United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Fiction
Ah, I shall never forget the pride with which we stepped out of the
mass of flying fugitives, four hundred Marylanders, the greatest
dandies and bluest blood in all the army, for this, the proudest
service of the day. We formed for the charge as if on the drill
ground; our evolutions and lines were perfect, and would have done
credit to the grenadiers of the later empire. Stirling's sword was in
the air, the drums were beating the charge, when there broke from the
throats of our Marylanders the wild, thrilling yell of the southern
provinces, and we leaped to the charge up the long hill, straight into
the face of Cornwallis's army, a handful against thousands. Up, up the
hill we dashed. A fire as of hell broke upon us and rattled and roared
about our ears, thinning our ranks and strewing our pathway with the
dead. Men fell to the right and to the left of me, and I strode across
the bodies of the slain in my path; but still, over the roar of the
cannon and the rattle of musketry, high and shrill rose the yell of
the charging line. We swept up the hill, the crest was gained, and the
British fell back before us, when we were met by a sheet of flame, a
storm of lead and smoke and fire. We were raised as it were in the air
and held there gasping for breath, and then we were swept back down
the hill, struggling desperately to gain a foothold to make a stand.
Again we saw Stirling glance over the meadow and the marsh behind us
as we re-formed our line. His voice came ringing down our ranks.
"Once again, men of Maryland."
Once again! Aye, we knew how to answer that call, for the bodies of
our comrades lay dotting the long hillside.
"Once again, and charge home!" cried Ramsay.
We sprang to the charge, and wilder, shriller, fiercer, more terrible,
rose the yell--the yell of vengeance that seemed to pick the line up
bodily and hurl it up the hill through the scorching, blistering storm
and hail of lead, fire, and smoke. I remembered naught till the crest
was gained, and Edward Veasey crying, "Charge home! Charge home!" and
we dashed in upon the scarlet line. Ah me, for a moment, then it was
glorious, as steel met steel, and we drove them, ten times our
number, back, and rolled them up against the house and forced them off
the plain. And then our hands were on the ugly muzzles of the guns,
and Edward Veasey, springing on the carriage, cheered on his men. But
ere it had died on his lips, so desperate was the struggle, the
English Captain of the guns fired, and Veasey fell. I was but a dozen
steps away, and, seeing Veasey fall, I dashed through the press of
bayonets to where the English Captain fought.
"Another one!" he cried, as we met face to face.
"Yes, and the last;" and our swords met.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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