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THE WAR LIBRARY.
15
Nor was the insignificant peach orchard to
be given up without further resistance.
Around swung the divisions of Hum-
phreys. .
Over the ground were lay strewn the
ghastly heaps of Birney’s men. Forward
the lines of Barnes’ brigades! forward to
slaughter and dismay; for they were driven
back in turn through the rolling smoke and
the lurid flamings to a possible utter annihi-
Jation, but tor the timely appearance for
their support of Caldwell’s division.
And again and fresh the volleys, the rears,
the struggle of.death, where Kelly and Cross
cheered on their men into the interval be-
tween the bloody wheattfield aud the bloodier
peach orchard; and the water of Plum
Creek was plowed and reddened by stray
shot and the life-tide of heroes.
Then came the shock of another contact
on the Emmittsburg Road, where Hum-
phreys at last found himself assailed in
earnest by the foe that came rushing
through the breach of slaughter at the
orchard.
And so determined was the assault that,
inthe whirl of another Golgotha, he was
‘forced back, back from his position, not-
withstanding the brave volleys that were
poured from the guns of men of Massa-
chusetts and New York.
At times, through the patched front of
blue, the gray host could be seen making its
way, as if to lop off, one from the other by
turns, the fighting, falling, grimy boys in
ue,
In the clouds of smoke were intervals of
space that hada bluish cast, and through
which flashed the guns of the cannoneers
sinking at their posts with rammer in hand.
And now old “ Rough and Ready’’ in per-
son appeared upon that sanguinous field, at
the head of the Twelfth corps.
The cut up and almost tottering columns
cheered and cheered again at sight of the
leader who would not shrink from the dan-
ger his men so daringly faced—cheers and
fresh charges, in which arose the voices of
the true boys of Maryland under Lockwood.
The order rung along for acounter charge,
and the impetuous lines surged outward like
a bristling wave from the heights, hurling
downupon theenemy with the irresistibility
ofa mountain cataract.
It was near dusk now.
CHAPTER XIX.
INTO THE CANNON’S MOUTIL.
It would seem that, with the sunset of
that awful day, the action of memorable
July 2 had ceased.
But while the fatigued generals were con-
templating the horrors of the recent field,
where line after line had been swept away
by the savagely vigorous enemy, suddenly
there broke fresh sounds far off the north-
ern curve of Cemetery Ridge. | .
A sound of guns tbat burst in quick suc-
cession and told that Stevens’ battery was
usy there. .
For at that hour of the waning day, Ewell
was just beginning his operations, defiling
his gray columns forward from the town to
hurl upon Culp’s Hill and the forces of
Howard further inward from the Union
right.
Boom—boom! the guns.
Then a crackling volley—another volley—
and another, where Johnson, amid the
shower of shrapnel aud canister that were
boomed--boomed! upon him by the hardy
cannoueers, pushed onward up the hill.
At first it appeared as if no human breast-
work could stand or move before the roar-
ing and death-dealing guns of the bat-
teries, :
Then, as the gray lines extended and kept
coming on and on in swarms over their own
dead and falling men, suddenly at the can-
nons’ mouth appeared the bristling fronts of
this terrible and fearless enemy.
At the cannons’ mouth, then past the bat-
tery of Wiedrich.and into the gunners of
Rickett’s further in the rear,
On the gray swarms—on the fresh fronts
that arose as if bya magic touch where
other lines had been swept away. |
On, to the cannons’ mouth again, where
the desperate gunners, now with no time to
load their pieces, fought bravely with their
rammers and every availalle missile or
Weapon.
A frightful melee it was.
And to the right and to tie left of the over-
powered batteries, still the dissonance of
ursting volleys, the din of this sunset car-
nage that was winding up the bloody work
of the day with its additional record of
perishing heroes on both sides.
iw
Further to the right, and where the va-
cated breastworks were, arose the newer vol-
leysand yells of the foe that was likean
army of ants in multitude, and spread out in
almost incalculable shapes.
On up thehill at this part charged the
Confederates to meet the brigade of Greene.
On with yells and shots and sending de-
yastation into the blue ranks as they came.
And then the Union generals saw planted
on theramparts actually within their own
lines the flag of the stars and bars,
Darkness was Close at hand,
Fresher cheers arose in that vortex which
had surrounded Howard and his artillery.
Carroll's brigade had come, sent by Han-
cock at the first sound of the guns which
had said with their iron vomiting throats
that the fight was not yet done.
The gray foe was successfully repulsed—
seut down the hill in a flight swifter and
more galling than had been the ascent with
fiercely contident breasts.
The shades of night deepened, and at
last the lull, with its vast clinging clouds
of smoke settled over the gor field, over
the bristling crests opposed still, with their
rival armies now decimated by thousands
and thousands of*dead, dying and_pris-
oners.
A night that found Ewell flaunting his
planted colors inside the Union right;
Longstreet in possession of the front where
had so desperately but unavailingly fought
the cut and harrowed ranks of the Third
corps.
Though at terrible cost, the apparent suc-
cesses were inciting the Confederate com-
mander to preparations for a renewal of the
conflict on the morrow. . .
o sleep was there for those tired armies
which had resolved mutually to fight it out
at Gettysburg. .
Artillery was moving swiftly; fresher
troops were concentrating bere and there;
aud the Confederate forces, already so suc-
cessful in their assault at Culp’s Hill, were
being strongly reinforced, that they might
maintain this key point directly in the
midst of the foe. .
Marched the bleeding regiments and_toil-
ed the goaded horses where the original
line, absorbing the bleeding remnants of
the advanced troops ofthe day, waited on
arms for the third shock that was sure to
come when next the daylight would permit
of more onslaught and death,
- In the woods skirting tha hill on the Union
right, an officer stood.
