theroadbranchedinseveraldirections,thepursuedscatteredoneachofthese,andtheworn—outpursuersgaveupthechase。
ReturningtoJonesville,wetookanaccountofstock,andfoundthatwewere\"ahead\"onehundredandfifteenprisoners,nearlythatmanyhorses,andaconsiderablequantityofsmallarms。Howmanyoftheenemyhadbeenkilledandwoundedcouldnotbetold,astheywerescatteredoverthewholefifteenmilesbetweenwherethefightoccurredandthepursuitended。Ourlosswastrifling。
Comparingnotesaroundthecamp—firesintheevening,wefoundthatoursuccesshadbeenowingtotheMajor\'sinstinct,hisgraspofthesituation,andthesoldierlywayinwhichhetookadvantageofit。WhenhereachedthesummitofthehillhefoundtheRebellinenearlyformedandreadyforaction。Amoment\'shesitationmighthavebeenfataltous。
AthiscommandCompanyIwentintolinewiththethought—likecelerityoftrainedcavalry,andinstantlydashedthroughtherightoftheRebelline。CompanyKfollowedandplungedthroughtheRebelcenter,andwhenweofCompanyLarrivedontheground,andchargedtheleft,thelastvestigeofresistancewassweptaway。Thewholeaffairdidnotprobablyoccupymorethanfifteenminutes。
ThiswasthewayPowell\'sValleywasopenedtoourforagers。
CHAPTERIII。
LIVINGOFFTHEENEMY——REVELINGINTHEFATNESSOFTHECOUNTRY——SOLDIERLY
PURVEYINGANDCAMPCOOKERY——SUSCEPTIBLETEAMSTERSANDTHEIRTENDENCYTO
FLIGHTINESS——MAKINGSOLDIER\'SBED。
Forweekswerodeupanddown——hitherandthither——alongthelengthofthenarrow,granite—walledValley;betweenmountainssoloftythatthesunlaboredslowlyovertheminthemorning,occupyinghalftheforenooningettingtowherehisrayswouldreachthestreamthatranthroughtheValley\'scenter。PerpetualshadowreignedonthenorthernandwesternfacesofthesetoweringNights——notenoughwarmthandsunshinereachingtheminthecoldmonthstocheckthegrowthoftheever—lengtheningicicleshangingfromthejuttingcliffs,ormeltthearabesquefrost—
formswithwhichthemanydashingcascadesdecoratedtheadjacentrocksandshrubbery。Occasionallywewouldseewheresomelittlestreamrandownoverthefaceofthebare,blackrocksformanyhundredfeet,andthenitscoursewouldbealongbandofsheenywhite,likeagreatrich,spotlessscarfofsatin,festooningthewar—grimedwallsofsomeoldcastle。
OurdutynowwastobreakupanynucleiofconcentrationthattheRebelsmightattempttoform,andtoguardourforagers——thatis,theteamstersandemployeeoftheQuartermaster\'sDepartment——whowereloadinggrainintowagonsandhaulingitaway。
Thislastwasanarduoustask。ThereisnomanintheworldthatneedsasmuchprotectionasanArmyteamster。HeisworseinthisrespectthanaNewEnglandmanufacturer,oranoldmaidonhertravels。Heisgiventosuddenfearsandcauselesspanics。VeryinnocentcedarshaveafashionofassuminginhiseyestheappearanceofdesperateRebelsarmedwithmurderousguns,andthereisnotellingwhatmomentarockmaytakesuchaformastofreezehisyoungblood,andmakeeachparticularhairstandonendlikequillsuponthefretfulporcupine。Onehastobeparticularaboutsnappingcapsinhisneighborhood,andgivetohimcarefulwarningbeforedischargingacarbinetocleanit。Hisfirstimpulse,whenanythingoccurstojaruponhisdelicatenerves,istocuthiswheel—mulelooseandretirewiththeprecipitationofamanhavinganappointmenttokeepandbeingbehindtime。Thereisnomanwhocangetasmuchspeedoutofamuleasateamsterfallingbackfromtheneighborhoodofheavyfiring。
