That Beautiful Charge

At 10:00 a.m., bugles sounded the charge and 10,000 Union men, an entire army visible from one place, stood here as the Union battle line stretched about a mile across the field before you. Eugene B. Payne, a captain in the 37th Illinois Infantry Regiment, recalled a charge he never forgot, with banners streaming, drums beating, blue coats advancing on the double quick, bayonets gleaming in the sunlight, and men and officers yelling at the top of their lungs. During the Civil War, such a sight was so rare that its terrifying grandeur seared itself into the memory of every man present.

Arkansas · United States