Lonely and uninhabited in its normal condition, this forbidding wilderness had become peopled with thousands of men. The Army of the Potomac was penetrating20 and seeking to pass through it. Vigilant21 General Lee had observed the movement, and with characteristic boldness and skill ordered his troops from their strong intrenchments on Mine Run toward the union flank. On this memorable22 morning the van of his columns wakened from their brief repose23 but a short distance from the Federal bivouac. Both parties were unconscious of their nearness, for with the exception of a few clearings the dense24 growth restricted vision to a narrow range. The union forces were directed in their movements by the compass, as if they were sailors on a fog-enshrouded sea; but they well knew that they were seeking their old antagonist25, the Army of Northern Virginia, and that the stubborn tug-of-war might begin at any moment.
When Captain Nichol shook off the lethargy of a brief troubled sleep, he found that the light did not banish26 his gloomy impressions. Those immediately around him were still slumbering27, wrapped in their blankets. Few sounds other than the voices of the awakening28 birds broke the silence. After a little thought he drew his notebook from his pocket and wrote as follows:
"MY DARLING HELEN—I obey an impulse to write to you this morning. It is scarcely light enough to see as yet; but very soon we shall be on the move again to meet—we known not what, certainly heavy, desperate fighting. I do not know why I am so sad. I have faced the prospect29 of battles many times before, and have passed through them unharmed, but now I am depressed30 by an unusual foreboding. Naturally my thoughts turn to you. There was no formal engagement between us when I said those words (so hard to speak) of farewell, nor have I sought to bind31 you since. Every month has made more clear the uncertainty32 of life in my calling; and I felt that I had no right to lay upon you any restraint other than that of your own feelings. If the worst happened you would be free as far as I was concerned, and few would know that we had told each other of our love. I wish to tell you of mine once more—not for the last time, I hope, but I don't know. I do love you with my whole heart and soul; and if I am to die in this horrible wilderness, where so many of my comrades died a year ago, my last thoughts will be of you and of the love of God, which your love has made more real to me. I love you too well to wish my death, should it occur, to spoil your young life. I do not ask you to forget me—that would be worse than death, but I ask you to try to be happy and to make others happy as the years pass on. This bloody33 war will come to an end, will become a memory, and those who perish hope to be remembered; but I do not wish my memory to hang like a cloud over the happy days of peace. I close, my darling, in hope, not fear—hope for you, hope for me, whatever may happen to-day or on coming days of strife34. It only remains35 for me to do my duty. I trust that you will also do yours, which may be even harder. Do not give way to despairing grief if I cannot come back to you in this world. Let your faith in God and hope of a future life inspire and strengthen you in your battles, which may require more courage and unselfishness than mine.
"Yours, either in life or death, ALBERT NICHOL."
He made another copy of this letter, put both in envelopes, and addressed them, then sought two men of his company who came from his native village. They were awake now and boiling their coffee. The officer and the privates had grown up as boys together with little difference of social standing36 in the democratic town. When off duty, there still existed much of the old familiarity and friendly converse37, but when Captain Nichol gave an order, his townsmen immediately became conscious that they were separated from him by the iron wall of military discipline. This characteristic did not alienate38 his old associates. One of the men hit the truth fairly in saying: "When Cap speaks as Cap, he's as hard and sharp as a bayonet-point; but when a feller is sick and worn out 'tween times you'd think your granny was coddlin' yer."
It was as friend and old neighbor that Nichol approached Sam and Jim Wetherby, two stalwart brothers who had enlisted39 in his company. "Boys," he said, "I have a favor to ask of you. The Lord only knows how the day will end for any of us. We will take our chances and do our duty, as usual. I hope we may all boil coffee again to-night; but who knows? Here are two letters. If I should fall, and either or both of you come out all right, as I trust you will, please forward them. If I am with you again to-night, return them to me."
"Come, Captain," said Jim, heartily40, "the bullet isn't molded that can harm you. You'll lead us into Richmond yet."
"It will not be from lack of goodwill41 if I don't. I like your spirit; and I believe the army will get there this time whether I'm with it or not. Do as I ask. There is no harm in providing against what may happen. Make your breakfast quickly, for orders may come at any moment;" and he strode away to look after the general readiness of his men.
