DOCUMENT: J.S. PENNELL

Starkly realistic in its portrayal of Pickett's Charge, thisexcerpt from Joseph Pennell's novel The History of RomeHanks and Kindred Matters is a graphic answer to the questionWilliam Faulkner poses in his description of the moments beforethe charge in his novel Intruder in the Dust. Pennell'sbook, published in 1944, includes the episodic retelling ofthe Civil War experiences of narrator Lee Harrington's ancestors,who fought on both sides of the conflict. Most notably Lee recountsthe adventures of Romulus Hanks, an officer in 117th Iowa, and"Uncle Pink" Harrington, a North Carolinian, whose participationin Pickett's charge is described here. Pennell, a newspaperman,a World War II veteran, and the grandson, great-grandson, andgreat-nephew of Confederate and Union veterans probably drewheavily on his knowledge of their participation in the CivilWar in fashioning the novel. This document is reproduced in its original form; spelling,grammatical, and usage errors are maintained. I quit listenin' to the feet and I heard maybe a battery limbered--ithad a lumbery sound like a springless wagon, but it jingledlike a battery. The dust got thicker, but nothin' seemed tohappen except we was goin' for a walk. Just a damn' fool walkin the sun when we could've been lyin' under a tree asleep.I looked up toward the opposite ridge and saw smoke break loose. It must have hit the line about ten, fifteen foot to the rightof me, for there was a gap there--and Jud and Reese were stillthere beside me. Down at the end of the line I caught a glimpseof Sion with the flag--opened out and rippling slow on the hotair. I could see the holes and still all the names of the battles. Now that they had us out in the middle of the field, the Yankeesopened right up with their cannon. Another solidshot or a shellthat didn't explode hit Abner Snead in the right leg and toreit off. The blood spattered on Jud and Reese. Behind Abner adiagonal line of men went down--maybe six. Lige Boggs--Laceysaid later--got that solidshot or unbursted shell in his belly.It went clear through him and rolled and skipped away on thefield as Lige lay bloody and flopping with his guts spillin'out--but already dead, like a chicken with its head cut off.I saw Abner jump up from the ground and hop up and down on theleg he had left. He hollered once, then he fell oveh with theblood spurting from his thigh stump--and then he toppled oveh.. . . Source: Joseph Stanley Pennell, The History of Rome Hanksand Kindred Matters (1944).