A Daughter of Maryland — page 186: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A DAUGHTER OF MARYLAND. 163 weapon with the stern determination of the followers of Ney, ‘‘the bravest of the brave,’’ on the field of Waterloo. General Pickett led his brigades directly on the enemy’s front, the three sections moving steadily across the death- swept clearing as regularly as a battalion in line of battle upon drill. ‘*Firm paced and slow a horrid front the form, Still as the breeze but dreadful as the storm,”’ ‘ General Armistead improved the opportunity to rush into line at Garnett’s left, and Captain Berners thus found himself well to the front. Waiting for the most favorable moment the Union batteries opened their reserved fire at short range, while their infantry from behind their shelter poured a storm of leaden hail into the faces of the indomitable Virginians, so decimating Pickett’s front rank that the scattered frag- ments reeled. But with the prompt support of the second line the severed parts rallied and uniting moved on. Pick- ett’s men. knew no such word as repulse. Little wonder Heth’s supporting division on Pickett’s left wavered. Rallied by its reserve, however, it pushed ahead until about halfway across the deadly plain, when it was torn asunder and disappeared ‘‘as if blown away by the wind.’’ The same fate overtook the supporting brigades on the right, so when the great charge came Pickett’s men were left alone. Little mattered this to them. Unheeding the signal to retreat, which must have been as disastrous at that time as a charge, and unmindful of the desertion of those expected to rally to their assistance, with only death in their path- way and death in their track, the Old Guard of Gettysburg hurled themselves into the jaws of the enemy. The eye of every old veteran of those stirring scenes kindles anew, and his broken frame rallies and recovers its earlier vigor as he tells you of that deadly fight down by the old wall where the Confederate commander was ofeye) ECOmMICc cS