Thisnervoustremorwasnotpeculiartotheengineersofourtransportationdepartment。ItwasnoticeableinthegentrywhocartedthescantyprovisionsoftheRebels。OneofWheeler\'scavalrymentoldmethatthebrigadetowhichhebelongedwasoneeveningorderedtomoveatdaybreak。Thenightwasrainy,anditwasthoughtbesttodischargethegunsandreloadbeforestarting。Unfortunately,itwasneglectedtoinformtheteamstersofthis,andatthefirstdischargetheyvarnishedfromthescenewithsuchenergythatitwasoveraweekbeforethebrigadesucceededingettingthembackagain。
Whyassociationwiththemuleshouldthusdemoralizeaman,hasalwaysbeenapuzzletome,forwhilethemule,asCol。Ingersollhasremarked,isananimalwithoutprideofancestryorhopeofposterity,heisstillnotacowardbyanymeans。Itisbeyonddisputethatafull—grownandactivelionessonceattackedamuleinthegroundsoftheCincinnatiZoologicalGarden,andwasignominiouslybeaten,receivinginjuriesfromwhichshediedshortlyafterward。
Theapparitionofabadly—scaredteamsterurgingoneofhiswheelmulesatbreak—neckspeedovertheroughground,yellingforprotectionagainst\"themJohnnies,\"whohadappearedonsomehilltopinsightofwherehewasgatheringcorn,wasanalmosthourlyoccurrence。Ofcoursethesquaddispatchedtohisassistancefoundnobody。
Still,therewereplentyofRebelsinthecountry,andtheyhungaroundourfront,exchangingshotswithusatlongtaw,andoccasionallytreatingustoavolleyatcloserange,fromsomefavorablepoint。
Butwehadthedecidedadvantageofthematthisgame。OurSharpe\'scarbinesweremuchsuperiorineverywaytotheirEnfields。Theywouldshootmuchfarther,andagreatdealmorerapidly,sothattheVirginianswerenotlongindiscoveringthattheywerelosingmorethantheygainedinthisuselesswarfare。
Oncetheyplayedasharppracticaljokeuponus。CopperRiverisadeep,exceedinglyrapidmountainstream,withaveryslipperyrockybottom。
TheRebelsblockadedafordinsuchawaythatitwasalmostimpossibleforahorsetokeephisfeet。Thentheytolledusoffinpursuitofasmallpartytothisford。Whenwecametoittherewasalightlineofskirmishersontheoppositebank,whopoppedawayatusindustriously。
Ourboysformedinline,gavethecustomary,cheer,anddashedintocarrythefordatacharge。Astheydidsoatleastone—halfofthehorseswentdownasiftheywereshot,androlledovertheirridersintheswiftrunning,ice—coldwaters。TheRebelsyelledatriumphantlaugh,astheygallopedaway,andthelaughwasre—echoedbyourfellows,whowereasquicktoseethejokeastheotherside。Wetriedtogetevenwiththembyasharpchase,butwegaveitupafterafewmiles,withouthavingtakenanyprisoners。
But,afterall,therewasmuchtomakeoursojournintheValleyendurable。Thoughwedidnotwearfinelinen,wefaredsumptuously——forsoldiers——everyday。Thecavalrymanisalwayschargedbytheinfantryandartillerywithhavingafinerandsurerscentforthegoodthingsinthecountrythananyothermanintheservice。Heisbelievedtohaveaninstinctthatwillunfailinglyleadhim,inthedankestnight,totheroostingplaceofthemostdesirablepoultry,andafterhehascampedinaneighborhoodforawhileitwouldrequireaclosechemicalanalysistofindatraceofham。
Wedidourbesttosustainthereputationofourarmoftheservice。
Wefoundthemostdelicioushamspackedawayintheash—houses。
Theyweresmall,andhadthat;exquisitenuttyflavor,peculiartomast—
