“I should judge that our chances of success have increased at least fifty, yes sixty, per cent,” said Warner. “As we have remarked before, this control of the water is a mighty2 thing. We fight the Johnnie Rebs for the land, but we have the water already. Look at those gunboats, will you? Aren't they the sauciest3 little things you ever saw?”
Once more the navy was showing, as it has always shown throughout its career, its daring and brilliant qualities. Foote, the commodore, although he had had no time to repair his four small fighting boats after the encounter with Fort Henry, steamed straight up the river and engaged the concentric fire from the great guns of the Southern batteries, which opened upon him with a tremendous crash. The boys watched the duel4 with amazement5. They did not believe that small vessels6 could live under such fire, but live they did. Great columns of smoke floated over them and hid them at times from the watchers, but when the smoke lifted a little or was split apart by the shattering fire of the guns the black hulls7 of the gunboats always reappeared, and now they were not more than three or four hundred yards from Donelson.
“I take it that this is a coverin' fire,” said Sergeant8 Whitley, who stood by. “Four little vessels could not expect to reduce such a powerful fortress9 as Donelson. It's not Fort Henry that they're fightin' now.”
“The chances are at least ninety-five per cent in favor of your supposition,” said Warner.
The sergeant's theory, in fact, was absolutely correct. Further down the river the transports were unloading regiment10 after regiment of fresh troops, and vast supplies of ammunition11 and provisions. Soon five thousand men were formed in line and marched to Grant's relief, while long lines of wagons12 brought up the stores so badly needed. Now the stern and silent general was able to make the investment complete, but the fiery13 little fleet did not cease to push the attack.
There was a time when it seemed that the gunboats would be able to pass the fortress and rake it from a point up the river. Many of the guns in the water batteries had been silenced, but the final achievement was too great for so small a force. The rudder of one of Foote's gunboats was shot away, the wheel of another soon went the same way, and both drifted helplessly down the stream. The other two then retreated, and the fire of both fort and fleet ceased.
But there was joy in the union camp. The soldiers had an abundance of food now, and soon the long ring of fires showed that they were preparing it. Their forces had been increased a third, and there was a fresh outburst of courage and vigor14. But Grant ordered no more attacks at present. After the men had eaten and rested a little, picks and spades were swung along a line miles in length. He was fortifying15 his own position, and it was evident to his men that he meant to stay there until he won or was destroyed.
Dick was conscious once more of a sanguine16 thrill. Like the others, he felt the strong hand over him, and the certainty that they were led with judgment17 and decision made him believe that all things were possible. Yet the work of fortifying continued but a little while. The men were exhausted18 by cold and fatigue19, and were compelled to lay down their tools. The fires were built anew, and they hovered20 about them for shelter and rest.
The wan21 twilight22 showed the close of the wintry day, and with the increasing chill a part of Dick's sanguine feeling departed. The gallant23 little fleet, although it had brought fresh men and supplies and had protected their landing, had been driven back. The investment of the fort was complete only on one side of the river, and steamers coming up the Cumberland from Nashville might yet take off the garrison24 in safety. Then the work of the silent general, all their hardship and fighting would be at least in part a failure. The Vermont youth, who seemed to be always of the same temper, neither very high nor very low, noticed his change of expression.
“Don't let your hopes decrease, Dick,” he said. “Remember that at least twenty per cent of the decline is due to the darkness and inaction. In the morning, when the light comes once more, and we're up and doing again, you'll get back all the twenty per cent you're losing now.”
“It's not to be all inaction with you boys tonight, even,” said Colonel Winchester, who overheard his closing words. “I want you three to go with me on a tour of inspection25 or rather scouting26 duty. It may please you to know that it is the special wish of General Grant. Aware that I had some knowledge of the country, he has detailed28 me for the duty, and I choose you as my assistants. I'm sure that the skill and danger such a task requires will make you all the more eager for it.”
The three youths responded quickly and with zeal29, and Sergeant Whitley, when he was chosen, too, nodded in silent gratitude30. The night was dark, overcast31 with clouds, and in an hour Colonel Winchester with his four departed upon his perilous32 mission. He was to secure information in regard to the Southern army, and to do that they were to go very near the Southern lines, if not actually inside them. Such an attempt would be hazardous33 in the extreme in the face of a vigilant34 watch; but on the other hand they would be aided by the fact that both North and South were of like blood and language. Even more, many of those in the opposing camps came from the same localities, and often were of kin35.
