Killer Angels, The - Michael Shaara [23]
"The husband, by God, is an undertaker.'" He rode mournfully off. The sound of music began to drift up the hill from Gettysburg. A preacher from the Seminary began a low, insistent, theological argument with a young lieutenant, back and forth, back and forth, the staff listening with admiration at the lovely words. The staff began to bed down for the night. It was near midnight when the buck-toothed boy came back from Reynolds, panting down from a lathered horse. Buford read: General Buford: Hold your ground. I will come in the morning as early as possible. John Reynolds.
Buford nodded. All right. If you say so. The officers were up and gathering.
Buford said to the buck-toothed boy, "Did he say anything else?"
"No sir. He was very busy."
"How far back is he?"
"Not ten miles, sir, I don't think."
"Well," Buford said. He faced the staff: the eager, the wary. "We're going to hold here in the morning." He paused, still fuzzy-brained. "We'll try to hold long enough for General Reynolds to come up with some infantry. I want to save the high ground, if we can."
There was a breathy silence, some toothy grins, as if he had announced a party.
"I think they'll be attacking us at dawn. We ought to be able to stop them for a couple of hours."
At Thorofare Gap we held for six. But that was better ground.
Devin was glowing. "Hell, General, we can hold them all the long damned day, as the feller says."
Buford frowned. He said slowly, "I don't know how long will be necessary. It may be a long time. We can force them to deploy, anyway, and that will take up time. Also, that's a narrow road Lee's coming down, and if we stack them up back there they'll be a while getting untracked. But the point is to hold long enough for the infantry. If we hang onto these hills, we have a good chance to win the fight that's coming. Understood?"
He had excited them. They were young enough to be eager for this. He felt a certain breathless quality himself.
He ordered a good feed for the night, no point now in saving food. They moved out to give their orders. Buford rode out once more, in the dark, to the picket line.
He posted the lead pickets himself, not far from the Rebel line. There were four men along the bridge: New York and Illinois, two of them very young. They were popeyed to be so near the Rebs. Closer than anybody in the whole dang army.
Buford said, "They should come in just at about first light. Keep a clear eye.
Stay in there long enough to get a good look, then shoot and run. Give us a good warning, but fire only a few rounds. Don't wait too long before you pull out."
A corporal said stiffly, "Yes, sir. General, sir." He broke into a giggle.
Buford heard a boy say, "Now aint you glad you jined the calvry?"
Buford rode back to the Seminary. He made his headquarters there. In the morning he would have a good view from the cupola. He dismounted and sat down to rest. It was very quiet. He closed his eyes and he could see fields of snow, miles and miles of Wyoming snow, and white mountains in the distance, all clean and incredibly still, and no man anywhere and no motion.
4. LONGSTREET.
In Longstreet's camp, they were teaching the Englishman to play poker. They had spread a blanket near a fire and hung a lantern on a tree and they sat around the blanket slapping bugs in the dark, surrounded by campfires, laughter and music. The Englishman was a naturally funny man. He was very thin and perpetually astonished and somewhat gap-toothed,