Free Spake As a Dragon by Larry Edward Hunt Page A

friends, some family, and other
neighbors from back home. He will not be branded a coward. He must,
in spite of his fear, advance toward the enemy.
     
    ‘ Halt! Prepare to fire by
battalion! Battalion! Ready! Aim! FIRE!’
     
    Knowing this is Matthews first major
battle Luke turns to him as they halt, “Matt, throw away that
knapsack, your blanket and anything else you won’t need right now.
Keep only your gun, bayonet, cartridge box, powder patches and
canteen. Stay low, and when I say ‘run’ you run as if the Devil
himself is after you, run like you have you never run before,
understand?”
    Beginning to get in the range of the
Federal cannons they realize the Yankees are using grapeshot; a
cannon ball type instrument of death that is packed full of
gunpowder and lead balls the size of marbles. When one of these
explodes, men drop by the dozens.
    They are getting closer – the deadly
musket shots are coming at them in volleys. Men are falling in
masses as the rifle and cannon fire cut big swaths in the Rebel
line of advancing men.
    The order is given to, ‘Charge
Bayonets! Forward at the double quick! March!’ Looking forward,
Luke sees the split rail fence beside the Emmitsburg Road. Men are
lying all around the ground, many have terrible wounds, others are
missing arms or legs. He stumbles over the torso of a young boy
whose face is contorted and frozen in the grip of death. His deep
blue eyes stare out into eternity, tender eyes his mother will
never see again. Some of the men lying face down in the dirt are
not hurt, they are too afraid to get up and continue. He does not
say it, but Luke empathizes with them.
    Luke sees he and Matthew are only a
few hundred yards from the slight protection the split rail fencing
might offer. “Run! Matt run! Come on Matt... RUN! Try to get to the
cover of the fence!” They, along with hundreds of others turn their
orderly march into a headlong flight at full speed toward the
totally inadequate protection of the fence. Luke has sprinted at
full speed many times before, but this time he believes his lungs
are going to explode. He sucks hard trying to pull air in, his
forage cap flies off, he jumps over dead and dying men on the
ground, but he keeps running. Stride for stride brother Matt is
keeping up with him. “Run Matt run. We’re goin’ to make
it!”
    Just a few minutes earlier, the pride
of the Army of Northern Virginia had been a magnificent line of
Confederate Infantry. Now it is a ghastly hodgepodge of bodies
without limbs, limbs without bodies, and the mortally wounded lying
all over the field. The cream of Robert E. Lee’s Army lie mutilated
and mangled upon the battlefield. The remainder is huddled in
frightened masses behind the inadequate protection of the wooden
fence.
    Some men try to climb over the split
rail fence. Nearing the top rail they are being exposed to the
murderous volleys of musket fire coming from the Union line. Most
do not get to the far side. They are killed or wounded and collapse
in a pile around the un-injured that cowers on the ground at the
base of the fence. Confederate officers move up and down the line
of scared men hiding behind the fence urging them, at gunpoint, to
advance. The men are hesitant but respond. As if in a wave, they
got up and began climbing the fence once again. Luke threw a leg
over the top rail extending his hand trying to help Matthew mount
the bottom rail. A deafening scream comes from Matt. He is hit. He
tries to grab Luke’s hand, but before he can grasp the outthrust
fingers Matt collapses upon the ground. Luke jumps from the fence,
pulls Matthew up into a sitting position, but an officer forces
Luke back over the fence. He has to leave his brother and advance
toward the Union defenses. Pickett’s Charge continues.
    As they near the Union line, the
Confederates continue screaming the Rebel yell, firing their rifles
and running faster and faster. The leading elements of the charge
are now beginning to