CHANGING A GUN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2118, 27 September 1894, Page 42

CHANGING A GUN.

Our brigade is being held in reserve, and is protected by the lay of the ground from the enemy's fire. Shell and round shot have screamed and whizzed over our heads, and the " ping I " ef bullets has been as constant as if bees were swarming about us. Here and there a man has gone down or been touched in a way to make him scream out, but the loss has been trifling. The real fighting is all on our right. Those men down there in the flame and smoke are nearer death than we are, but they have the excitement of aotion to make them reckless of the fact. Here we stand in lines waiting —faces growing a little paler all the time ; men trying to jest and joke to conceal their real feelings. «• Scream 1 Shriek I Crash t " it's a rifle-shell bursting just beyond us, and it comes from a new direction. The enemy has quietly planted a gun on the bushcovered ridge in a way to enfilade the right of our brigade. "Boom! Shriek! Death!" Tfcat shot was better — better for the enemy, because fragments of the shell wounded three men. The brigadier-general and his staff are alive to the situation. An order comes to our colonel. A minute later we got the order from our j captain: "Attention, Company G! Right dress 1 Shoulder— arms I Left face 1 Forward — march I " What have we been detached from the regiment for ? We move_out by the flank along the line of an old fence for a few rods and come to a " halt 1 " and " right face." We can now see the gun .on the ridge. It has fired again >and again, and every shell i» striking men down. " Company G, we are going to charge that gun and take it ! " shouts our little captain from the head of the line. There are 56 men of us all told — a little better than half a company. The Captain does not call for volunteers ; be does not announce that cowards can step three paces to the rear. He would not insult men who were with him at Williamsburg, York Town, Fair Oaks, Malvern Hill, and elsewhere. How far is it to the gun ? Not over half a mile— perhaps not so far. It i* down a rough slope, across a swale, up a second slope, in which rocks outcrop and bushes grow here and there. " Scream I Scream! Scream I " They are working the gun as if its fire wa9 to decide the fate of the battle. Those we have left behind are watching us, and will be our critics, If we succeed, those who return alive will be heroes until some other forlprn hope eclipses our record. If wo fail! " Forward— guido right 1 " We are making an easy start. We step out at " common time," every elbow touching the man on the right, and there is a tremendous cheer from the brigade as we go down the slope. lam looking straight ahead. I doubt if any man in that line even glimpsed to the right or left. I am wondering when that gun will be turned upon us ; so doubtless is every other man. Our alignment is perfect until we reach the swale. Then it is broken as we meet the tall, dry grass and weeds, and the scrubby bushes. " Halt ! Right dress ! " It's our little captain re-formiDg the line as if for parade. Three thousand men are watchißg vg — cheering aud applauding. We shall losa him. He will be made a major for this. " Forward— guide centre 1 " We are ascending a slope. Our line was I never more steady on the parade ground. The man on my right chuckles to himself ; the one on my left is struggling to repress the cheers rising in his throat. Exultation has replaced all other feeling. " O-o-o-o ! Scream! Shriek! Swish!" The artillery men have caught sight of us at last, and that shell just cleared our heads and exploded on the other slope. {i Double quick — guide centre— charge ! " shouts our little captaiD, and now we cheer and oheer and charge. Another shell — but it missed us. Bullets from revolvers sing about vs — a mighty cheer comes to our ears from the brigade left behind— and now we drive into the smoke around the gun. It had infantry support — perhaps a company — and the gunners fought us hand to band. There was hurrahing — cursing — yells of pain and screams of agony — blows with the sabre and thrusts with the bayonet, and when we awoke from the nightmare the gun was ours and a regiment was moving up to hold the position we had won. I did not look back as we moved down past the support to rejoin our own regiment in reserve. There was no need to. I knew the sight which would have greeted my eyes. I waited for the roll-call after wa had returned, Nineteen dead and wounded out of 56. Over a third of oar command left on that spot. But we were cheered— handreds shook our hands. Company "G " had won for itself a page in the records of jraf.— Asbton ReJaorfctri j