He heard men
around him uttering short cries of pain, and he saw others fall, mostly
sinking forward on their faces. But those who stood, held fast and
loaded and fired until the barrels of their rifles burned to the touch.
Dick felt many tremors at first, but soon the passion of battle seized
him. He carried no rifle, but holding his officer's small sword in
his hand he ran up and down the line crying to the men to stand firm,
that they would surely beat back the enemy. That film of fire and
smoke was yet before his eyes, but he saw through it the faces of his
countrymen still coming on. He heard to his right the thudding of the
great guns that Thomas had planted on a low hill, but the rifle fire
was like the beat of hail, a crackling and hissing that never ceased.
The farm lads, their rifles loaded afresh, fired anew at the enemy,
almost in their faces, and the Southern line here reeled back against
so firm and deadly a front.
But an alarming report ran down the line that their left was driven back,
and it was true. The valiant Zollicoffer leading his brigade in person,
had rushed upon this portion of the Northern army which was standing
upon another low hill and struck it with great violence. It was
wavering and would give way soon. But Thomas, showing the singular calm
that always marked him in battle, noticed the weak spot. The general
was then near Major Hertford. He quickly wrote a dispatch and beckoned
to Dick:
"Here," he said, "jump on the horse that the sergeant is holding for me,
and bring up our reserve, the brigade under General Carter.
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