24

With the quick and keen instinct of a soldier, Elzey, finding himself too far to
the right, moved obliquely to the left through the strip of woods until he
approached its edge. Then a strange sight greeted the eyes of his men. On a
ridge across the wheat field in their front, and as far down to their right as the
eye could reach, was an unbroken line of blue, from which came volumes of
smoke, except in the brigade's immediate front. Colonel Elzey had reached a
position by which he had outflanked the enemy and made its standpoint unten-
able, unless it could prolong its line. All this General Elzey saw at a glance, and
felt, too, that not a moment must be lost. He knew that his presence had not
yet been discovered, but he determined to make it known. Swiftly moving his
column forward to the very edge of the woods, he opened fire. That long, sinuous
line of blue showed its surprise, but it quickly returned the fire, and from the
woods and the ridge the bullets flew thick and fast. The fire from the Confederate
side was effective, and here and there breaks could be seen in the blue line,
but as Elzey's column had the advantage of the position in the woods, the
casualties on its side were comparatively few, the only man killed in the First
Maryland being Private John Swisher, of Company A, who was shot in the head,
and died instantly.

For some time the fierce duel continued, but with no evidence of weakness
on either side. Then Elzey determined to make the attack. Riding along the
line he stirred the hearts of his men by words of praise and encouragement, and
then, when every man was quivering and throbbing under the tension to which
he had been subjected, and felt like a swift horse under the bridle, or a fleet
greyhound held back by the leash, the command "Forward!" came from the
gallant soldier's lips like a clarion blast. The men answered with a will. Leaping
over the fence that separated the woods from the wheat field, they dashed forward
with a yell. The fate of the Confederate Army was in their hands that day, for
all along the line the gallant boys in gray had been driven back or mowed down.
Would the charge succeed ? There was no hope that it would, for the enemy
held a strong position and Elzey's men had three hundred yards to cross over
an open field. But the gray line swept on. One hundred yards were passed, and
still their ringing cheers were heard, while the echoes floated back and died
away in the sombre woods. Two hundred yards, and the pace began to tell.
Would they ever reach the goal ? The fire of the enemy grew fiercer; that blue
line with the baleful and vengeful light that flashed from its steady front seemed
to mock the peaceful cerulean of the summer sky. Three hundred yards, and
the ridge was reached. Panting and gasping, they pull themselves upward; their
vision expanded. That blue line was made up of men, stern and fierce men, each
with a gun in his hands. They could tell the color of his eyes; they could
count the buttons on his coat. Was this what they had seen from the woods?