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                                               6

and pork, that we might be better enabled to withstand

the coming shock, A temporary lull now occurred

in the battle, occasioned by Johnston waiting to receive

the reinforcements ordered from the main body, but

it was all too short Scarcely had we got our muskets

in decent order, when we were quickly ordered into line

Down across the rolling slopes to our left, and

along the plateau in our front, in deep, heavy masses

of Grey on came the exultant enemy, They lapped

up against our left in overwhelming waves of destruction

They poured along our front and surged against our

lines which were partially protected by the fallen

trees that formed the edge of the slashing. Hooker

had braced himself to receive the shock and stood

there now in the opening to our right unatended and

unmindful of peril to himself as his eye swept

along the rebel front with anxious apprehensions

Beautiful as a God he seemed to us, so erect and grand

his very attitude Eloquent with all that can fire a soldiers

heart, See! for a moment the proud flash of his Eye

and the defiant smile as the threatning masses roll

up against his brave Jerserymen, and are hurled back

broken and defeated. But we too are now in the

Stormy hell of battle, a moment he turns to our

Colonel and in those intensly calm and concentrated

tones for which he was distinguished in battle, and says

Hold those lines Sir to the last man, Brave eyes look

back steadily into his, as the dear old Colonel responds

proudly, To the last man Sir - they shall be held,

and now he spurs in hot haste to his threatened

left, which wrapt in sulphurous smoke is rent and

strained by the terrible onsets of the foe. The voice of

command is utterly lost in the mingled cheers and

yells, and shreiks and crashing musketry, Twice has

Hooker's horse been shot from beneath him, he is covered

with mud, but still rides from left to right, calm,

stern, inexorable to hold these bleeding lines. Three

times has a courier left his side to the silent right,

where Sumner with 30_000 inactive men is deaf to

his comrad's appeal for aid. Gen. Peck some up later