Dick's regiment had been stationed at the southern end of the line, near the little town of Dover, but they now advanced northward36 and westward37, marching for a long time along their inner line. It was Colonel Winchester's intention to reach Hickman Creek38, which formed their northern barrier, creep in the fringe of bushes on its banks, and then approach the fort.
When they reached the desired point the night was well advanced, and yet dark with the somber39 clouds hanging over river and fort and field of battle. The wind blew out of the northwest, sharp and intensely cold. The snow crunched40 under their feet. But the four had wrapped themselves in heavy overcoats, and they were so engrossed41 in their mission that neither wind nor snow was anything to them.
They passed along the bank of the creek, keeping well within the shadow of the bushes, leaving behind them the last outpost of the union army, and then slowly drew near to the fort. They saw before them many lights burning in the darkness, and at last they discerned dim figures walking back and forth42. Dick knew that these were the Southern sentinels. The four went a little nearer, and then crouched43 down in the snow among some low bushes.
Now they saw the Southern sentinels more distinctly. Some, in fact, were silhouetted44 sharply as they passed before the Southern fires. Northern sharpshooters could have crept up and picked off many of them, as the Southern sharpshooters in turn might have served many of the Northern watchers, but in this mighty war there was little of such useless and merciless enterprise. The men soon ceased to have personal animosity, and, in the nights between the great battles, when the armies yet lay face to face, the hostile pickets45 would often exchange gossip and tobacco. Even in a conflict waged so long and with such desperation the essential kindliness47 of human nature would assert itself.
The four, as they skirted the Southern line, noticed no signs of further preparations by the Confederates. No men were throwing up earthworks or digging trenches48. As well as they could surmise49, the garrison, like the besieging50 army, was seeking shelter and rest, and from this fact the keen mind of Colonel Arthur Winchester divined that the defense51 was confused and headless.
Colonel Winchester knew most of the leaders within Donelson. He knew that Pillow was not of a strong and decided52 nature. Nor was Floyd, who would rank first, of great military capacity. Buckner had talent and he had served gallantly53 in the Mexican War, but he could not prevail over the others. The fame of Forrest, the Tennessee mountaineer, was already spreading, but a cavalryman54 could do little for the defense of a fort besieged55 by twenty thousand well equipped men, led by a general of unexcelled resolution.
All that Colonel Winchester surmised56 was true. Inside the fort confusion and doubt reigned57. The fleeing garrison from Fort Henry had brought exaggerated reports of Grant's army. Very few of the thousands of young troops had ever been in battle before. They, too, suffered though in a less degree from cold and fatigue, but many were wounded. Pillow and Floyd, who had just arrived with his troops, talked of one thing and then another. Floyd, who might have sent word to his valiant58 and able chief, Johnston, did not take the trouble or forgot to inform him of his position. Buckner wanted to attack Grant the next morning with the full Southern strength, and a comrade of his on old battlefields, Colonel George Kenton, seconded him ably. The black-bearded Forrest strode back and forth, striking the tops of his riding boots with a small riding whip, and saying ungrammatically, but tersely59 and emphatically:
“We mustn't stay here like hogs60 in a pen. We must git at 'em with all our men afore they can git at us.”
The illiterate61 mountaineer and stock driver had evolved exactly the same principle of war that Napoleon used.
But Colonel Winchester and his comrades could only guess at what was going on in Donelson, and a guess always remains62 to be proved. So they must continue their perilous quest. Once they were hailed by a Southern sentinel, but Colonel Winchester replied promptly63 that they belonged to Buckner's Kentuckians and had been sent out to examine the union camp. He passed it off with such boldness and decision that they were gone before the picket46 had time to express a doubt.
But as they came toward the center of the line, and drew nearer to the fort itself, they met another picket, who was either more watchful64 or more acute. He hailed them at a range of forty or fifty yards, and when Colonel Winchester made the same reply he ordered them to halt and give the countersign65. When no answer came he fired instantly at the tall figure of Colonel Winchester and uttered a loud cry of, “Yankees!”
Luckily the dim light was tricky66 and his bullet merely clipped the colonel's hair. But there was nothing for the four to do now save to run with all their undignified might for their own camp.
“Come on, lads!” shouted Colonel Winchester. “Our scouting is over for the time!”
