The Shades of the Wilderness: A Story of Lee's Great StandAltsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
History
The Shades of the Wilderness: A Story of Lee's Great Stand
Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Juvenile fiction
"I do not have to boast for you. The simple truth is enough. I shall
see that a surgeon comes here at once to attend to your wounded. Good
night, gentlemen."
"Good night," said the four together. Harry walked back toward General
Lee's headquarters, full of pride in his old comrades.
CHAPTER XVI
SPOTTSYLVANIA
Harry secured a little sleep toward morning, and, although his nervous
tension had been very great, when he lay down, he felt greatly
strengthened in body and mind. He awakened Dalton in turn, and the
two, securing a hasty breakfast, sat near the older members of the
staff, awaiting orders. The commander-in-chief was at the edge of the
little glade, talking earnestly with Hill, and several other important
generals.
Harry often saw through the medium of his own feelings, and the rim of
the sun, beginning to show over the eastern edge of the Wilderness, was
blood red. The same crimson and sinister tinge showed through the west
which was yet in the dusk. But in east and west there were certain
areas of light, where the forest fires yet smoldered.
Both sides had thrown up hasty breastworks of earth or timber, but the
two armies were unusually silent. A space of perhaps a mile and a half
lay between them, but as the light increased neither moved. There was
no crackle of rifle fire along their fronts. The skirmishers, usually
so active, seemed to be exhausted, and the big guns were at rest. The
fierce and tremendous fighting of the two days before seemed to have
taken all the life out of both North and South.
Harry, inured to war, understood the reasons for silence and lack of
movement. Grant had been drawn into a region that he did not like,
where he could not use his superior numbers to advantage, and he must
be shuddering at the huge losses he had suffered already. He would
seek better ground. Lee too, was in no condition to take advantage of
his successful defense. The old days when he could send Jackson on a
great turning movement, to fall with all the crushing impact of a
surprise upon the Northern flank, were gone forever. Stuart, the
brilliant cavalryman, was there, but his men were not numerous enough,
and, however brilliant, he was not Jackson.
The sun rose higher. Midmorning came, and the two armies still lay
close. Harry grew stronger in his opinion that they would not fight
again that day, although he watched, like the others, for any sign of
movement in the Northern camp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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