They Met at Shiloh by Bryant Phillip

Author:Bryant, Phillip [Bryant, Phillip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, War, Adventure
Goodreads: 13180688
Publisher: Kindle Direct Publishing
Published: 2011-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

24th Ohio Line of Battle

Pittsburg Landing, 6:30 PM April 6, 1862

“By company into line,” Colonel Jones shouted hoarsely, “double quick, march!”

“It looks bad, real bad,” Johnny said with a huff, and they scrambled out of column formation to form company front.

Sergeant Harper nodded to Philip. “You’ll meet yer God now, Rev!”

“And you’ll meet your god,” Philip replied, “pitch fork, fire, and all!” He gasped for air through the smoke hovering on the field.

Dusk was settling upon the fields, but the battle did not abate. The trip across the river and through the throngs of men crowding the bank had been enough trial without having to face the enemy. A breathless courier directed the 24th Ohio away from the landing and off to the right toward a wood where they were informed the enemy was thick as fleas. Fires burned in the pale of evening. The smell of gunpowder and the smoke created a frightening pallor.

Mule stared wide eyed. “They gonna march us into that? If the enemy’s in there, we ain’t gonna see ‘em.”

The wood line was dark and appeared to be solid, perhaps hiding the enemy they sought.

Colonel Jones shouted again. “Forward, march!”

“That answer your question?” Sammy said with a bitter laugh.

“Well, if we’re lucky, we’ll have missed most of this, though I suspect we’ll be in the thick of it on the morrow,” Philip said. The men around him looked toward the woods blankly.

A few forlorn, supine forms lay in the field spread out before the wood line. Other than the noise of battle to the left, there was little else to foretell of any danger. The regiment entered the wood and into a claustrophobic, eerie silence. They could hear many staccato footfalls crashing through dead twigs and leaves, but they saw nothing. It was almost pitch black, and but for a pale blue hue that shone through the wood’s canopy, no other light existed. The men made enough noise of their own that they soon gave up listening for the enemy.

“You get the feeling we could just be walkin’ into the muzzles of an enemy line and wouldn’t know it till they fired?” Mule asked Philip.

Curses rang out as men tripped in the undergrowth and were in turn cursed by company officers for clumsiness. Trying to keep in formation was impossible. Men found themselves far behind or ahead of their fellows, despite company officers screaming themselves hoarse.

If not for the deadly seriousness of the task, the scene might have been comical. Philip’s company was splintered into several groups who groped around in the near darkness looking for the others. The full strength of the company line was hidden. The men wished only to be out of the evil place.

“Pearson!” shouted Mule.

“Push on, cover to the right, keep your intervals!”

“I can’t see a blasted thing. Why’re we here?”

“Cursed stump. Ow!”

“Over here!”

The voice of an invisible officer called out, “Quiet in the ranks!”

Mule took Philip by the arm and whispered, “I think the rest of the company is over this way.

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