The region behind them contained patches of scrub oaks and bushes, and with their aid and that of the darkness, it was not difficult to escape; but Dick, while running just behind the others, stepped in a hole and fell. The snow and the dead leaves hid the sound of his fall and the others did not notice it. As he looked up he saw their dim forms disappearing among the bushes. He rose to his own feet, but uttered a little cry as a ligament in his ankle sent a warning throb68 of pain through his body.
It was not a wrench69, only a bruise70, and as he stretched his ankle a few times the soreness went away. But the last sound made by the retreating footsteps of his comrades had died, and their place had been taken by those of his pursuers, who were now drawing very near.
Dick had no intention of being captured, and, turning off at a right angle, he dropped into a gully which he encountered among some bushes. The gully was about four feet deep and half full of snow. Dick threw himself full length on his side, and sank down in the snow until he was nearly covered. There he lay panting hard for a few moments, but quite sure that he was safe from discovery. Only a long and most minute search would be likely to reveal the dark line in the snow beneath the overhanging bushes.
Dick's heart presently resumed its normal beat, and then he heard the sound of voices and footsteps. Some one said:
“They went this way, sir, but they were running pretty fast.”
“They'd good cause to run,” said a brusque voice. “You'd a done it, too, if you'd expected to have the bullets of a whole army barkin' at your heels.”
The footsteps came nearer, crunching71 on the snow, which lay deep there among the bushes. They could not be more than a dozen feet away, but Dick quivered only a little. Buried as he was and with the hanging bushes over him he was still confident that no one could see him. He raised himself the least bit, and looking through the boughs73, saw a tanned and dark face under the broad brim of a Confederate hat. Just then some one said:
“We might have trailed 'em, general, but the snow an' the earth have already been tramped all up by the army.”
“They're not wuth huntin' long anyway,” said the same brusque voice. “A few Yankees prowlin' about in the night can't do us much harm. It's hard fightin' that'll settle our quarrel.”
General Forrest came a little closer and Dick, from his concealment74 in the snow, surmising75 his identity, saw him clearly, although himself unseen. He was fascinated by the stern, dark countenance76. The face of the unlettered mountaineer was cut sharp and clear, and he had the look of one who knew and commanded. In war he was a natural leader of men, and he had already assumed the position.
“Don't you agree with me, colonel?” he said over his shoulder to some one.
“I think you're right as usual, General Forrest,” replied a voice with a cultivated intonation77, and Dick started violently in his bed of snow, because he instantly recognized the voice as that of his uncle, Colonel George Kenton, Harry's father. A moment later Colonel Kenton himself stood where the moonlight fell upon his face. Dick saw that he was worn and thin, but his face had the strong and resolute78 look characteristic of those descended79 from Henry Ware27, the great borderer.
“You know, general, that I endorse80 all your views,” continued Colonel Kenton. “We are unfortunate here in having a division of counsels, while the Yankees have a single and strong head. We have underrated this man Grant. Look how he surprised us and took Henry! Look how he hangs on here! We've beaten him on land and we've driven back his fleet, but he hangs on. To my mind he has no notion of retreating. He'll keep on pounding us as long as we are here.”
“That's his way, an' it ought to be the way of every general,” growled81 Forrest. “You cut down a tree by keepin' on cuttin' out chips with an axe82, an' you smash up an army by hittin' an' hittin' an' keepin' on hittin'. We ought to charge right out of our works an' jump on the Yankees with all our stren'th.”
The two walked on, followed by the soldiers who had come with them, and Dick heard no more. But he was too cautious to stir for a long while. He lay there until the cold began to make its way through his boots and heavy overcoat. Then he rose carefully, brushed off the snow, and began his retreat toward the union lines. Four or five hundred yards further on and he met Colonel Winchester and his own comrades come back to search for him. They welcomed him joyfully83.
“We did not miss you until we were nearly to our own pickets,” said the colonel. “Then we concluded that you had fallen and had been taken by the enemy, but we intended to see if we could find you. We've been hovering84 about here for some time.”
Dick told what he had seen and heard, and the colonel considered it of much importance.
“I judge from what you heard that they will attack us,” he said. “Buckner and Forrest will be strongly for it, and they're likely to have their way. We must report at once to General Grant.”
