"Captain Blauvelt," said Marian, when they were seated in thelibrary, "I have two favors to ask of you. First, that you willdiscontinue your story as soon as you feel the least weakness, and,second, that you will not gloss anything over. I wish a life-pictureof a soldier's experience. You and Mr. Strahan have been inclinedto give me the brighter side of campaigning. Now, tell us just whatyou and Mr. Strahan did. I've no right to be the friend of soldiersif I cannot listen to the tragic details of a battle, while sittinghere in this quiet room, and I wish to realize, as I never havedone, what you and others have passed through. Do not be so modestthat you cannot tell us exactly what you did. In brief, a plain,unvarnished tale unfold, and I shall be content."
"Now," she thought, "Mr. Merwyn shall know to whom I can give myfriendship. I do not ask him, or any one, to face these scenes,but my heart is for a man who can face them."
Blauvelt felt that he was fortunate indeed. He knew that he hadfair powers as a raconteur, and he was conscious of having taken nounworthy part in the events he was about to describe, while she,who required the story, was the woman whom he most admired, andwhose good opinion was dear to him.
Therefore, after a moment's thought, he began: "In order to giveyou a quiet, and therefore a more artistic prelude to the tragedyof the battle, I shall touch lightly on some of the incidents ofour march to the field. I will take up the thread of our experienceson the 15th of June, for I think you were quite well informed ofwhat occurred before that date. The 15th was one of the hottestdays that I remember. I refer to this fact because of a pleasantincident which introduces a little light among the shadows, andsuggests that soldiers are not such bad fellows after all, althoughinclined to be a little rough and profane. Our men suffered terriblyfrom the heat, and some received sunstrokes. Many were obliged tofall out of the ranks, but managed to keep up with the column. Atnoon we were halted near a Vermont regiment that had just drawn aration of soft bread and were boiling their coffee. As our exhaustedmen came straggling and staggering in, these hospitable Vermontersgave them their entire ration of bread and the hot coffee preparedfor their own meal; and when the ambulances brought in the men whohad been sun-struck, these generous fellows turned their camp intoa temporary hospital and themselves into nurses.
"I will now give you a glimpse of a different experience. Towardsevening on the 19th a rain-storm began, and continued all night.No orders to halt came till after midnight. On we splashed, waded,and floundered along roads cut up by troops in advance until themud in many places reached the depth of ten inches. It was intenselydark, and we could not see to pick our way. Splashed from head tofoot, and wet through for hours, we had then one of the most dismalexperiences I remember. I had not been well since the terribleheat of the 15th, and Strahan, putting on the air of a martinet,sternly ordered me to mount his horse while he took charge of mycompany."
Marian here clapped her hands in applause.
"At last we were ordered to file to the right into a field and bivouacfor the night. The field proved to be a marshy meadow, worse thanthe road. But there was no help for it, and we were too tired tohunt around in the darkness for a better place. Strahan mountedagain to assist in giving orders for the night's arrangement, andto find drier ground if possible. In the darkness he and his horsetumbled into a ditch so full of mire and water that he escaped allinjury. We sank half-way to our knees in the swampy ground, and thehorses floundered so that one or two of the officers were thrown,and all were obliged to dismount. At last, by hallooing, the regimentformed into line, and then came the unique order from the colonel,'Squat, my bull-frogs.' There was nothing for us to do but tolie down on the swampy, oozing ground, with our shelter tents andblankets wrapped around and under us. You remember what an exquisiteStrahan used to be. I wish you could have seen him when the morningrevealed us to one another. He was of the color of the sacred soilfrom crown to toe. When we met we stood and laughed at each other,and I wanted him to let me make a sketch for your benefit, but wehadn't time.
