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E-Books (english-e-reader), Killed at Resaca

Killed at Resaca

The best soldier in our regiment was Lieutenant Herman Brayle. Brayle's home was in Ohio. None of us knew him well, but our general liked him.

Lieutenant Brayle was a tall and handsome man. He had gray-blue eyes and long blond hair. His shoulders were wide and he had long legs. He always wore his best uniform, even when he was in a battle. He was a well educated gentleman, and he was about thirty years old. Artists like to paint pictures of soldiers who look like Brayle.

Brayle was either very brave, or very foolish. He did not behave like other men.

Soon after Brayle joined our regiment, we fought a big battle. Men were killed on his right, and men were killed on his left. But no weapons injured Brayle himself. He never tried to find a safer position. He walked, or rode his horse slowly, as the bullets and cannon shells flew through the air.

Everyone noticed him. The fighting was terrible but Brayle did not care.

During that battle, the general sent a messenger to Brayle He ordered Brayle to, "Take cover". This was unusual. The general had many things to think about during a battle There was no time to worry about the safety of one man. But the general liked Lieutenant Brayle. He saw Brayle's foolish behavior, and he did not want him to die

In the next battle, Brayle behaved in the same way. He sat his horse where everyone could see him-including the enemy. Ballets and cannon shells did not touch him. Brayle stood like a rock in the center of the battle. He did not move, and nothing hurt him.

After that, we decided that Brayle was neither brave nor foolish. He was simply very lucky.

The general also believed that Brayle had good luck, so Brayle became his messenger. Other messengers were killed, but Brayle was never in trouble. He always delivered the general's messages to our front line successfully.

Our front line was often less than one hundred yards away from the enemy. Our men lay flat on the ground as bullets and shells flew over their heads. But Brayle did not lie on the ground, and he did not keep his head low. He simply walked up to the front line, and delivered his messages to the officers there. Then he returned to the general, to give his report.

Other officers in our regiment spoke to him.

"Don't be a fool, Brayle," said one captain. "Take cover. Every enemy soldier is aiming his gun at you. Your head will be shot off."

Brayle smiled. "Thank you for that advice, captain," he said. "If my head is shot off, you can say, 'I told you so.' I won't mind."

The captain was killed in the next battle. He was hit by many bullets as he stood in a roadway. Brayle was on the road too. He was going to deliver a message. He got off his horse and pulled the captain's body to the side of the road. The enemy was still firing its guns. Brayle placed the captain's body carefully on the ground. He put the captain's hat over his face. Then he got back on his horse and delivered the message.

After that day, everyone liked Lieutenant Brayle. Brayle was brave and foolish and lucky. We were pleased that he was in our regiment. When he was with us, we felt safe. We wanted his luck too. But Brayle could not be lucky forever.

He was lucky now, but luck does not last.

The regiment reached Resaca, in Georgia. There was only one obstacle between us and the state capital, Atlanta. The enemy had built a line of earthworks at Resaca. The Confederates were behind these earthworks. They were going to stop us reaching Atlanta. The earthworks ran through flat, empty ground and along the top of a ridge. There were trees at each end of the flat ground.

Our regiment stopped moving forward and we camped.

We knew that we were in a good position. Our picket line was in the shape of a half-circle. It went between the two groups of trees. In front of us, there was a big field. The around was soft and wet and had many stones. It was the kind of rough ground that horses cannot cross easily.

The trees were not a problem. They gave us plenty of cover. But we could not move forward easily across the field. There were too many Confederate guns behind the earthworks. We waited for the Confederates to attack us. We expected them to attack at night.

Our general was in the trees at one end of the half-circle. He wanted to send a message to Colonel Ward, who was at the other end of our picket line. The general spoke to Brayle.

"Lieutenant, take this message to Colonel Ward," he said. "Tell the colonel to move his men forward. They must get closer to the enemy's earthworks. But his men must stay under cover. And they shouldn't fire their guns, unless they can see who is shooting at them. You may leave your horse here."

Maybe the general's order was not clear. Lieutenant Brayle heard the first part, but he did not listen to the last part. Brayle took no notice of the words, "You may leave your horse here." The general wanted Brayle to walk through the trees and deliver his message. This would take longer, but it was safer.

