three hundred, including many noble officers killed and wounded."

"If I were a soldier," said Franklin, “I should try to take a battle-flag; I'd like to have the honor of capturing it."

The

"It's worth striving for, assuredly," replied Horace; "but you have the whole regiment to defy you in the encounter. During the charge upon Robinette, an attack was made upon one of our Ohio regiments, with the intention of breaking our lines. When the greybacks were within six yards of our men, a private named Gould shot their color-sergeant, and rushed forward to seize the flag. rebel officer shouted to his men to 'save the colors,' and in the same instant, he shot our boy in the breast. But, nothing daunted, Gould grasped the banner, and waving it defiantly before the enemy, made his way back with the bullet in his breast. When the battle was over, the Colonel of the regiment visited the hospital and found the young fellow lying on a cot, evidently in great pain; but when he recognized his

officer, his face brightened with a smile, and touching his wound, he said, 'Colonel, I don't care for this, since I got the flag.""

CHAPTER XII.

FREDERICKSBURG.

Just before Aunt Ellen and Horace left, news came from Daniel, who would so gladly have made one in the happy reunion at home; but there had been work to do in the army-unavailing work, it is true-though not the less earnestly and nobly done.

"In my last," he wrote, "I alluded to Burnside, McClellan's successor in command of the army. His first move was away from the region occupied by Lee's forces, toward Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock. His plan, probably, was to advance upon Richmond from that point, it being about half-way between the rebel capital and Washington. The long march accomplished, we were delayed for a week for pontoon trains wherewith to cross the river, and meantime the rebel army were untiring in their work of fortifying the neighboring heights. Our engineers had succeeded in laying a part of the trains before daylight

on the morning of the 11th December; but so murderous was the fire of the rebel sharpshooters that they were unable to proceed. A bombardment was then ordered, and within an hour the city was wrapped in smoke and flame; still the sharp-shooters were beyond the range of our guns, and the bridge-laying was not practicable until a number of men belonging to the 7th Michigan, supported by the 19th and 20th Massachusetts, offered to go over and dislodge the greybacks from their shelter. They pushed off the boats amid a shower of bullets, and rowed defiantly to the other side. They soon gained the cover of the bluff, and then rushing behind the stone wall and into the cellars, they made the rebels fly like bees from their hive. They scampered in every direction, pursued by our boys, who shot many of them, and took others prison

ers.

"The Michigan Eighth has a 'plucky' drummer boy named Robert Hendershot, who seeing the preparations made to cross, ran ahead and leaped into one of the boats. You'll be shot,' called an officer. Beside, we haven't room for you.' 'I'm not afraid,' said little Rob,' and I promise you I'll not be idle if you'll take me along.' But the boats were full, and no amount of persuasion would induce the Captain to let him go. 'Well, then,' said Rob, 'let me push the boat off;' and as it floated into the stream, the boy clung fast to the stern, and winter's day as it was, he crossed the river in this way. A fragment of shell shattered his drum; but in no wise discouraged, he picked up a

musket, and set out to explore the enemy's ground. After a while he reported himself to an officer, and handed over a 'Butternut' whom he had ferreted from his hiding-place. When the party re-crossed, applauded with cheers from a thousand throats, Burnside sent for the boy and commended him openly for his courageous bearing.

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'If bravery could have won the day, it would assuredly have been ours. But the battle consisted in a series of vain attempts to carry the neighboring crests, faced with stone walls, and bristling with heavy guns-a position to be carried only by siege. Again and again, during that gloomy day, did our Generals hurl their troops against these impenetrable ramparts. The powder from the rebel musketry and the hot blast of the artillery burned their faces, and hundreds of gallant men lay dead within twenty-five paces of the walls. I never thought to come out of the battle alive, for my comrades were dropping on every side, and half our regiment is among the killed and wounded. Those who were near Burnside, say that he was deeply troubled by the scene. Walking restlessly up and down, he exclaimed, repeatedly,That crest must be carried to-night.' He would not admit that the assault was hopeless, though even Hooker's men, who were the last to assail the crest, could do nothing more than fall before it, like water dashing itself into spray upon a cliff. Nearly one half of his division was left upon the slopes at the foot of Marye's heights. Not less than fifteeen thousand men were lost to us that day. The enemy's loss was, we