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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