A straight line is the shortest distance between two places. Brayle went the shortest way. He got onto his horse, rode out of the trees, and across the rough field. He rode in front of the enemy's guns.

"What is that fool doing?" shouted the general. "Stop him!"

A cavalryman rode after Brayle. Ten seconds later, both the cavalryman and his horse were dead. Their bodies were torn open by hundreds of bullets.

Brayle did not stop or turn around. He galloped his horse slowly across the rough ground. Brayle was less than two hundred yards from the enemy's guns. He smiled as he rode through the smoke and bullets. His hat was shot from his head, and his long, blond hair lifted and fell as his horse moved forward. Brayle sat straight in the saddle. He was holding the reins gently in his left hand. His right hand was down at his side. He looked very handsome and brave and foolish. It was like a scene from a dream, not a scene from real life.

Brayle almost reached the trees on the other side of the field. Why had none of the bullets hit him? I do not know. But there was an obstacle that none of us had seen. There was a stream in front of the trees. Brayle's horse could not jump across the stream. The stream was wide, and the water was deep. The horse stopped. And as soon as it stopped, it was shot.

Brayle and his horse fell to the ground. Brayle stood up. He was all alone and there was no cover. I will always remember that scene. The handsome lieutenant turned toward the enemy's guns and he was hit by many bullets.

Brayle fell to the ground once, twice. Each time, he stood up again. I will always remember the expression on his handsome face. He smiled.

When he fell for the last time, all the Confederates stopped firing their guns. Four men from our regiment walked onto the field. They followed a sergeant who carried a white flag. They picked up Brayle's body.

As our soldiers walked back to our picket lines, several Confederate officers walked toward them. They took off their hats, and helped our men to carry Brayle's body. They carried Brayle back to his own picket lines.

The general gave Brayle's belongings to the other officers in our regiment. He gave me a small book with a leather cover. It was Brayle's notebook.

"Remember Herman Brayle," the general said. "He was foolish but he was very brave."

There was a letter inside the book. It was a love letter. It had been written by a woman called Marian Mendenhall. The address was in San Francisco. The last paragraph said:

Lieutenant Winters has visited me, but I don't want to see him again. He was injured in a battle at Virginia. He said that you were in that battle too. Lieutenant Winters told me that you weren't hurt, because you hid behind a tree. I'll always hate him because he said that. He wants me to think badly of you. I don't believe his words. It's better to hear of a lover's death, than his cowardice.

A year later, the war ended and I went to California.

One evening, I visited Miss Mendenhall in San Francisco.

I met the young woman in her fine house on Rincon Hill.

Marian Mendenhall was beautiful and charming. Only a brave and handsome officer should be her husband.

"You knew Lieutenant Herman Brayle," I said. "He was killed at Resaca. I was in that battle. This letter was in his belongings. It-it's a private letter. I'm returning it to you."

She took the letter, but did not read it. "You're very kind to bring it to me," she said. "But it isn't important."

Suddenly she looked at the letter and her face became pale. "Uh! There's a stain on it," she said. "Surely, this stain isn't...? It's not blood, is it?"

"Madam," I said, "I'm sorry, but that is the blood of a very brave officer."

It was a cold day. A fire was burning in the fireplace. Marian Mendenhall threw the letter into the flames.

"Uh! I cannot look at blood! It makes me ill," she said. "How did Herman Brayle die?"

I stood up. I was shocked. The letter meant nothing to Miss Mendenhall. But it had been written to a brave man, whom I had liked. I could not save the letter from the fire. It was completely destroyed.

Miss Mendenhall repeated her question.

"How did he die?" she asked. She turned her face toward me. The light from the burning letter shone in her eyes. Now her cheeks had become red. The color reminded me of the stain on the letter. She looked very beautiful.

"He was killed by a snake," I replied.