The Southern attack had been planned for the next morning, but it did not come then. Pillow, for reasons unknown, decided to delay another day, and his fiery subordinates could do nothing but chafe85 and wait. Dick spent most of the day carrying orders for his chief, and the continuous action steadied his nerves.
As he passed from point to point he saw that the union army itself was far from ready. It was a difficult task to get twenty thousand raw farmer youths in proper position. They moved about often without cohesion86 and sometimes without understanding their orders. Great gaps remained in the line, and a daring and skilful87 foe88 might cut the besieging force asunder89.
But Grant had put his heavy guns in place, and throughout the day he maintained a slow but steady fire upon the fort. Great shells and solid shot curved and fell upon Donelson. Grant did not know what damage they were doing, but he shrewdly calculated that they would unsteady the nerves of the raw troops within. These farmer boys, as they heard the unceasing menace of the big guns, would double the numbers of their foe, and attribute to him an unrelaxing energy.
Thus another gray day of winter wore away, and the two forces drew a little nearer to each other. Far away the rival Presidents at Washington and Richmond were wondering what was happening to their armies in the dark wilderness90 of Western Tennessee.
The night was more quiet than the one that had just gone before. The booming of the cannon91 as regular as the tolling92 of funeral bells had ceased with the darkness, but in its place the fierce winter wind had begun to blow again. Dick, relaxed and weary after his day's work, hovered over one of the fires and was grateful for the warmth. He had trodden miles through slush and snow and frozen earth, and he was plastered to the waist with frozen mud, which now began to soften93 and fall off before the coals.
Warner, who had been on active duty, too, also sank to rest with a sigh of relief.
“It's battle tomorrow, Dick,” he said, “and I don't care. As it didn't come off today the chances are at least eighty per cent that it will happen the next day. You say that when you were lying in the snow last night, Dick, you saw your uncle and that he's a colonel in the rebel army. It's queer.”
“You're wrong, George, it isn't queer. We're on opposite sides, serving at the same place, and it's natural that we should meet some time or other. Oh, I tell you, you fellows from the New England and the other Northern States don't appreciate the sacrifices that we of the border states make for the union. Up there you are safe from invasion. Your houses are not on the battlefields. You are all on one side. You don't have to fight against your own kind, the people you hold most dear. And when the war is over, whether we win or lose, you'll go back to unravaged regions.”
“You wrong me there, Dick. I have thought of it. It's the people of the border, whether North or South, who pay the biggest price. We risk our lives, but you risk your lives also, and everything else, too.”
Dick wrapped himself in a heavy blanket, pillowed his head on a log before one of the fires and dozed94 a while. His nerves had been tried too hard to permit of easy sleep. He awoke now and then and over a wide area saw the sinking fires and the moving forms of men. He felt that a sense of uneasiness pervaded95 the officers. He knew that many of them considered their forces inadequate96 for the siege of a fortress defended by a large army, but he felt with the sincerity97 of conviction also, that Grant would never withdraw.
He heard from Colonel Winchester about midnight in one of his wakeful intervals98 that General Grant was going down the river to see Commodore Foote. The brave leader of the fleet had been wounded severely99 in the last fight with the fort, and the general wished to confer with him about the plan of operations. But Dick heard only vaguely100. The statement made no impression upon him at that time. Yet he was conscious that the feeling of uneasiness still pervaded the officers. He noticed it in Colonel Winchester's tone, and he noticed it, too, in the voices of Colonel Newcomb and Major Hertford, who came presently to confer with Winchester.
But the boy fell into his doze72 again, while they were talking. Warner and Pennington, who had done less arduous101 duties, were sound asleep near him, the low flames now and then throwing a red light on their tanned faces. It seemed to him that it was about half way between midnight and morning, and the hum and murmur102 had sunk to a mere67 minor103 note. But his sleepy eyes still saw the dim forms of men passing about, and then he fell into his uneasy doze again.
When he awoke once more it was misty104 and dark, but he felt that the dawn was near. In the east a faint tint105 of silver showed through the clouds and vapors106. Heavy banks of fog were rising from the Cumberland and the flooded marshes109. The earth began to soften as if unlocking from the hard frost of the night.
Colonel Winchester stood near him and his position showed that he was intensely awake. He was bent110 slightly forward, and every nerve and muscle was strained as if he were eager to see and hear something which he knew was there, but which he could not yet either see or hear.
