The Union troops always returned to the attack, but the
men in gray never failed to meet it, and actual physical exhaustion
overwhelmed the combatants. Pennington went down, and Dick dragged him
to his feet, fearing that he was wounded mortally, but found that his
comrade had merely dropped through weakness.
The long day of heat and strife neared its close. Neither Northern
tenacity nor Southern fire could win, and the sun began to droop over the
field piled so thickly with bodies. As the twilight crept up the battle
sank in all parts of the peninsula. McClellan, who had lost those two
most precious days, and who had finally failed to make use of all his
numbers at the same time, now, great in preparation, as usual, made ready
for the emergency of the morrow.
All the powerful and improved artillery which McClellan had in such
abundance was brought up. The mathematical minds and the workshops
of the North bore full fruit upon this sanguinary field of Antietam.
The shattered divisions of Hooker, with which Dick and his comrades lay,
were sheltered behind a great line of artillery.
Pages:
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296