- THE END -

Killed at Resaca

The best soldier in our regiment was Lieutenant Herman Brayle. 私たちの連隊で最高の兵士はハーマン・ブレイレ中尉でした。 Brayle's home was in Ohio. None of us knew him well, but our general liked him. 私たちの誰も彼をよく知りませんでしたが、私たちの将軍は彼を好きでした。

Lieutenant Brayle was a tall and handsome man. He had gray-blue eyes and long blond hair. His shoulders were wide and he had long legs. He always wore his best uniform, even when he was in a battle. 彼は戦闘中であっても、常に最高のユニフォームを着ていました。 He was a well educated gentleman, and he was about thirty years old. 彼は十分な教育を受けた紳士であり、約30歳でした。 Artists like to paint pictures of soldiers who look like Brayle. アーティストは、ブレイレのように見える兵士の絵を描くのが好きです。

Brayle was either very brave, or very foolish. ブレイレは非常に勇敢であるか、非常に愚かでした。 He did not behave like other men. 彼は他の人のように振る舞いませんでした。

Soon after Brayle joined our regiment, we fought a big battle. ブレイレが連隊に加わった直後、私たちは大きな戦いを繰り広げました。 Men were killed on his right, and men were killed on his left. 男性は彼の右側で殺され、男性は彼の左側で殺されました。 Праворуч від нього вбивали чоловіків, ліворуч - чоловіків. But no weapons injured Brayle himself. しかし、ブレイレ自身を傷つけた武器はありませんでした。 He never tried to find a safer position. 彼はより安全な位置を見つけようとはしませんでした。 He walked, or rode his horse slowly, as the bullets and cannon shells flew through the air. 弾丸と大砲の砲弾が空を飛んでいる間、彼は歩いたり、ゆっくりと馬に乗ったりしました。

Everyone noticed him. 誰もが彼に気づいた。 The fighting was terrible but Brayle did not care.

During that battle, the general sent a messenger to Brayle He ordered Brayle to, "Take cover". その戦いの間に、将軍はメッセンジャーをブレイレに送りました。彼はブレイレに「カバーを取りなさい」と命じました。 Під час цієї битви генерал відправив гінця до Брейла. Він наказав Брейлу: "Ховайся в укриття". This was unusual. これは珍しいことでした。 The general had many things to think about during a battle There was no time to worry about the safety of one man. 将軍は戦闘中に考えるべきことがたくさんありました。一人の男の安全を心配する時間はありませんでした。 But the general liked Lieutenant Brayle. He saw Brayle's foolish behavior, and he did not want him to die

In the next battle, Brayle behaved in the same way. He sat his horse where everyone could see him-including the enemy. 彼は、敵を含め、誰もが彼を見ることができる場所に馬を座らせました。 Ballets and cannon shells did not touch him. Brayle stood like a rock in the center of the battle. ブレイレは戦いの中心に岩のように立っていた。 He did not move, and nothing hurt him. 彼は動かず、何も彼を傷つけませんでした。

After that, we decided that Brayle was neither brave nor foolish. その後、Brayleは勇敢でも愚かでもないと判断しました。 He was simply very lucky.

The general also believed that Brayle had good luck, so Brayle became his messenger. 将軍はまた、ブレイレは幸運を祈っていると信じていたので、ブレイレは彼のメッセンジャーになりました。 Other messengers were killed, but Brayle was never in trouble. He always delivered the general's messages to our front line successfully. 彼はいつも将軍のメッセージを私たちの最前線に首尾よく届けました。

Our front line was often less than one hundred yards away from the enemy. 私たちの最前線は、敵から100ヤード未満離れていることがよくありました。 Our men lay flat on the ground as bullets and shells flew over their heads. 弾丸や砲弾が頭上を飛んだとき、私たちの部下は地面に横になりました。 Наші хлопці лежали на землі, коли кулі та снаряди пролітали над їхніми головами. But Brayle did not lie on the ground, and he did not keep his head low. He simply walked up to the front line, and delivered his messages to the officers there. 彼は単に最前線まで歩いて行き、そこで警官にメッセージを届けました。 Then he returned to the general, to give his report.

Other officers in our regiment spoke to him. 私たちの連隊の他の将校は彼に話しかけました。

"Don't be a fool, Brayle," said one captain. 「馬鹿にならないで、ブレイレ」とある船長は言った。 "Take cover. "カバーを取る。 Every enemy soldier is aiming his gun at you. すべての敵の兵士はあなたに彼の銃を向けています。 Your head will be shot off." あなたの頭は撃ち落とされるでしょう。」

Brayle smiled. "Thank you for that advice, captain," he said. "If my head is shot off, you can say, 'I told you so.' "Якщо мені відстрелять голову, ти зможеш сказати: "Я ж тобі казав". I won't mind." 気にしない」 Я не буду заперечувати."