fedbacon。Thentherewasanabundanceofthedelightfullittleappleknownas\"romanites。\"Therewereturnips,pumpkins,cabbages,potatoes,andtheusualproductsofthefieldinplenty,evenprofusion。Thecorninthefieldsfurnishedanamplesupplyofbreadstuff。Wecarriedittoandgrounditinthequaintest,rudestlittlemillsthatcanbeimaginedoutsideoftheprimitiveaffairsbywhichthewomenofArabiacoarselypowderthegrainforthefamilymeal。Sometimesthemillwouldconsistonlyoffourstoutpoststhrustintothegroundattheedgeofsomestream。Alineofbouldersreachingdiagonallyacrossthestreamansweredforadam,bydivertingaportionofthevolumeofwatertoachannelattheside,whereitmovedaclumsilyconstructedwheel,thatturnedtwosmallstones,notlargerthangood—sizedgrindstones。Overthiswouldbeashedmadebyrestingpolesinforkedpostsstuckintotheground,andcoveringthesewithclapboardsheldinplacebylargeflatstones。Theyresembledthemillsofthegods——ingrindingslowly。
Itusedtoseemthatahealthymancouldeatthemealfasterthantheygroundit。
Butwhatsavorymealsweusedtoconcoctaroundthecampfires,outoftherichmaterialscollectedduringtheday\'sride！Suchstews,suchsoups,suchbroils,suchwonderfulcommixturesofthingsdiverseinnatureandantagonisticinpropertiessuchdaringculinaryexperimentsincombiningmaterialsneverbeforeattemptedtobecombined。TheFrenchsayofuntastefularrangementofhuesindress\"thatthecolorsswearateachother。\"Ihaveoftenthoughtthesamethingoftheheterogeneitiesthatgotomakeupasoldier\'spot—afeu。
Butforallthattheyneverfailedtotastedeliciouslyafteralongday\'sride。Theywerewasheddownbyatincupfulofcoffeestrongenoughtotanleather,thencameabrier—woodpipefuloffragrantkinnikinnic,andaseatbytheruddy,sparklingfireofaromaticcedarlogs,thatdiffusedatoncewarmth,andspicy,pleasingincense。Achatovertheeventsoftheday,andtheprospectofthemorrow,thewonderfulmeritsofeachman\'shorse,andthedisgustingirregularitiesofthemailsfromhome,lasteduntilthesilver—voicedbuglerangoutthesweet,mournfultattoooftheRegulations,totheflowingcadencesofwhichtheboyshadarrangedtheabsurdlyincongruouswords:
\"S—a—y——D—e—u—t—c—h—e—r—will—youfight—mitSigel！
Zwei—glassoflager—bier,ja！ja！JA！
Wordswerefittedtoallthecalls,whichgenerallyboresomerelativenesstothesigmal,butthesewereas,destituteofcongruityasofsense。
Tattooalwaysproducesanimpressionofextremeloneliness。Asitsweird,half—availingnotesringoutandareansweredbackfromthedistantrocksshroudedinnight,andperhapsconcealingthelurkingfoe,thesoldierremembersthatheisfarawayfromhomeandfriends——deepintheenemy\'scountry,encompassedoneveryhandbythoseindeadlyhostilitytohim,whoareperhapseventhenmaturingthepreparationsforhisdestruction。
Asthetattoosounds,theboysarisefromaroundthefire,visitthehorseline,seethattheirhorsesaresecurelytied,rubofffromthefetlocksandlegssuchspecksofmudasmayhaveescapedthecleaningintheearlyevening,andifpossible,smuggletheirfaithfulfour—footedfriendsafewearsofcorn,oranotherbunchofhay。
Ifnottootired,andeverythingelseisfavorable,thecavalrymanhaspreparedhimselfacomfortablecouchforthenight。Healwayssleepswithachum。Thetwohavegatheredenoughsmalltuftsofpineorcedartomakeacomfortable,springy,mattress—likefoundation。Onthisislaidtheponchoorrubberblanket。Nextcomesoneoftheirovercoats,anduponthistheylie,coveringthemselveswiththetwoblanketsandtheotherovercoat,theirfeettowardsthefire,theirbootsatthefoot,andtheirbelts,withrevolver,saberandcarbine,atthesidesofthebed。