Dick threw off his blanket and sprang to his feet. At the same moment Colonel Winchester motioned him to awaken111 Warner and Pennington, which he did at once in speed and silence. That tint of silver, the lining112 of the fogs and vapors, shone more clearly through, and spread across the East. Dick knew now that the dawn was at hand.
The loud but mellow113 notes of a trumpet114 came from a distant point toward Donelson, and then others to right and left joined and sang the same mellow song. But it lasted only for a minute. Then it was lost in the rapid crackle of rifles, which spread like a running fire along a front of miles. The sun in the east swung clear of the earth, its beams shooting a way through fogs and vapors. The dawn had come and the attack had come with it.
The Southerners, ready at last, were rushing from their fort and works, and, with all the valor115 and fire that distinguished116 them upon countless117 occasions, they were hurling118 themselves upon their enemy. The fortress poured out regiment after regiment. Chafing119 so long upon the defense Southern youth was now at its best. Attacking, not attacked, the farmer lads felt the spirit of battle blaze high in their breasts. The long, terrible rebel yell, destined120 to be heard upon so many a desperate field, fierce upon its lower note, fierce upon its higher note, as fierce as ever upon its dying note, and coming back in echoes still as fierce, swelled121 over forest and fort, marsh108 and river.
The crackling fire of the pickets ceased. They had been driven back in a few moments upon the army, but the whole regiment of Colonel Winchester was now up, rifle in hand, and on either side of it, other regiments122 steadied themselves also to receive the living torrent123.
The little band of Pennsylvanians were on the left of the Kentuckians and were practically a part of them. Colonel Newcomb and Major Hertford stood amid their men, encouraging them to receive the shock. But Dick had time for only a glance at these old comrades of his. The Southern wave, crested124 with fire and steel, was rolling swiftly upon them, and as the Southern troops rushed on they began to fire as fast as they could pull the trigger, fire and pull again.
Bullets in sheets struck in the union ranks. Hundreds of men went down. Dick heard the thud of lead and steel on flesh, and the sudden cries of those who were struck. It needs no small courage to hold fast against more than ten thousand men rushing forward at full speed and bent upon victory or death.
Dick felt all the pulses in his temples beating hard, and he had a horrible impulse to break and run, but pride kept him firm. As an officer, he had a small sword, and snatching it out he waved it, while at the same time he shouted to the men to meet the charge.
The union troops returned the fire. Thousands of bullets were sent against the ranks of the rushing enemy. The gunners sprang to their guns and the deep roar of the cannon rose above the crash of the small arms. But the Southern troops, the rebel yell still rolling through the woods, came on at full speed and struck the union front.
It seemed to Dick that he was conscious of an actual physical shock. Tanned faces and gleaming eyes were almost against his own. He looked into the muzzles125 of rifles, and he saw the morning sun flashing along the edges of bayonets. But the regiment, although torn by bullets, did not give ground. The charge shivered against them, and the Southern troops fell back. Yet it was only for a moment. They came again to be driven back as before, and then once more they charged, while their resolute foe swung forward to meet them rank to rank.
Dick was not conscious of much except that he shouted continuously to the men to stand firm, and wondered now and then why he had not been hit. The union men and their enemy were reeling back and forth, neither winning, neither losing, while the thunder of battle along a long and curving front beat heavily on the drums of every ear. The smoke, low down, was scattered126 by the cannon and rifles, but above it gathered in a great cloud that seemed to be shot with fire.
The two colonels, Winchester and Newcomb, were able and valiant men. Despite their swelling127 losses they always filled up the ranks and held fast to the ground upon which they had stood when they were attacked. But for the present they had no knowledge how the battle was going elsewhere. The enemy just before them allowed no idle moments.
Yet Grant, as happened later on at Shiloh, was taken by surprise. When the first roar of the battle broke with the dawn he was away conferring with the wounded naval128 commander, Foote. His right, under McClernand, had been caught napping, and eight thousand Southern troops striking it with a tremendous impact just as the men snatched up their arms, drove it back in heavy loss and confusion. Its disaster was increased when a Southern general, Baldwin, led a strong column down a deep ravine near the river and suddenly hurled129 it upon the wavering union flank.
Whole regiments retreated now, and guns were lost. The Southern officers, their faces glowing, shouted to each other that the battle was won. And still the combat raged without the union commander, Grant, although he was coming now as fast as he could with the increasing roar of conflict to draw him on. The battle was lost to the North. But it might be won back again by a general who would not quit. Only the bulldog in Grant, the tenacious130 death grip, could save him now.