The captain was killed in the next battle. キャプテンは次の戦いで殺されました。 He was hit by many bullets as he stood in a roadway. 彼は車道に立っていたときに多くの弾丸に見舞われた。 Brayle was on the road too. ブレイレも道を進んでいた。 He was going to deliver a message. He got off his horse and pulled the captain's body to the side of the road. 彼は馬を降り、船長の体を道路の脇に引っ張った。 The enemy was still firing its guns. 敵はまだ銃を撃っていました。 Brayle placed the captain's body carefully on the ground. ブレイレは船長の体を注意深く地面に置いた。 He put the captain's hat over his face. Then he got back on his horse and delivered the message.

After that day, everyone liked Lieutenant Brayle. その日の後、誰もがブレイレ中尉が好きだった。 Brayle was brave and foolish and lucky. We were pleased that he was in our regiment. 彼が私たちの連隊にいたことを嬉しく思いました。 When he was with us, we felt safe. We wanted his luck too. But Brayle could not be lucky forever. しかし、ブレイレは永遠に幸運ではありませんでした。

He was lucky now, but luck does not last. 彼は今は幸運でしたが、幸運は続きません。

The regiment reached Resaca, in Georgia. There was only one obstacle between us and the state capital, Atlanta. 私たちと州都アトランタの間にはたった1つの障害がありました。 The enemy had built a line of earthworks at Resaca. 敵はレサカに土工の列を作った。 The Confederates were behind these earthworks. 南軍はこれらの土工の背後にいた。 They were going to stop us reaching Atlanta. 彼らは私たちがアトランタに到着するのを止めようとしていました。 The earthworks ran through flat, empty ground and along the top of a ridge. 土塁は平らな空の地面を通り、尾根の頂上に沿って走りました。 There were trees at each end of the flat ground. 平らな地面の両端には木がありました。

Our regiment stopped moving forward and we camped. 私たちの連隊は前進をやめ、キャンプしました。

We knew that we were in a good position. Our picket line was in the shape of a half-circle. 私たちのピケットラインは半円の形をしていました。 It went between the two groups of trees. それは2つのグループの木の間を行き来しました。 In front of us, there was a big field. The around was soft and wet and had many stones. 周りは柔らかくて濡れていて、石がたくさんありました。 It was the kind of rough ground that horses cannot cross easily.

The trees were not a problem. They gave us plenty of cover. 彼らは私たちにたくさんのカバーをくれました。 But we could not move forward easily across the field. しかし、私たちはフィールドを越えて簡単に前進することができませんでした。 There were too many Confederate guns behind the earthworks. 土塁の後ろに南軍の銃が多すぎた。 We waited for the Confederates to attack us. 南軍が私たちを攻撃するのを待った。 We expected them to attack at night. 私たちは彼らが夜に攻撃することを期待していました。

Our general was in the trees at one end of the half-circle. 私たちの将軍は半円の一方の端の木にいました。 He wanted to send a message to Colonel Ward, who was at the other end of our picket line. 彼は私たちのピケラインの反対側にいたウォード大佐にメッセージを送りたかったのです。 The general spoke to Brayle.

"Lieutenant, take this message to Colonel Ward," he said. "Tell the colonel to move his men forward. 「大佐に部下を前進させるように言いなさい。 They must get closer to the enemy's earthworks. 彼らは敵の土工に近づく必要があります。 But his men must stay under cover. しかし、彼の部下は隠れていなければなりません。 And they shouldn't fire their guns, unless they can see who is shooting at them. そして、誰が彼らを撃っているのかがわからない限り、彼らは銃を撃つべきではありません。 І вони не повинні стріляти, якщо не бачать, хто в них стріляє. You may leave your horse here." ここに馬を置いておいてもいいです。」

Maybe the general's order was not clear. たぶん、将軍の命令は明確ではありませんでした。 Lieutenant Brayle heard the first part, but he did not listen to the last part. ブレイレ中尉は最初の部分を聞いたが、最後の部分は聞いていなかった。 Brayle took no notice of the words, "You may leave your horse here." ブレイレは「馬をここに置いておいてもいい」という言葉に気づかなかった。 Брейл не звернув уваги на слова: "Ви можете залишити свого коня тут". The general wanted Brayle to walk through the trees and deliver his message. This would take longer, but it was safer. これには時間がかかりますが、より安全でした。

A straight line is the shortest distance between two places. 直線は、2つの場所の間の最短距離です。 Brayle went the shortest way. He got onto his horse, rode out of the trees, and across the rough field. He rode in front of the enemy's guns.

