The men's heads rose above the edge of the trench and they cheered her,
crying, "Hurrah for Annie! Bully for you!" which shout unfortunately
showed their position to the enemy, who at once fired a volley of shots
in the direction of the cheering. Annie rode to the end of the rear of
the line, then turned to look back, and as she did so, an officer
quickly pushed his horse between her and a large tree by which she was
standing, so that he might be sheltered behind her. She was staring at
him in astonishment at such an unchivalrous act, when a second volley
was fired; a ball whizzed past her, and the officer fell heavily against
her, then lifeless to the ground. At the same moment another ball grazed
Annie's hand (this was the only wound she received during the whole
war), cut through her dress, and slightly wounded her horse, who was so
frenzied by the pain that he set off on a run through the woods,
plunging in and out among the trees so rapidly that Annie was afraid of
being brushed from her saddle by the branches, or of having her brains
dashed out by being thrown against a tree trunk. Raising herself on her
saddle with a violent effort she crouched on her knees and clung to the
pommel and awaited what might come, but by a lucky chance, the
frightened animal dashed out of the woods and into the midst of the
Eleventh Corps, who stopped the runaway and gave a rousing cheer for
plucky Annie. Her regiment was by this time quite a distance away, and
Annie wanted to see and speak with General Berry, who was the commander
of her division, but was told by an aide that he was not there. "He _is_
here," replied Annie, "and I must see him." The aide turned his horse
and rode up to the General, who was near by, and told him that a woman
was coming up, who insisted on seeing him.
"It is Annie," said General Berry. "Let her come, let her come. I would
risk my life for Annie any time!" As Annie approached from one side a
prisoner was brought up on the other, and after some words with him, and
receiving his sword, the General sent him to the rear, and after
greeting Annie cordially he gave the prisoner into her charge,
directing him to walk by her horse. This was Annie's last interview with
the brave General, for he was killed early the next morning in the
desperate fight for possession of the plank road, in the woods not far
from the hospital, leading past the Chancellor House.
During the same battle Annie found an artillery man so badly wounded
that he could not move. The batteries had no surgeons of their own, and
despite his entreaties the infantry surgeons with their hands full in
caring for their own wounded men, had refused to assist him. Annie,
after binding up the poor man's wounds, insisted on having him cared
for, and a year later she received the following letter:
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 14, 1864.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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