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upon
Cemetery Ridge, Major General George Meade addresses his orderly,
“My glass, please.” The captain quickly opens the telescope pouch
and hands the spyglass to General Meade. It is three o’clock; the
cannonade had ceased from the rebel forces.
    General Meade is mounted on his
white-faced horse Old Baldy. Soldiers are not the only ones that
can be war heroes Old Baldy qualifies too. From the height of Old
Baldy’s back General Meade, peering through the lenses of his field
telescope could see clearly General Lee and Traveller. As General
Meade watches the head of the Southern army ride across the front
of his army, an army all primed and ready for a fight, he thinks he
has never seen such a magnificent sight. Up and down the length of
the rebel forces dozens upon dozens of the Star and Bars battle
flags flutter in the breeze. A shiver goes up General Meade’s spine
– the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He recalls a Bible
verse:
     
    And I looked, and behold a pale
horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed
with him. (Rev 6:8)
     

Chapter Seven
     
    ATTACK!
     
    General Lee, unaware he is being so
closely watched, continues down the line of soldiers until he
reaches General Longstreet.
    Luke, who is following the General,
hears every word spoken.
    “ Sir,” says General Lee
returning the salute of General Longstreet. The Commander of the
Army of Northern Virginia, without waiting, issues his order,
“Attack General, attack!”
    General Longstreet still does not
believe an attack on the center of the firmly entrenched Union Army
can be successful. Reluctantly, without speaking, salutes, turns
his horse and slowly rides away from General Lee.
    Luke turned quickly and began running
through the line of rebel soldiers, “We’re attacking! We’re
attacking!” He yells as he runs. The announcement comes as no
surprise; most of the men simply take another chew of tobacco or
fire up their pipes and await the inevitable. General Longstreet,
as does his men, know attacking the Union defenses across that mile
of open space is going to be hopeless. The veterans have enough
battle experience to have come to this conclusion also. They are
not blind, but they will attack – they know of no other way to
fight than to follow orders.
    Running from one confederate company
to another, Luke inquiries about his father and brother Matthew. No
one has seen either of them since the battle of
yesterday.
    “ Luke! Luke!” A voice
rings out from the rear of one of the Companies of men. Luke turns
to the sound. Peering through the throng of soldiers, he spies an
old friend from back home, Private Carl Saint. Carl, Robert, Luke
and Matthew, all enlisted at the same time in 1862. Once they
arrived in Nashville, Robert and Luke remained with ‘E’ Company;
however, Carl went to the 49 th Alabama. At this time,
Matthew was pulled from the Infantry and assigned to the staff of
General “Stonewall’ Jackson.
    Carl is trying his hardest to get Luke
to hear him. At the edge of the woods, Napoleon cannons are being
un-limbered and on the move. The men are all talking at once,
horses whining, and officers bellowing orders. Luke hears enough to
begin pushing his way through the group of soldiers toward Carl;
finally, they reach each other.
    “ Carl! Carl! It is good to
see you after yesterday’s battle. I am so glad you survived.”
Before giving Carl time to answer Luke continued, “Have you seen
anything of Father – he was badly injured yesterday, and I have no
news of him, and brother Matthew, do you have information of
him?”
    “ A bit of news, Luke – yer
brother Matt he’s doin’ fine – I seed him a little while ago, back
yonder in yer ‘E’ Company area.”
    “ That’s great news, Carl,
I have not been back to my Company yet. I have been going up and
down the line seeking word on Father and Matthew. What news on
Father, Carl?”
    “ I seed him being bared
away from the field on a blanket.