"I will now relate a little incident which shows how promptlypluck and character tell. During the 25th we were pushed forwardnot far from thirty miles. On the morning of this severe marcha young civilian officer, who had been appointed to the regimentby the Governor, joined us, and was given command of Company I.When he took his place in the march there was a feeling of intensehostility toward him, as there ever is among veterans againstcivilians who are appointed over them. If he had fallen out of theranks and died by the roadside I scarcely believe that a man wouldhave volunteered to bury him. But, while evidently unaccustomed tomarching, he kept at the head of his company throughout the entireday, when every step must have been torture. He uttered not a wordof complaint, and at night was seen, by the light of a flaringcandle, pricking the blisters on his swollen feet; then he put onhis shoes, and walked away as erect as if on parade. In those fewhours he had won the respect of the entire regiment, and had becomeone of us. Poor fellow! I may as well mention now that he waskilled, a few days later, with many of the company that he wasbravely leading. His military career lasted but little over a week,yet he proved himself a hero.
"Now I will put in a few high lights again. On the 28th we enteredFrederick City. Here we had a most delightful experience. The daywas warm and all were thirsty. Instead of the cold, lowering glancesto which we had been accustomed in Virginia, smiling mothers, oftenaccompanied by pretty daughters, stood in the gateways with pailsand goblets of cool, sparkling water. I doubt whether the samenumber of men ever drank so much water before, for who could passby a white hand and arm, and a pretty, sympathetic face, beamingwith good-will? Here is a rough sketch I made of a Quaker matron,with two charming daughters, and an old colored man, 'totin'' waterat a rate that must have drained their well."
Marian praised the sketch so heartily that Merwyn knew she wastaking this indirect way to eulogize the soldier as as well as theartist, and he groaned inwardly as he thought how he must sufferby contrast.
"I will pass over what occurred till the 1st of July. Our marchlay through a country that, after desolated Virginia, seemed likeparadise, and the kind faces that greeted us were benedictions.July 1st was clear, and the sun's rays dazzling and intense in theirheat. Early in the afternoon we were lying around in the shade,about two miles from the State line of Pennsylvania. Two corpshad preceded us. Some of our men, with their ears on the ground,declared that they could hear the distant mutter of artillery. Thecountry around was full of troops, resting like ourselves.
"Suddenly shrill bugle-blasts in every direction called us intoline. We were moved through Emmetsburg, filed to the left intoa field until other troops passed, and then took our place in thecolumn and began a forced march to Gettysburg. Again we sufferedterribly from the heat and the choking clouds of dust raised bycommands in advance of us. The sun shone in the west like a great,angry furnace. Our best men began to stagger from the ranks and fallby the wayside, while every piece of woods we passed was filledwith prostrate men, gasping, and some evidently dying. But on,along that white, dusty road, the living torrent poured. Only onecommand was heard. 'Forward! Forward!'
"First, like a low jar of thunder, but with increasing volume andthreatening significance, the distant roar of artillery quickenedthe steps of those who held out. Major Strahan was again on hisfeet, with other officers, their horses loaded down with the riflesof the men. Even food and blankets, indeed almost everything exceptammunition, was thrown away by the men, for, in the effort to reachthe field in time, an extra pound became an intolerable burden.
"At midnight we were halted on what was then the extreme left ofMeade's position. When we formed our regimental line, as usual,at the close of the day, not over one hundred men and but five orsix officers were present. Over one hundred and fifty had givenout from the heat and fatigue. The moment ranks were broken the menthrew themselves down in their tracks and slept with their loadedguns by their sides. Strahan and I felt so gone that we determinedto have a little refreshment if possible. Lights were g
leaming froma house not far away, and we went thither in the hope of purchasingsomething that would revive us. We found the building, and eventhe yard around it, full of groaning and desperately wounded men,with whom the surgeons were busy. This foretaste of the morrow tookaway our appetites, and we returned to our command, where Strahanwas soon sleeping, motionless, as so many of our poor fellows wouldbe on the ensuing night.
"Excessive fatigue often takes from me the power to sleep, and I layawake, listening to the strange, ominous sounds off to our right.There were the heavy rumble of artillery wheels, the tramp of men,and the hoarse voices of officers giving orders. In the still nightthese confused sounds were wonderfully distinct near at hand, butthey shaded off in the northeast to mere murmurs. I knew that itwas the army of the Potomac arriving and taking its positions. Thenext day I learned that General Meade had reached the field aboutone A.M., and that he had spent the remaining hours of the nightin examining the ground and in making preparations for the comingstruggle. The clear, white moonlight, which aided him in his task,lighted up a scene strange and beautiful beyond words. It glintedon our weapons, gave to the features of the sleepers the hueof death, and imparted to Strahan's face, who lay near me, almostthe delicacy and beauty of a girl. I declare to you, that when Iremembered the luxurious ease from which he had come, the hero hewas now, and all his many acts of kindness to me and others,--whenI thought of what might be on the morrow, I'm not ashamed to saythat tears came into my eyes."