Itissurprisingwhatanamountofcomfortamancangetoutofsuchacouch,andhow,atanalarm,hespringsfromit,almostinstantlydressedandarmed。
Halfanhouraftertattoothebugleringsoutanothersadlysweetstrain,thathathadyingsound。
CHAPTERIV。
ABITTERCOLDMORNINGANDAWARMAWAKENING——TROUBLEALLALONGTHELINE——
FIERCECONFLICTS,ASSAULTSANDDEFENSE——PROLONGEDANDDESPERATESTRUGGLE
ENDINGWITHASURRENDER。
Thenighthadbeenthemostintenselycoldthatthecountryhadknownformanyyears。Peachandothertendertreeshadbeenkilledbythefrostyrigor,andsentinelshadbeenfrozentodeathinourneighborhood。Thedeepsnowonwhichwemadeourbeds,theicycoveringofthestreamsnearus,thelimbsofthetreesaboveus,hadbeencrackingwithloudnoisesallnight,fromthebittercold。
WewerecampedaroundJonesville,eachofthefourcompanieslyingononeoftheroadsleadingfromthetown。CompanyLlayaboutamilefromtheCourtHouse。Onaknollattheendofthevillagetowardus,andatapointwheretworoadsseparated,——oneofwhichledtous,——stoodathree—
inchRodmanrifle,belongingtotheTwenty—secondOhioBattery。Itanditssquadofeighteenmen,undercommandofLieutenantAlgerandSergeantDavis,hadbeensentuptousafewdaysbeforefromtheGap。
Thecomfortlessgraydawnwascrawlingsluggishlyoverthemountain—tops,asifnumbastheanimalandvegetablelifewhichhadbeenshrinkingallthelonghoursunderthefiercechill。
TheMajor\'sbuglerhadsalutedthemornwiththelively,ringingtarr—r—
r—a—ta—araoftheRegulationreveille,andthecompanybuglers,asfastastheycouldthawouttheirmouth—pieces,wereansweringhim。
Ilayonmybed,dreadingtogetup,andyetnotanxioustoliestill。
Itwasaquestionwhichwouldbethemoreuncomfortable。Iturnedover,toseeiftherewasnotanotherpositioninwhichitwouldbewarmer,andbeganwishingforthethousandthtimethattheeffortsfortheameliorationofthehorrorsofwarfarewouldprogresstosuchapointastoputastoptoallWintersoldiering,sothatafellowcouldgohomeassoonascoldweatherbegan,sitaroundacomfortablestoveinacountrystore;andtellcampstoriesuntiltheSpringwasfarenoughadvancedtolethimgobacktothefrontwearingastrawhatandalinenduster。
ThenIbeganwonderinghowmuchlongerIwoulddareliethere,beforetheOrderlySergeantwoulddrawmeoutbytheheels,andaccompanytheoperationwithnumerousunkindandsulphurousremarks。
Thiscogitation,wasabruptlyterminatedbyhearinganexcitedshoutfromtheCaptain:
\"TurnOut！——COMPANYL！！TURNOUT！！！\"
Almostatthesameinstantrosethatshrill,piercingRebelyell,whichonewhohasoncehearditrarelyforgets,andthiswasfollowedbyacrashingvolleyfromapparentlyaregimentofrifles。
Iarose—promptly。
Therewasevidentlysomethingofmoreinterestonhandthantheweather。
Cap,overcoat,bootsandrevolverbeltwenton,andeyesopenedataboutthesameinstant。
AsIsnatchedupmycarbine,Ilookedoutinfront,andthewholewoodsappearedtobefullofRebels,rushingtowardus,allyellingandsomefiring。MyCaptainandFirstLieutenanthadtakenuppositionontherightfrontofthetents,andpartoftheboyswererunninguptoformalinealongsidethem。TheSecondLieutenanthadstationedhimselfonaknollontheleftfront,andaboutathirdofthecompanywasrallyingaroundhim。
Mychumwasasilent,sententioussortofachap,andasweranforwardtotheCaptain\'sline,heremarkedearnestly:
\"Well:thisbeatshell！\"
Ithoughthehadaclearideaofthesituation。
