CHAPTER XLIII

Lee hurried to Spottsylvania Court House and was entrenched¹ before Grantarrived. The two armies again flew at each other's throat. True to Lee'sprediction the union Commander hurled² Sheridan's full force of tenthousand cavalry³ in a desperate effort to turn the right and strikeRichmond while the Confederate infantry⁴ were held in a grip of death.
From a hilltop Stuart saw the coming blue legions of Sheridan. They rodefour abreast⁵ and made a column of flashing sabers and fluttering guidonsthirteen miles long.
The young Cavalier waved his plumed⁷ hat and gave a shout. It wasmagnificent. He envied them the endless line of fine horses. He had butthree small brigades to oppose them. But his spirits rose.
He ordered his generals to harass⁸ the advancing host at every point ofvantage, delay them as long as possible and draw up their forces atYellow Tavern⁹ for the battle.
He took time to dash across the country from Beaver¹⁰ Dam Station to seehis wife and babies. He had left them at the house of Edmund Fontaine.
He feared that the Federal Cavalry might have raided the section.
To his joy he found them well and happy, unconscious of the impendingfight.
For the first time in his joyous¹² life of song and play and war he wasworried.
His wife was in high spirits. She cheered him.
"Don't worry about us, my soldier man! We're all right. No harm hasever befallen us. We've had three glorious years playing lovers'
hide-and-seek. I've ceased to worry about you. Your life is charmed. Godhas heard my prayers. You're coming home soon to play with me and thebabies always!"She was too happy for Stuart to describe the host of ten thousand riderswhich he had just seen. Their lives were in God's hands. It was enough.
He held her in his arms longer than was his wont¹³ at parting. And thenwith a laugh and a shout to the children he was gone.
At Jerrold's Mill, Wickham's brigade suddenly fell on Sheridan's rearguard and captured a company. Sheridan refused to stop to fight.
At Mitchell's Shop, Wickham again dashed on the rear guard and wasforced back by a counter charge. As he retreated, fighting a desperatehand-to-hand saber engagement, Fitzhugh Lee and Stuart rushed to his aidand the blue river rolled on again toward Richmond.
At Hanover Junction¹⁴ Stuart allowed his men to sleep until one o'clockand then rode with desperate speed to Yellow Tavern. He reached hischosen battle ground at ten o'clock the following morning. He had wonthe race and at once deployed¹⁵ his forces to meet the coming avalanche¹⁶.
Wickham he stationed on the right of the road, Lomax on the left. Heplaced two guns in the road, one on the left to rake it at an angle.
He dismounted his men and ordered them to fight as infantry. A reserveof mounted men were held in his rear.
He sent his aide into Richmond to inquire of its defenses and warnGeneral Bragg of the sweeping¹⁷ legions. The Commandant at the ConfederateCapital replied that he could hold his trenches¹⁸. He would call onPetersburg for reinforcements. He asked Stuart to hold Sheridan back aslong as possible.
On the morning of the eleventh of May, at 6:30, he wrote his dispatch toLee:
"Fighting against immense odds¹⁹ of Sheridan. My men and horses are tired,hungry and jaded²⁰, _but all right!_"It was four o'clock before Sheridan struck Yellow Tavern. With skill anddash he threw an entire brigade on Stuart's left, broke his line, rolledit up and captured his two guns. Stuart ordered at once a reservesquadron to charge the advancing Federals. With desperate courage theydrove them back in a hand-to-hand combat, saber ringing on saber to theshout and yell of savages²¹.
As the struggling, surging mass of blue riders rolled back in confusion,Stuart rode into the scene cheering his men. A man in blue, whose horsehad been shot from under him, fired his revolver pointblank at Stuart.
The shot entered his body just above the belt and the magnificent headwith the waving plume⁶ drooped²² on his breast.
Captain Dorsey hurried to his assistance. There were but a handful ofhis men between him and the Federal line, The wounded Commander was indanger of being captured by a sudden dash of reserves. He was lifted offhis horse and he leaned against a tree.
Stuart raised his head.
"Go back now, Dorsey, to your men.""Not until you're safe, sir."As the ambulance passed through his broken ranks in the rear, he liftedhimself on his elbow and rallied his men with a brave shout:
"Go back! Go back to your duty, men! And our country will be safe. Goback! Go back! I'd rather die than be whipped."The men rallied and rushed to the firing line. They fought so well thatSheridan lost the way to Richmond and the Capital of the Confederacy wassaved.
The wounded Commander was taken to the home of his brother-in-law,Dr. Charles Brewer²³, in Richmond. He had suffered agonies on the roughjourney but bore his pain with grim cheerfulness.
He had sent a swift messenger to his wife. He knew she would reachRichmond the next day.
The following morning Major McClellan, his aide, rode in from thebattlefield to report to General Bragg. Having delivered his message hehurried to the bedside of his beloved Chief.
The doctor shook his head gravely.
"Inflammation has set in, Major--""My God, is there no hope?""None."The singing, rollicking, daring young Cavalier felt the hand of death onhis shoulder. He was calm and cheerful. His bright words were broken byparoxysms of suffering. He would merely close his shining blue eyes andwait.
He directed his aide to dispose of his official papers.
He touched McClellan's hand and the Major's closed over it.
"I wish you to have one of my horses and Venable the other."McClellan nodded.
"Which of you is the heavier?""Venable, sir.""All right, give him the gray. You take the bay."The pain choked him into silence again. At last he opened his eyes.
"You'll find in my hat a small Confederate flag which a lady inColumbia, South Carolina, sent me with the request that I wear it on myhorse in a battle and return it to her. Send it."Again the agony stilled the musical voice.
"My spurs," he went on, "which I have always worn in battle, I promisedto Mrs. Lilly Lee of Shepherdstown, Virginia--"He paused.
"My sword--I leave--to--my--son."A cannon²⁴ roared outside the city. With quick eagerness he asked:
"What's that?""Gracey's brigade has moved out against Sheridan's rear as he retreats.
Fitz Lee is fighting them still at Meadow Bridge."He turned his blue eyes upward and prayed:
"God grant they may win--"He moved his head aside and said:
"I must prepare for another world."He listened to the roar of the guns for a moment and signaled to hisaide:
"Major, Fitz Lee may need you."McClellan pressed his hand and hurried to the front.
As he passed out the tall figure of the President of the Confederacyentered. Jefferson Davis sat by his side and held his hand. He lovedhis daring young Cavalry Commander. He had made him a Major-General atthirty. He was dying now at thirty-one. The tragedy found the heart ofthe sorrowful leader of all the South.
When the Reverend Dr. Peterkin entered he said:
"Now I want you to sing for me the old song I love best--  "'Rock of Ages cleft²⁵ for me,  Let me hide myself in thee--'"With failing breath he joined in the song.
A paroxysm of pain gripped him and he asked the doctor:
"Can I survive the night?""No, General. The end is near."He was silent. And then slowly said:
"I am resigned if it be God's will.
But--I--would--like--to--see--my--wife--"The beautiful voice sank into eternal silence.
So passed the greatest cavalry leader our country has produced. A manwhose joyous life was a long wish of good will toward all of his fellowmen.
The little mother heard the news as she rode in hot haste over the roughroads to Richmond. The hideous²⁶ thing was beyond belief, but it had come.
She had heard the roar of battle for three years and after each bloodyday he had come with a smile on his lips and a stronger love in hisbrave heart. She had ceased to fear his death in battle. God hadpromised her in prayer to spare him. Only once had a bullet cut hisclothes.
And now he was dead.
But yesterday he dashed across the country from his line of march, and,even while the conflict raged, held her in his arms and crooned overher.
The tears had flowed for two hours before she reached the house ofdeath. She could weep no longer.
A sister's arm encircled her waist and led her unseeing eyes into theroom. There was no wild outburst of grief at the sight of his cold body.
She stooped to kiss the loved lips, placed her hand on the high foreheadand drew back at its chill. She stood in dumb anguish²⁷ until her sisterin alarm said:
"Come, dear, to my room."The set, blue eyes never moved from the face of her dead.
"It's wrong. It's wrong. It's all wrong--this hideous murder of ourloved ones! Why must they send my husband to kill my father? Why mustthey send my father to kill the father of my babies? Why didn't theystop this a year ago? It must end some time. Why did they ever begin it?
Why must brother kill his brother? My father, thank God, didn't killhim. But little Phil Sheridan, his schoolmate, did. And he never spokean unkind word about him in his life! His heart was overflowing²⁹ with joyand love. He sang when he rode into battle--"She paused and a tear stole down her cheeks at last.
"Poor boy, he loved its wild din¹¹ and roar. It was play to his daringspirit."A sob³⁰ caught her voice and then it rose in fierce rebellion:
"Where was God when he fell? He was thirty-one years old, in the gloryof a beautiful life--"Her sister spoke²⁸ in gentle sympathy.
"His fame fills the world, dear.""Fame? Fame? What is that to me, now? I stretch out my hand, and it'sashes. My arms are empty. My heart is broken. Life isn't worth theliving."Her voice drifted into a dreamy silence as the tears streamed down hercheeks. She stood for half an hour staring through blurred³¹ eyes at thecold clay.
She turned at last and seized her sister's hands both in hers, and gazedwith a strange, set look that saw something beyond time and the thingsof sense.
"My dear sister, God will yet give to the mothers of men the power tostop this murder. There's a better way. There's a better way,"