Dick and his friends suddenly became conscious that both on their right and left the thunder of battle was moving back upon the union camp. They realized now that they were only the segment of a circle extending forward practically within the union lines, and that the combat was going against them. The word was given to retreat, lest they be surrounded, and they fell back slowly disputing with desperation every foot of ground that they gave up. Yet they left many fallen behind. A fourth of the regiment had been killed or wounded already, and there were tears in the eyes of Colonel Winchester as he looked over the torn ranks of his gallant men.
Now the Southerners, meaning to drive victory home, were bringing up their reserves and pouring fresh troops upon the shattered union front. They would have swept everything away, but in the nick of time a fresh union brigade arrived also, supported the yielding forces and threw itself upon the enemy.
But Grant had not yet come. It seemed that in the beginning fortune played against this man of destiny, throwing all her tricks in favor of his opponents. The single time that he was away the attack bad been made, and if he would win back a lost battle there was great need to hurry.
The Southern troops, exultant131 and full of fire and spirit, continually rolled back their adversaries132. They wheeled more guns from the fort into position and opened heavily on the yielding foe. If they were beaten back at any time they always came on again, a restless wave, crested with fire and steel.
Dick's regiment continued to give ground slowly. It had no choice but to do so or be destroyed. It seemed to him now that he beheld133 the wreck134 of all things. Was this to be Bull Run over again? His throat and eyes burned from the smoke and powder, and his face was black with grime. His lips were like fire to the touch of each other. He staggered in the smoke against some one and saw that it was Warner.
“Have we lost?” he cried. “Have we lost after doing so much?”
“I won't say we've lost,” he shouted in reply, “but I can't see anything we've won.”
Then he lost Warner in the smoke and the regiment retreated yet further. It was impossible to preserve cohesion or keep a line formed. The Southerners never ceased to press upon them with overwhelming weight. Pillow, now decisive in action, continually accumulated new forces upon the Northern right. Every position that McClernand had held at the opening of the battle was now taken, and the Confederate general was planning to surround and destroy the whole union army. Already he was sending messengers to the telegraph with news for Johnston of his complete victory.
But the last straw had not yet been laid upon the camel's back. McClernand was beaten, but the hardy136 men of Kentucky, East Tennessee and the northwest still offered desperate resistance. Conspicuous137 among the defenders138 was the regiment of young pioneers from Nebraska, hunters, Indian fighters, boys of twenty or less, who had suffered already every form of hardship. They stood undaunted amid the showers of bullets and shells and cried to the others to stand with them.
Yet the condition of the union army steadily139 grew worse. Dick himself, in all the smoke and shouting and confusion, could see it. The regiments that formed the core of resistance were being pared down continually. There was a steady dribble140 of fugitives141 to the rear, and those who fought felt themselves going back always, like one who slips on ice.
The sun, far up the heavens, now poured down beams upon the vast cloud of smoke and vapor107 in which the two armies fought. The few people left in Dover, red hot for the South, cheered madly as they saw their enemy driven further and further away.
Grant, the man of destiny, ill clad and insignificant142 in appearance, now came upon the field and saw his beaten army. But the bulldog in him shut down its teeth and resolved to replace defeat with victory. His greatest qualities, strength and courage in the face of disaster, were now about to shine forth. His countenance showed no alarm. He rode among the men cheering them to renewed efforts. He strengthened the weak places in the line that his keen eyes saw. He infused a new spirit into the army. His own iron temper took possession of the troops, and that core of resistance, desperate when he came, suddenly hardened and enlarged.
Dick felt the change. It was of the mind, but it was like a cool breath upon the face. It was as if the winds had begun to blow courage. A great shout rolled along the Northern line.
“Grant has come!” exclaimed Pennington, who was bleeding from a slight wound in the shoulder, but who was unconscious of it. “And we've quit retreating!”
The Nebraska youth had divined the truth. Just when a complete Southern victory seemed to be certain the reversal of fortune came. The coolness, the courage, and the comprehensive eye of Grant restored the battle for the North. The Southern reserves had not charged with the fire and spirit expected, and, met with a shattering fire by the Indiana troops, they fell back. Grant saw the opportunity, and massing every available regiment, he hurled it upon Pillow and the Southern center.