The two brothers compared the address on the letters and laughed a little grimly. "Cap is a-providing, sure enough," Sam Wetherby remarked. "They are both written to the pretty Helen Kemble that he used to make eyes at in the singing-school. I guess he thinks that you might stop a bullet as well as himself, Jim."
"It's clear he thinks your chances for taking in lead are just as good," replied Jim. "But come, I'm one of them fellows that's never hit till I am hit. One thing at a time, and now it's breakfast."
"Well, hanged if I want to charge under the lead of any other captain!" remarked Sam, meditatively42 sipping43 his coffee. "If that girl up yonder knows Cap's worth, she'll cry her eyes out if anything happens to him."
A few moments later the birds fled to the closest cover, startled by the innumerable bugles44 sounding the note of preparation. Soon the different corps45, divisions, and brigades were upon their prescribed lines of march. No movement could be made without revealing the close proximity46 of the enemy. Rifle-reports from skirmish lines and reconnoitring parties speedily followed. A Confederate force was developed on the turnpike leading southwest from the old Wilderness Tavern47; and the fighting began. At about eight o'clock Grant and Meade came up and made their headquarters beneath some pine-trees near the tavern. General Grant could scarcely believe at first that Lee had left his strong intrenchments to give battle in a region little better than a jungle; but he soon had ample and awful proof of the fact. Practically unseen by each other, the two armies grappled like giants in the dark. So thick were the trees and undergrowth that a soldier on a battle line could rarely see a thousand men on either side of him, yet nearly two hundred thousand men matched their deadly strength that day. Hundreds fell, died, and were hidden forever from human eyes.
Thinking to sweep away the rear-guard of Lee's retreating army, Grant ordered a strong advance on the pike in the afternoon. At first it was eminently48 successful, and if it had been followed up vigorously and steadily49, as it undoubtedly50 would have been if the commander had known what was afterward51 revealed, it might have resulted in severe disaster to the Confederates. The enemy was pressed back rapidly; and the advancing union forces were filled with enthusiasm. Before this early success culminated52, genuine sorrow saddened every one in Captain Nichol's company. With his face toward the enemy, impetuously leading his men, he suddenly dropped his sword and fell senseless. Sam and Jim Wetherby heard a shell shrieking53 toward them, and saw it explode directly over their beloved leader. They rushed to his side; blood was pouring over his face, and it also seemed to them that a fragment of the shell had fatally wounded him in the forehead.
"Poor Cap, poor, brave Cap!" ejaculated Sam. "He didn't give us those letters for nothing."
"A bad job, an awfully54 bad job for us all! curse the eyes that aimed that shell!" growled55 practical Jim. "Here, take hold. We'll put him in that little dry ditch we just passed, and bury him after the fight, if still on our pins. We can't leave him here to be tramped on."
This they did, then hastily rejoined their company, which had swept on with the battle line. Alas56! that battle line and others also were driven back with terrible slaughter57 before the day closed. Captain Nichol was left in the ditch where he had been placed, and poor Sam Wetherby lay on his back, staring with eyes that saw not at a shattered bird's nest in the bushes above his head. The letter in his pocket mouldered58 with him.
Jim's begrimed and impassive face disguised an aching heart as he boiled his coffee alone that night. Then, although wearied almost to exhaustion59, he gave himself no rest until he had found what promised to be the safest means of forwarding the letter in his pocket.
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1
embroider
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| v.刺绣于(布)上；给…添枝加叶，润饰 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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cedars
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| 雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 ) | |
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abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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deciduous
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| adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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14
flaunting
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| adj.招摇的，扬扬得意的，夸耀的v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的现在分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来 | |
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15
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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melodiously
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contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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synonym
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| n.同义词，换喻词 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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21
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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24
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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30
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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31
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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32
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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33
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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38
alienate
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| vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等) | |
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39
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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40
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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41
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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42
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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43
sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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44
bugles
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| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
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45
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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46
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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47
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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48
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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49
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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50
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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51
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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52
culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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54
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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55
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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56
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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57
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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58
mouldered
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| v.腐朽( moulder的过去式和过去分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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59
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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