1 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

2 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

4 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

5 abreast   

adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地

参考例句：

• She kept abreast with the flood of communications that had poured in.她及时回复如雪片般飞来的大批信件。
• We can't keep abreast of the developing situation unless we study harder.我们如果不加强学习，就会跟不上形势。

6 plume   

n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰

参考例句：

• Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
• He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。

7 plumed   

饰有羽毛的

参考例句：

• The knight plumed his helmet with brilliant red feathers. 骑士用鲜红的羽毛装饰他的头盔。
• The eagle plumed its wing. 这只鹰整理它的翅膀。

8 harass   

vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰

参考例句：

• Our mission is to harass the landing of the main Japaness expeditionary force.我们的任务是骚乱日本远征军主力的登陆。
• They received the order to harass the enemy's rear.他们接到骚扰敌人后方的命令。

9 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

10 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

11 din   

n.喧闹声，嘈杂声

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• They tried to make themselves heard over the din of the crowd.他们力图让自己的声音盖过人群的喧闹声。

12 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

13 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

14 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

15 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

16 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

17 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

18 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

19 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

20 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 savages   

未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There're some savages living in the forest. 森林里居住着一些野人。
• That's an island inhabited by savages. 那是一个野蛮人居住的岛屿。

22 drooped   

弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
• The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。

23 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

24 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

25 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

26 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

27 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

28 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

29 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

30 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

31 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》