History of the Fifty-eighth regiment of Indiana volunteer infantry : its organization, campaigns and battles from 1861 to 1865 . to a state border-In the rear of our lines there was an openfield, with a gradual slopeto the center and a grad-ual ascent, to a piece oftimber on the oppositeside. Across this fieldour broken columns wereflying, in utter demorali-zation. There were men,horses without riders,sections of artillery, andthe various other appoint-ments of an army, allrushing in a confused andindiscriminate race for aplace of safety. In themeantime the rebels hadadvanced their lines tothe
History of the Fifty-eighth regiment of Indiana volunteer infantry : its organization, campaigns and battles from 1861 to 1865 . to a state border-In the rear of our lines there was an openfield, with a gradual slopeto the center and a grad-ual ascent, to a piece oftimber on the oppositeside. Across this fieldour broken columns wereflying, in utter demorali-zation. There were men,horses without riders,sections of artillery, andthe various other appoint-ments of an army, allrushing in a confused andindiscriminate race for aplace of safety. In themeantime the rebels hadadvanced their lines tothe ridge where we hadbeen, and had turnedupon us the guns whichthey had captured. Shot and shell, and cannister,screamed and shrieked over the flying fugitives, making ascene, and causing sounds in which the very demons of theinfernal regions might well find delight. But it was a sadand sorrowful sight for loyal, union loving people. So faras one could see who was in the midst of it, the rout involvedthe whole of General RosecransJ magnificent army, and it* Killed near Vineyard house, Sept. 19, 1S63. For sketch see page CAPTAIN CHAS. H. BRUCE, CO. K.* FIFTY-EIGHTH INDIANA REGIMENT. 191 seemed our cause was lost. It was not a question of thesacrifice of one life or many lives at such a time, but waswhether there was any sacrifice sufficient to stay the impend-ing ruin. But, fortunately, things were not as bad as they seldom are. Certainly they might have been worsein this instance. The rebels might have followed on afterour broken and demoralized troops, instead of stopping onthe ridge, and contenting themselves with throwing shellsafter them. Shells make a terrible noise and aresomewhatfrightful, but they are not dangerous, in proportion totheir size and sound. They serve a useful purpose, inmore thoroughly scaring a bodv of demoralized troops,but a scared soldier is apt to be more useful than a dead one. He who fights and runs away,May live to fight another
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