Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 19.djvu/124

 118 Southern Historical Society Papers.

Pelham, who deserved to rank fully with them. McRae's brigade greeted them with loud cheers, for they knew that their presence meant that they would have the aid of the artillery to the end of the conflict. Haskell had volunteered for this conflict, and Pegram commanded. The kind feeling of McRae's troops was reciprocated by Pegram' s battalion, who felt that their guns could never be cap- tured with McRae to support them. In response to the cheers from his brigade, they cheered for North Carolina as they swept to the front, many of them throwing their hats in the air and leaving them as they passed. Straight on rode Pegram and Haskell, the guns close up to them, and the infantry cheering itself hoarse as it saw the artillery halted within about two hundred and fifty yards of the enemy's line, from which distance an exceedingly rapid and well- directed fire was opened upon the breastworks. Whilst the loss sus- tained by the Federal troops from the artillery fire was not great, as they were protected to a large extent, yet they were badly demora- lized, and hence when McRae advanced Hancock's men fired wildly and above the mark.

When Ney's corps, assailed in front and flank by the Russian Im- perial Guard, at Friedland, was driven back and almost annihilated, Senarmount advanced his artillery to within half pistol shot of the Russian lines, swept the whole field -of-battle with his fire, and con- nected his name inseparably with the glory of that memorable field.

At Wagram, when McDonald with sixteen thousand men pierced the Austrian center and his column, reduced to fifteen hundred, had halted, the ladies of Vienna, who had climbed the roofs of the houses and watched with breathless emotion and throbbing hearts, the con- test for the possession of their beautiful city, thought the day was won, and thousands of them upon their bended knees, blessed God for their deliverance.

But the hour had not yet come, the dial clock of fate had not yet struck. Drouet, with one hundred pieces of artillery, rode at full gallop to the front, over dead and dying, and unlimbering his guns in advance of the French infantry, spread death far and wide amidst the Austrian ranks. McDonald again advanced, and added another to the long list of victories won by Napoleon, which startled the world by its splendor.

With eager joy the historian gilds his pages with these great achievements by artillery, and lingers long over their recital. Can no son of the South be found to tell the deeds of Pegram, and of Haskell,