Karl Bacon by An Eye for Glory: The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier Read Free Book Online Page B

evidenced the many woundedthat were even now seeking safety, but there was no sign of Sarge. Then I looked directly behind me, and there he was, flat on his back, face to the sky, about five yards away. I crawled over to him and saw the red-black bullet hole in his left temple. His clear gray eyes stared sightlessly at the hot sun above, the fire forever gone.
    “John, they got Sarge,” I shouted.
    John pointed to the empty place beside him. “Come on back, Michael.”
    “But Sarge is dead! What should we do?”
    “I’m just going to do what Sarge told me to do. You should do the same.”
    John went about loading his rifle again while I remained next to Sarge. Should I find someone and tell them? Should I return to the fight? Should I head for the rear? Many others already had, especially on the right end of the regiment.
    “What’s your name, Private?” a voice yelled above the roar of battle.
    I looked up and came face-to-face with Captain Carpenter, crouched low, his pistol leveled at my forehead.
    “Sir, Palmer, sir.”
    “You’re not thinking about quitting on us, are you, Palmer?”
    “Sir?”
    “Well, Palmer, if I have to inform your family of your death, would you like them to know that you died facing the enemy or running away from them? Look at the Sharps boys! Look at the rest of Company C.” I looked right and left. “Company C is still holding. So are the Sharps boys and the Pennsylvania boys.”
    “Sir, Sergeant Needham is—he’s dead, sir.”
    “I know that, Private. It’s a great shame. Now get back to it, Palmer.”
    I did as I was ordered and returned to my place beside John. I reloaded and fired again and again, sighting through tear-filledeyes, oblivious to all else save the desire to see one of my bullets strike home to avenge Sarge. But before any such satisfaction could be had, General Kimball’s brigade came up to relieve us and our fight was done.
    The Rebels had treated us severely and I had behaved badly. The regiment had done some good work, and it did seem that the firing from that section of the road had slackened some. The men of the Fourteenth fell back up the slope, being careful to provide assistance for all their wounded brothers, so that all of the still living would make it off that field. Over the low fence and back through the trampled corn we went, moving swiftly toward the safety that lay over the brow of the hill.

CHAPTER 7

Fall of the Mighty
    The L ORD killeth, and maketh alive:
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

1 SAMUEL 2:6
    T HE FARMSTEAD IN THE SHALLOW GLEN HAD ALREADY BEEN converted into a field hospital. Hundreds of Federal wounded lay about the grounds. Warm water from my canteen refreshed my parched throat but did nothing to improve my spirits. The carnage of war was inescapable. My ears ached with the cries of the afflicted, and my eyes burned at the appalling scene as my senses once again assaulted me with the ghastly human toll being exacted this day.
    We spent only a few minutes at the farm before being ordered forward to prevent the enemy from advancing down the lane that led from the sunken road to this sheltered farm. We ran a few hundred yards up the lane and sat behind a rock wall, thankful to be shielded from most of the danger, and even more thankful to move even a short distance away from that dreadful hospital. The respite allowed us a brief rest, a more few swallows of water, and an opportunity to regain a measure of the composure and morale we needed to function as a disciplined unit once again.
    Captain Carpenter chose this opportunity to address themen of Company C. “I am proud of the way you handled yourselves this morning. You have been tested and bloodied, but now you know the business of battle.” He pointed at the cornfield atop the rise behind him. “You all know that Sergeant Needham was killed up on that hill. He was a great soldier, and he will be missed. I am promoting Sergeant Holt to the rank of first