"Nor am I ashamed," faltered Marian, "that you should see tears inmine. Oh, God grant that he may return to us again!"
"Well," resumed Blauvelt, after a moment of thoughtful hesitation,"I suppose I was a little morbid that night. Perhaps one was excusable,for all knew that we were on the eve of the most desperate battleof the war. I shall not attempt to describe the beauty of thelandscape, or the fantastic shapes taken by the huge boulders thatwere scattered about. My body seemed almost paralyzed with fatigue,but my mind, for a time, was preternaturally active, and noted everylittle detail. Indeed, I felt a strange impulse to dwell upon andrecall everything relating to this life, since the chances wereso great that we might, before the close of another day, enter adifferent state of existence. You see I am trying, as you requested,to give you a realistic picture."
"That is what I wish," said the young girl; but her cheeks werepale as she spoke.
"In the morning I was awakened by one of my men bringing me a cupof hot coffee, and when I had taken it, and later a little breakfastof raw pork and hard-tack, I felt like a new man. Nearly all of ourstragglers had joined us during the night, or in the dawn, and ourregiment now mustered about two hundred and forty rifles in line,a sad change from the time when we marched a thousand strong. Butthe men now were veterans, and this almost made good the difference.
"When the sun was a few hours high we were moved forward with therest of our brigade; then, later, off to the left, and placed inposition on the brow of a hill that descended steeply before us,and was covered with rocks, huge boulders, and undergrowth. Theright of our regiment was in the edge of a wood with a smootherslope before it. I and my company had no other shelter than therocks and boulders, which formed a marked feature of the locality,and protruded from the soil in every imaginable shape. If we hadonly thrown the smaller stones together and covered them with earthwe might have made, during the time we wasted, a line of defencefrom which we could not have been driven. The 2d of July taught usthat we had still much to learn. As it was, we lounged about uponthe grass, seeking what shade we could from the glare of anotherintensely hot day, and did nothing.
"A strange, ominous silence pervaded the field for hours, brokenonly now and then by a shell screaming through the air, and thesullen roar of the gun from which it was fired. The pickets alongour front would occasionally approach the enemy too closely, and therewould be brief reports of musketry, again followed by oppressivesilence. A field of wheat below us undulated in light billowsas the breeze swept it. War and death would be its reapers. Thebirds were singing in the undergrowth; the sun lighted up the rurallandscape brilliantly, and it was almost impossible to believethat the scenes of the afternoon could, take place. By sweepingour eyes up and down our line, and by resting them upon a batteryof our guns but a few yards away, we became aware of the significanceof our position. Lee's victorious army was before us. Sinisterrumors of the defeat of Union forces the previous day had reachedus, and we knew that the enemy's inaction did not indicate hesitationor fear, but rather a careful reconnaissance of our lines, that theweakest point might be discovered. Every hour of delay, however,was a boon to us, for the army of the Potomac was concentratingand strengthening its position.
"We were on the extreme left of the Union army; and, alas for us!Lee first decided to turn and crush its left. As I have said, wewere posted along the crest of a hill which sloped off a littleto the left, then rose again, and culminated in a wild, rockyelevation called the Devil's Den,--fit name in view of the scenesit witnessed. Behind us was a little valley through which flowed asmall stream called Plum Run. Here the artillery horses, caissons,and wagons were stationed, that they might be in partial shelter.Across the Run, and still further back, rose the rocky, precipitousheights of Little Round Top, where, during the same afternoon,some of the severest fighting of the battle is said to have takenplace. Please give me a sheet of paper, and I can outline thenature of the ground just around us. Of the general battle of thatday I can give you but a slight idea. One engaged in a fight sees,as a rule, only a little section of it; but in portraying that hegives the color and spirit of the whole thing."