Allthisoccupiedaninappreciablyshortspaceoftime。TheRebelshadnotstoppedtoreload,butwererushingimpetuouslytowardus。Wegavethemahot,rollingvolleyfromourcarbines。Manyfell,morestoppedtoloadandreply,butthemasssurgedstraightforwardatus。Thenourfiregrewsodeadlythattheyshowedadispositiontocoverthemselvesbehindtherocksandtrees。Againtheywereurgedforward;andabodyofthemheadedbytheirColonel,mountedonawhitehorse,pushedforwardthroughthegapbetweenusandtheSecondLieutenant。TheRebelColoneldasheduptotheSecondLieutenant,andorderedhimtosurrender。Thelatter—agallantoldgraybeard——cursedtheRebelbitterlyandsnappedhisnowemptyrevolverinhisface。TheColonelfiredandkilledhim,whereuponhissquad,withtwoofitsSergeantskilledandhalfitsnumbersontheground,surrendered。
TheRebelsinourfrontandflankpresseduswithequalcloseness。
Itseemedasifitwasabsolutelyimpossibletochecktheirrushforaninstant,andaswesawthefateofourcompanionstheCaptaingavethewordforeverymantolookoutforhimself。Weranbackalittledistance,sprangoverthefenceintothefields,andrushedtowardTown,theRebelsencouragingustomakegoodtimebyasharpfireintoourbacksfromthefence。
Whilewewerevainlyattemptingtostemtheonsetofthecolumndashedagainstus,bettersuccesswassecuredelsewhere。Anothercolumnsweptdowntheotherroad,uponwhichtherewasonlyanoutlyingpicket。Thishadtocomebackontherunbeforetheoverwhelmingnumbers,andtheRebelsgallopedstraightforthethree—inchRodman。CompanyMwasthefirsttogetsaddledandmounted,andnowcameupatasteady,swinginggallop,intwoplatoons,saberandrevolverinhand,andledbytwoSergeants—KeyandMcWright,——printerboysfromBloomington,Illinois。
TheydivinedtheobjectoftheRebeldash,andstrainedeverynervetoreachthegunfirst。TheRebelsweretoonear,andgotthegunandturnedit。Beforetheycouldfireit,CompanyMstruckthemheadlong,buttheytooktheterribleimpactwithoutflinching,andforafewminutestherewasfiercehand—to—handwork,withswordandpistol。
TheRebelleadersankunderahalf—dozensimultaneouswounds,andfelldeadalmostunderthegun。Mendroppedfromtheirhorseseachinstant,andtheriderlesssteedsfledaway。ThescaleofvictorywasturnedbytheMajordashingagainsttheRebelleftflankattheheadofCompanyI,andaportionoftheartillerysquad。TheRebelsgavegroundslowly,andwerepackedintoadensemassinthelaneupwhichtheyhadcharged。
Aftertheyhadbeencrowdedback,sayfiftyyards,wordwaspassedthroughourmentoopentotherightandleftonthesidesoftheroad。
Theartillerymenhadturnedthegunandloadeditwithasolidshot。
Instantlyawidelaneopenedthroughourranks;themanwiththelanyarddrewthefatalcord,fireburstfromtheprimerandthemuzzle,thelonggunsprangupandrecoiled,andthereseemedtobeademoniacyellinitsear—splittingcrash,astheheavyballleftthemouth,andtoreitsbloodywaythroughthebodiesofthestrugglingmassofmenandhorses。
Thisendedit。TheRebelsgavewayindisorder,andourmenfellbacktogivethegunanopportunitytothrowshellandcanister。
TheRebelsnowsawthatwewerenottoberunoverlikeafieldofcornstalks,andtheyfellbacktodevisefurthertactics,givingusabreathingspelltogetourselvesinshapefordefense。