Dick felt the wild thrill of exultation143 as they went forward instead of going back, as they had done for so many hours. Just in front of him was Colonel Winchester, waving aloft a sword, the blade of which had been broken in two by a bullet, and calling to his men to come on. Warner and Pennington, grimed with smoke and mud and stained here and there with blood, were near also, shouting wildly.
The smoke split asunder for a moment, and Dick saw the long line of charging troops. It seemed to be a new army now, infused with fresh spirit and courage, and every pulse in the boy's body began to beat heavily with the hope of victory. The smoke closed in again and then came the shock.
Exhausted by their long efforts which had brought victory so near the Southern troops gave way. Their whole center was driven in, and they lost foot by foot the ground that they had gained with so much courage and blood. Grant saw his success and he pressed more troops upon his weakening enemy. The batteries were pushed forward and raked the shattered Southern lines.
Pillow, who had led the attack instead of Floyd, seeing his fortunes pass so suddenly from the zenith to the nadir144, gathered his retreating army upon a hill in front of their intrenchments, but he was not permitted to rest there. A fresh Northern brigade, a reserve, had just arrived upon the field. Joining it to the forces of Lew Wallace, afterwards famous as a novelist, Grant hurled the entire division upon Pillow's weakened and discouraged army.
Winchester's regiment joined in the attack. Dick felt himself swept along as if by a torrent. His courage and the courage of those around him was all the greater now, because hope, sanguine hope, had suddenly shot up from the very depths of despair. Their ranks had been thinned terribly, but they forgot it for the time and rushed upon their enemy.
The battle had rolled back and forth for hours. Noon had come and passed. The troops of Pillow had been fighting without ceasing for six hours, and they could not withstand the new attack made with such tremendous spirit and energy. They fought with desperation, but they were compelled at last to yield the field and retreat within their works. Their right and left suffered the same fate. The whole Confederate attack was repulsed145. Bull Run was indeed reversed. There the South snatched victory from defeat and here the North came back with a like triumph.
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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sauciest
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| adj.粗鲁的( saucy的最高级 )；粗俗的；不雅的；开色情玩笑的 | |
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duel
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amazement
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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7
hulls
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| 船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚 | |
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8
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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9
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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10
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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11
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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12
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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13
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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14
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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15
fortifying
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| 筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 )； 筑堡于； 增强； 强化（食品） | |
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16
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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17
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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18
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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19
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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20
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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21
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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22
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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23
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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24
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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25
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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26
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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27
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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28
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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29
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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30
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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31
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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32
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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33
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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34
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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35
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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36
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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37
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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38
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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39
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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40
crunched
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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41
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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42
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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43
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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45
pickets
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| 罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 ) | |
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46
picket
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| n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫 | |
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47
kindliness
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| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
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48
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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49
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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50
besieging
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的现在分词 ) | |
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51
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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52
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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53
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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54
cavalryman
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| 骑兵 | |
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55
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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57
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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58
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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59
tersely
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| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
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60
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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61
illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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62
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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63
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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64
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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65
countersign
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| v.副署，会签 | |
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66
tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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67
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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68
throb
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| v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动 | |
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69
wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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70
bruise
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|
| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
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71
crunching
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|
| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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72
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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73
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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74
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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75
surmising
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的现在分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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76
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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77
intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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78
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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79
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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80
endorse
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| vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意 | |
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81
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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82
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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83
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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84
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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85
chafe
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| v.擦伤；冲洗；惹怒 | |
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86
cohesion
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| n.团结，凝结力 | |
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87
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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88
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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89
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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90
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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91
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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92
tolling
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| [财]来料加工 | |
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93
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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94
dozed
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| v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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96
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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97
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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98
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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99
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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100
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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101
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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102
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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103
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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104
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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105
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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106
vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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107
vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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108
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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109
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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110
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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111
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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112
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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113
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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114
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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115
valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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116
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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117
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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118
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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119
chafing
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| n.皮肤发炎v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的现在分词 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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120
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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121
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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122
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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123
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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124
crested
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| adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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125
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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126
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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127
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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128
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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129
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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130
tenacious
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| adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的 | |
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131
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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132
adversaries
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| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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133
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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134
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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135
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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136
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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137
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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138
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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139
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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140
dribble
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| v.点滴留下，流口水；n.口水 | |
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141
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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142
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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143
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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144
nadir
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| n.最低点，无底 | |
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145
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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