"What is that fool doing?" shouted the general. "Stop him!"

A cavalryman rode after Brayle. Ten seconds later, both the cavalryman and his horse were dead. 10秒後、騎兵と彼の馬の両方が死んだ。 Their bodies were torn open by hundreds of bullets. 彼らの体は何百発もの弾丸によって引き裂かれました。

Brayle did not stop or turn around. He galloped his horse slowly across the rough ground. Brayle was less than two hundred yards from the enemy's guns. ブレイレは敵の銃から200ヤード以内にありました。 He smiled as he rode through the smoke and bullets. 彼は煙と弾丸を乗り越えながら微笑んだ。 His hat was shot from his head, and his long, blond hair lifted and fell as his horse moved forward. 彼の帽子は彼の頭から撃たれ、彼の長いブロンドの髪は彼の馬が前進するにつれて持ち上げられて落ちた。 Brayle sat straight in the saddle. ブレイレはサドルにまっすぐ座っていた。 He was holding the reins gently in his left hand. 彼は左手で手綱をそっと握っていた。 His right hand was down at his side. 彼の右手は彼の側に下がっていた。 He looked very handsome and brave and foolish. It was like a scene from a dream, not a scene from real life. 実生活のシーンではなく、夢のシーンのようでした。

Brayle almost reached the trees on the other side of the field. ブレイレはフィールドの反対側の木々にほとんど到達しました。 Why had none of the bullets hit him? I do not know. But there was an obstacle that none of us had seen. しかし、私たちの誰も見たことのない障害がありました。 Але була перешкода, яку ніхто з нас не бачив. There was a stream in front of the trees. Brayle's horse could not jump across the stream. The stream was wide, and the water was deep. The horse stopped. And as soon as it stopped, it was shot. そして、それが止まるとすぐに、それは撃たれました。

Brayle and his horse fell to the ground. Brayle stood up. He was all alone and there was no cover. I will always remember that scene. Я назавжди запам'ятаю цю сцену. The handsome lieutenant turned toward the enemy's guns and he was hit by many bullets. ハンサムな中尉は敵の銃の方を向いて、彼は多くの弾丸に打たれました。

Brayle fell to the ground once, twice. Each time, he stood up again. I will always remember the expression on his handsome face. 彼のハンサムな顔の表情をいつも覚えています。 He smiled.

When he fell for the last time, all the Confederates stopped firing their guns. 彼が最後に倒れたとき、すべての南軍は彼らの銃を発射するのをやめた。 Four men from our regiment walked onto the field. 私たちの連隊からの4人の男性がフィールドに歩きました。 They followed a sergeant who carried a white flag. 彼らは白い旗を掲げた軍曹を追った。 They picked up Brayle's body.

As our soldiers walked back to our picket lines, several Confederate officers walked toward them. Коли наші солдати повернулися до нашого пікету, до них підійшли кілька офіцерів Конфедерації. They took off their hats, and helped our men to carry Brayle's body. They carried Brayle back to his own picket lines. Вони віднесли Брейла назад до його власного пікету.

The general gave Brayle's belongings to the other officers in our regiment. 将軍はブレイレの所持品を私たちの連隊の他の将校に渡した。 He gave me a small book with a leather cover. 彼は私に革のカバーが付いた小さな本をくれた。 It was Brayle's notebook.

"Remember Herman Brayle," the general said. 「ハーマン・ブレイレを思い出してください」と将軍は言った。 "He was foolish but he was very brave."

