Stars and Stripes Forever by Harrison Harry
Author:Harrison, Harry [Harrison, Harry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Fiction, War, Science Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780307416735
Amazon: 0307416739
Goodreads: 8099570
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 1998-01-01T08:00:00+00:00
AN ARMY DIES
The night was quiet and hot. And damp. Private Elphing of the 3rd Middlesex looked about in the predawn darkness, then loosened his stock. He was tired. This was his second night on guard just because he had got drunk with the others. And he hadnât even gotten near the women, had been too drunk for that. There were fireflies out there, strange insects that glowed in the night. Peaceful too, the easy breeze carried scents of honeysuckle, roses and jasmine.
Was something moving? The sky was lightening in the east so that when he leaned out from behind the tree he could clearly make out the dark figure lying in the underbrush. Yes by Godâthat was one and there were others as well! He fired his musket without taking time to aim. Before he could raise his voice to sound the alarm the bullets from a dozen rifled guns ripped through him and he fell. Dead before he hit the ground.
The bugles sounded and the British soldiers threw off their blankets and seized up their guns to return the fire that was now tearing into them from the scrub and trees next to their camp.
Emerging from his tent, General Bullers understood clearly from the severity of the firing that destruction might be just minutes away. The flashes of the guns and drifting clouds of smoke indicated that he was under attack by a sizable force. With cannon as well he realized as the first shells tore through the ranks of the defenders. And the attack was from his rearâ they were between his forces and the landing beach.
âSound the retreat!â he shouted to his officers as they ran up. A moment later the clear notes of the bugle call sounded.
It was a fighting retreat, not a rout, because these men were veterans. After firing at the approaching line of men they would fall back in an orderly fashionâand not run away. As dawn came they could make out the rest of the division in rough lines, falling back, firing as they went. But with every footstep they moved away from the beach and any hope of salvation. In small groups they worked their way to their rear, stopping to reload and fire again while their comrades went past them. They had no time to regroup. Just fight. And find a place where they could make a stand.
Sergeant Griffin of the 67th South Hampshire felt the bullet strike the stock of his musket so hard that it spun him about. The attacking line was almost upon him. He raised his gun and fired at the man in the blue uniform who rose up just before him. Hit him in the arm, saw him drop his gun and clutch at the wound. The soldier next to him shouted out a shrill cry and sprang forward his bayonet coming up in a long thrustâ that put the point into the sergeantâs chest even as he was raising his own weapon. The bayonet twisted free and blood spurted from the terrible wound.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Sita - Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) by Amish(53741)
The Crystal Crypt by Dick Philip K(36386)
Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut(14706)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14430)
Ready Player One by Cline Ernest(13922)
The Last by Hanna Jameson(9774)
Year One by Nora Roberts(9273)
Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey(8917)
The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro(8347)
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro(8258)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8208)
Dark Space: The Second Trilogy (Books 4-6) (Dark Space Trilogies Book 2) by Jasper T. Scott(7882)
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood(7414)
The Circle by Dave Eggers(6814)
Frank Herbert's Dune Saga Collection: Books 1 - 6 by Frank Herbert(6670)
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood(6449)
Legacy by Ellery Kane(6370)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6155)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(5791)
