Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/118

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AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE

CHAPTER X


Cutting down the Artillery Horses—Cedar Creek—An Early Morning Surprise—Sheridan's Wonderful Ride—Turning Defeat into Victory


Scarcely had the Ohio soldiers floundered out of the morass when orders came for them to move by the right flank. This meant going into part of the mud again, and some demurred.

"Come, boys, no time to hang back!" cried one of the officers. "Duty is duty. Forward!" And forward they went again. Soon they were close to the enemy, who were driven from the cover of a short patch of timber. As the Confederates came out, the Union cavalry charged on and surrounded them, taking hundreds of prisoners.

So the fighting went on, until the regiment, with marching and countermarching, shooting and charging, were all but exhausted. At the head of the line Gen-