Rapidly sketching for a few minutes, Blauvelt resumed: "Here weare along the crest of this hill, with a steep, broken declivityin front of us, extending down a few hundred yards to another smallstream, a branch of Plum Run. Beyond this branch the ground risesagain to some thick woods, which screened the enemy's movements.
"At midday clouds of dust were seen rising in the distance, and weat last were told that Sedgwick's corps had arrived, and that theentire army of the Potomac was on the ground. As hours still elapsedand no attack was made, the feeling of confidence grew stronger.Possibly Lee had concluded that our position was unassailable, orsomething had happened. The soldier's imagination was only secondto his credulity in receiving the rumors which flew as thick asdid the bullets a little later.
"Strahan and I had a quiet talk early in the day, and said what wewished to each other. After that he became dreamy and absorbed inhis own thoughts as we watched for signs of the enemy through hoursthat seemed interminable. Some laughing, jesting, and card-playingwent on among the men, but in the main they were grave, thoughtful,and alert, spending the time in discussing the probabilities ofthis conflict, and in recalling scenes of past battles.
"Suddenly--it could not have been much past three o'clock--a dozenrebel batteries opened upon us, and in a second we were in a tempestof flying, bursting shells. Our guns, a few yards away, and otherbatteries along our line, replied. The roar of the opening battlethundered away to the right as far as we could hear. We were formedinto line at once, and lay down upon the ground. A few of our menwere hit, however, and frightful wounds were inflicted. After thisiron storm had raged for a time we witnessed a sight that I shallnever forget. Emerging from the woods on the slope opposite to us,solid bodies of infantry, marching by columns of battalion, camesteadily toward us, their bayonets scintillating in the sunlight asif aflame. On they came till they crossed the little stream beforeus, and then deployed into four distinct lines of battle as steadilyas if on parade. It was hard to realize that those men were marchingtowards us in the bright sunlight with deadly intent. Heretofore,in Virginia, the enemy had been partially screened in his approaches,but now all was like a panorama spread before us. We could see ourshells tearing first through their column, then through the lines ofbattle, making wide gaps and throwing up clouds of dust. A secondlater the ranks were closed again, and, like a dark tide, on flowedtheir advance.
"We a
sked ourselves, 'What chance have our thin ranks against thosefour distinct, heavy battle lines advancing to assault us?' We hadbut two ranks of men, they eight. But not a man in our regimentflinched. When the enemy reached the foot of the hill our cannoncould not be so depressed as to harm them. The time had come forthe more deadly small arms. After a momentary halt the Confederatesrushed forward to the assault with loud yells.
"Strahan's face was flushed with excitement and ardor. He hastenedto the colonel on the right of the line and asked him to order acharge. The colonel coolly and quietly told him to go back to hisplace. A crash of musketry and a line of fire more vivid than Julysunshine breaks out to the right and left as far as we can hear.Our men are beginning to fall. Again the impetuous Strahan hastensto the colonel and entreats for the order to charge, but ourcommander, as quiet and as impassive as the boulder beside whichhe stands, again orders him back. A moment later, however, theirhorses are brought, and they mount in spite of my remonstrances andthose of other officers. Strahan's only answer was, "The men mustsee us to-day;" and he slowly rode to the rear and centre of theregiment, wheeled his horse, and, with drawn sword, fixed his eyeson the colonel, awaiting his signal. Supreme as was the moment ofexcitement, I looked for a few seconds at my gallant friend, forI wished to fix his portrait at that moment forever in my mind."
"Merciful Heaven!" said Marian, in a choking voice, "I thought Iappreciated my friends before, but I did not."
Mr. Vosburgh's eyes rested anxiously on his daughter, and he asked,gravely, "Marian, is it best for you to hear more of this to-night?"
"Yes, papa. I must hear it all, and not a detail must be softenedor omitted. Moreover," she added, proudly, dashing her tears rightand left, "I am not afraid to listen."
Merwyn had shifted his seat, and was in deep shadow. He was paleand outwardly impassive, but there was torture in his mind. Shethought, pityingly, "In spite of my tears I have a stouter heartthan he."
CHAPTER XXXIV.
A GLIMPSE OF WAR, CONTINUED.