Thedullestcouldseethatwewereinadesperatesituation。Criticalpositionswerenonewexperiencetous,astheyneveraretoacavalrycommandafterafewmonthsinthefield,but,thoughthepitchergoesoftentothewell,itisbrokenatlast,andourtimewasevidentlyathand。ThenarrowthroatoftheValley,throughwhichlaytheroadbacktotheGap,washeldbyaforceofRebelsevidentlymuchsuperiortoourown,andstronglyposted。Theroadwasaslender,tortuousone,windingthroughrocksandgorges。Nowherewasthereroomenoughtomovewithevenaplatoonfrontagainsttheenemy,andthisprecludedallchancesofcuttingout。Thebestwecoulddowasaslow,difficultmovement,incolumnoffours,andthiswouldhavebeensuicide。OntheothersideoftheTowntheRebelsweremassedstronger,whiletotherightandleftrosethesteepmountainsides。Wewerecaught—trappedassurelyasarateverwasinawiretrap。
Aswelearnedafterwards,awholedivisionofcavalry,undercommandofthenotedRebel,MajorGeneralSamJones,hadbeensenttoeffectourcapture,tooffsetinameasureLongstreet\'srepulseatKnoxville。
Agrossoverestimateofournumbershadcausedthesendingofsolargeaforceonthiserrand,andtheroughtreatmentwegavethetwocolumnsthatattackedusfirstconfirmedtheRebelGeneral\'sideasofourstrength,andledhimtoadoptcautioustactics,insteadofcrushingusoutspeedily,byadeterminedadvanceofallpartsofhisencirclinglines。
Thelullinthefightdidnotlastlong。AportionoftheRebellineontheeastrushedforwardtogainamorecommandingposition。
Weconcentratedinthatdirectionanddroveitback,theRodmanassistingwithacoupleofwell—aimedshells。——ThiswasfollowedbyasimilarbutmoresuccessfulattemptbyanotherpartoftheRebelline,andsoitwentonallday——theRebelsrushingupfirstonthisside,andthenonthat,andwe,hastilycollectingattheexposedpoints,seekingtodrivethemback。Wewerefrequentlysuccessful;wewereontheinside,andhadtheadvantageoftheshortinteriorlines,sothatourfewmenandourbreech—loaderstoldtoagoodpurpose。
Therewerefrequentcrisesinthestruggle,thatatsometimesgaveencouragement,butneverhope。OnceadeterminedonsetwasmadefromtheEast,andwasmetbytheequallydeterminedresistanceofnearlyourwholeforce。Ourfirewassogallingthatalargenumberofourfoescrowdedintoahouseonaknoll,andmakingloopholesinitswalls,beganreplyingtousprettysharply。Wesentwordtoourfaithfulartillerists,whotrainedthegunuponthehouse。Thefirstshellscreamedovertheroof,andburstharmlesslybeyond。Wesuspendedfiretowatchthenext。Itcrashedthroughtheside;foraninstantallwasdeathlystill;wethoughtithadgoneonthrough。Thencamearoarandacrash;theclapboardsflewofftheroof,andsmokepouredout;panic—
strickenRebelsrushedfromthedoorsandsprangfromthewindows—likebeesfromadisturbedhive;theshellhadburstamongtheconfinedmassofmeninside！Weafterwardsheardthattwenty—fivewerekilledthere。
Atanothertimeaconsiderableforceofrebelsgainedthecoverofafenceineasyrangeofourmainforce。CompaniesLandKwereorderedtochargeforwardonfootanddislodgethem。Awaywewent,underafirethatseemedtodropamanateverystep。AhundredyardsinfrontoftheRebelswasalittlecover,andbehindthisourmenlaydownasifbyoneimpulse。Thencameaclose,desperateduelatshortrange。ItwasaquestionbetweenNorthernpluckandSoutherncourage,astowhichcouldstandthemostpunishment。Lyingasflataspossibleonthecrustedsnow,onlyraisingtheheadorbodyenoughtoloadandaim,themenonbothsides,withtheirteethset,theirglaringeyesfastenedonthefoe,theirnervesastenseastightly—drawnsteelwires,rainedshotoneachotherasfastasexcitedhandscouldcrowdcartridgesintothegunsanddischargethem。