The white-haired Captain Raymond.
He had appeared there in the whirl of
battle fighting with a heroism that had
made him famous at Fredericksburg, though
not now with his own regiment.
But it was not a time fora man to pick
his place for fighting in the sunset gloam of
the second of July.
There were times when it was every man
for himself, almost regardless of orders,
evenif they could have been heardjabove the
tempest of bellowing destruction.
Valiantly had that trenchant sword plied
around when the gray horde came charging
up from the ravine. .
And now he stood alone, aloof from the
partly shattered troops, his sword still
drawn and resting on a large chip at his
feet, while he, in turn, rested on the hilt
made warm by the tight and constant gripe
of the bold hand uponit through long hours.
From the elevated position which he oc-
cupied at the moment, he was straining his
gaze through an opening in the trees toward
a moving object far out on the plain in. the
rear of the Confederates laying in thirsty
waiting below, and unperceived by the lat-
ter both because of the darkness and the in-
tervening timber,
Soveral objects were they, in the midst of
which was a single rider.
Keen orbs must the strange and valorous
captain bave had.
For he was able to discern that the rider
was 2 woman,
“Ah! he muttered; “if itcould but be
shel And I know thatsheis somewherein the
rear of these gray-clad devils, who, with ap-
petites whetted by to-day’s bloody work,
might do heran injury. Imust reach her.” |, | . )
hither and thither, searchingly, and anon he
The captain, who had seemed to beara
charmed life during that sanguineous fray in
the dusk of evening, now seemed resolved to
try further the kind Providence which had
sreserved him, for he actually began moy-
Ine away in the direction of the foe below.
And though the weary pickets were al-
ready established, he had chanced to be
without tne extreme outpost, and was nots
challenged there.
Night-glasses were busy spying in the
vicinity of Culps Hill, and perhaps he was
seen by more than one pairof eyes as he
glided stealthily down the incline at a slight
angle from the Confederate troops massing
below with the reinforcements «sent to
Johnson when the Jatter’s success at. that
attacking point was known to Lee.
The captain’s eyes had not deceived him,
neither was his hope astray in supposing that
dimly outlined female rider out on the plain
beyond the woods to be the girl he sought,
Uarla, his long lost daughter.
The detour which it had been necessary
for Uarla to make, in company with the
lieutenant and his two faithful followers,
though not so many miles in its marking, *
wis nevertheless so beset with constantly
recurring dangers that they could make
but slow progress.
At intervals they were forced to seek hid-
ing to avoid the scouting parties in the rear
of the Southern army, which the watchful
generals who faced the Unionists on their
own soil sent out to guard against secret
movements that might briug surprises from
unexpected quarters,
Even tediously they progressed, and in
circling to’ northward of the town, these
perils becameso frequent that they some-
times lost more than a whole hour waiting
for the gray squads to pass.
Tence, when the streaks of the early
morning’sgray rose upward in the east, they
were yet far away from the desired point.
And daylight showed them that the tim-
ber and the plains were literally alive with
stragglers and occasional squads that were
inspecting the battlefield of the day before.
They were forced to retain the last shelter
which they had sought before daylight; and
ensconced here, like cramped prisoners, they
looked forth upon the gbustly scene and the
danger which menaced thet, sometimes so
closely as to cause the bold Irishman to
draw his revolver in anticipation of a dis-
covery and consequent encounter. :
They could hear the boom of the guns, the
rattling volleys. ’
Once Casey seemed on the point of actually
springing forth from the covert, os he ex-
claimed:
“Oh, be me soul! hark to that, will yees!
They're at it, the bould boys, an’ I'm cooped
up, sure, like a pig intilu bag, with never a
chance to putin me own licks fur me ould
flag! The divil’s own shame it is, bedad!—
beggin’ yer pardon, miss, fur shpakin’ av
the imp in yer prisince, miss.”
CHAPTER XX.
THE FUGITIVES.
Varla laid a hand on the Irishman’s arm,
_ He half drew back, saying:
** Bless yer soul, miss, don’t be afther doin’
av that, or ye'll send the creepin’ joy all
over me, ye will.”
“Wait,” said the girl. “You are more
needed here with us than there in the din of
battle. For see: your lieutenant is almost
helpless’ with his broken arm; this good-
hearted negro, I fear, is hardly reliable——”
*“’Deed, but I is ‘liable, missy,’’ Snow
broke in, with a wag of his woolly head.”
Uarla continued to Casey:
“Content yourself for the present to re-
main where you are.”
““An’I will that, miss, if ye are the com-
mapder.”’
“Look!” the girl suddenly exclaimed,
pointing out from their covert to 2 squad of
gray clad men who were moving slowly
along, picking up at times some of. the
wounded who were lying almost within
stone’s throw of the place. :
As they followed the direction of the
finger, they saw a familiar face.
The face of the man who had been known
forso long as Dorn Dullam—the renegade
Barnwell. .
Hehad evidently made good his promise
to prove himself a true Southerner if con-
ducted to the presence of General Hill, for
now he was attired in a uniform of an under
grade officer and the leader of the squad
that passed so close to the concealment of
our characters. . .
They could see his bloodshot eyes casting
would pause with the others to listen to the
roar of the battle that waged to the south of
the now historically prominent town.
“TItistohim I owe my broken arm,” said
the young lieutenant, ina whisper, to Uarla.
But the tone was not so low as to escape
the ear of Casey.
* An’ ye'll let- me plug’im wan with me
revolver, It'll be takin’ the risks Tam, an’
obliged to ye for the privilege.”