There was a letter inside the book. У книжці був лист. It was a love letter. It had been written by a woman called Marian Mendenhall. The address was in San Francisco. The last paragraph said: 最後の段落は言った:

Lieutenant Winters has visited me, but I don't want to see him again. ウィンターズ中尉が私を訪ねてきましたが、二度と彼に会いたくありません。 He was injured in a battle at Virginia. 彼はバージニアでの戦いで負傷した。 He said that you were in that battle too. 彼はあなたもその戦いに参加していると言った。 Він сказав, що ви теж брали участь у тому бою. Lieutenant Winters told me that you weren't hurt, because you hid behind a tree. ウィンターズ中尉は、あなたが木の後ろに隠れていたので、あなたは怪我をしていないと私に言いました。 Лейтенант Вінтерс сказав мені, що ви не постраждали, бо сховалися за деревом. I'll always hate him because he said that. 彼がそう言ったので、私はいつも彼を憎むでしょう。 He wants me to think badly of you. 彼は私にあなたのことをひどく考えてほしいと思っています。 Він хоче, щоб я погано про тебе думав. I don't believe his words. 私は彼の言葉を信じていません。 It's better to hear of a lover's death, than his cowardice. 彼の臆病よりも恋人の死を聞く方が良いです。 Краще почути про смерть коханого, ніж про його боягузтво.

A year later, the war ended and I went to California.

One evening, I visited Miss Mendenhall in San Francisco.

I met the young woman in her fine house on Rincon Hill.

Marian Mendenhall was beautiful and charming. Only a brave and handsome officer should be her husband. 勇敢でハンサムな役員だけが彼女の夫であるべきです。 Її чоловіком повинен бути тільки хоробрий і красивий офіцер.

"You knew Lieutenant Herman Brayle," I said. 「あなたはハーマン・ブレイレ中尉を知っていた」と私は言った。 "He was killed at Resaca. I was in that battle. This letter was in his belongings. It-it's a private letter. I'm returning it to you."

She took the letter, but did not read it. "You're very kind to bring it to me," she said. "But it isn't important."

Suddenly she looked at the letter and her face became pale. 突然、彼女はその手紙を見て、顔が青ざめた。 "Uh! There's a stain on it," she said. 染みがついている」と語った。 На ньому пляма", - сказала вона. "Surely, this stain isn't...? 「確かに、この染みは…? "Звичайно, ця пляма не...? It's not blood, is it?" 血じゃないですよね?」 Це ж не кров, правда?"

"Madam," I said, "I'm sorry, but that is the blood of a very brave officer." 「マダム」と私は言った、「申し訳ありませんが、それは非常に勇敢な将校の血です」。 "Мадам, - сказав я, - вибачте, але це кров дуже хороброго офіцера".

It was a cold day. 寒い日でした。 Був холодний день. A fire was burning in the fireplace. 暖炉で火が燃えていました。 У каміні горів вогонь. Marian Mendenhall threw the letter into the flames. Маріан Менденхолл кинув лист у вогонь.

"Uh! I cannot look at blood! 血が見えない! Я не можу дивитися на кров! It makes me ill," she said. それは私を病気にします」と彼女は言いました。 Мені від цього погано", - сказала вона. "How did Herman Brayle die?" "Як помер Герман Брейл?"

I stood up. Я підвівся. I was shocked. Я був шокований. The letter meant nothing to Miss Mendenhall. その手紙はメンデンホールさんには何の意味もありませんでした。 Лист нічого не означав для пані Менденхолл. But it had been written to a brave man, whom I had liked. しかし、それは私が好きだった勇敢な男に書かれていました。 Але він був написаний сміливому чоловікові, який мені сподобався. I could not save the letter from the fire. Я не зміг врятувати лист від вогню. It was completely destroyed. Він був повністю зруйнований.

Miss Mendenhall repeated her question. Пані Менденхолл повторила своє запитання.

"How did he die?" "Як він помер?" she asked. She turned her face toward me. Вона повернулася до мене обличчям. The light from the burning letter shone in her eyes. Світло від палаючого листа засяяло в її очах. Now her cheeks had become red. Тепер її щоки почервоніли. The color reminded me of the stain on the letter. その色は手紙の染みを思い出させた。 Колір нагадав мені пляму на листі. She looked very beautiful.

"He was killed by a snake," I replied. 「彼はヘビに殺された」と私は答えた。 "Його вбила змія", - відповів я.

- THE END -