
A rain‑soaked battlefield stretches under a bruised sky, where wounded men cling to life while artillery thunder roars in the distance. The narrative opens with a weary field surgeon, his eyes reflecting the grim routine of war, and a young cavalry sergeant fiercely clutching a sodden guidon as he urges his comrades forward. The atmosphere is thick with mud, blood, and the relentless howl of wind, creating a vivid portrait of a desperate frontline caught between hope and ruin.
Through stark, lyrical prose the listener is drawn into the chaos of shattered bridges, burning houses, and the ever‑present specter of death that stalks the wounded. The sergeant’s plaintive cries—“Rally on the guidon!”—echo across the shattered landscape, hinting at hidden bonds and a possible rescue that could shift the tide. As the night deepens, the story balances vivid battlefield detail with the fragile humanity of those who survive amid relentless conflict.
Full title
The Lost Guidon 1911
Language
en
Duration
~31 minutes (30K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Widger
Release date
2007-11-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1922
A sharp-eyed storyteller of Appalachian life, she wrote vivid local-color fiction under the pen name Charles Egbert Craddock. Her novels and stories helped introduce many readers to the Tennessee mountains in the late 19th century.
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