The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-10-02

! the respect entertain for the memory OF ga
! liant brother officer, long since called TO receive
| in another world, his reward for having preferred
the praise of God TO the praise of men" IL
the summer OF the year 1898, Lieut.. Drake, o
the Infantry of the second sub legion, received
marked insult from another officer. ManiiesiiDs
no disposition to call him TO account. some o
those who wished him well, amongst whom
one, spoke to him on the sublecr, expressing
our fears that his reputation as an officer would
greatly suffer, it he permitted such an insult o
pass unnoticed The answer he gave me was, thai
he cared not what opinion the officers nigh,
form of him; he was determined 10 pursue his
own course. That course novel in the
army, that il lost for him, as supposed it would
the respect of nearly all the officers. The en-
suing summer gave Mr. Drake an opportunity OF
vindicating, most triumphantly, his conduct aud
principles lie had been stationed in n small
fortress which had been erected by Cen Wayne,
during the winter, upon the spot which had
been rendered remarkable by the defeat of Cen
crul ST. Clair's army three years before. The
garrison consisted of single rifle company, and
thirty infantry, and of the hitter Drake the
Immediate commander. In the beginning of
July, 1894, detachment of the army, consisting
of several hundre men, under the command of
Major Mcmahon, being encaDped near the fort,
in which they had the previous day deposited n
quantity of provisions which they had escorted
from the cantonment of the army at Greenville,
were attacked early in the morning by upwards
of three thousand Indians. The troops made a
gallant resistance but heng turned OH both
TANKS, and in danger of being surrounded, they
rereaed too the open ground around the fort.
From this to- they were soon dislodged by
the oVerpowering force of the enemy; in the
retreat many wounded men were in danger of
being left, which being observed from the fort,
Captain Gibson directed his own Lieutenant To
take the infantry Drake particular command
and a portion of the ritiemen, and sally out to
l...f a..
Ell the right TO command his own men, and, as
senior to tho other Loutennnt, his right also 10
the whole command. " o, very well, sir" suid
the captain" if such is your wish, take it," "lt
is my wish, sir, to do my duty, und will endea-
to do it at all times" was the modest reply of
Drake. He accordingly lied out skilfuly in
terposed his detachment between the retreating
troops and the eneIny opened upon them q hot
fire arrested their advance, ana gave an,0ppor-
tunity TO the wounded to effect their escapeNand
to the broken and retreating companies ct our
troops, TO reform and again to face the enemy
Throughout the whole affair, Brakes activity,
skill, and extraordinary self possession, were
most conspicuous The enemy, If course, ob-
served it, as well rs his friends. The numerous
shots directed at him, however, like the arrow s
of Tencer, aimed mt the heart of Hector, We're
turned aside by Provdentia interference, until
he had accomplished ali that he had been sent
to perform. lie then received ball through, his
sstance, and with his aid he reached the fort .
and those two were the last of the retreating
party that entered it, Drake making it a point OF
honor that it should be so. Mr. Drake was rem
dered unfit for duty. for a long time by his
wound He had not indeed, recovered from il
in the summer of 1876, when he my guest,
when in command at Fort Washington. (Cincin
nati,) on his way, on fourlough, 10 visit his
tive State, Connecticut. His friends, however,
enjoyed his presence but short time having,
as | understood, taken the yellow fever, in pas
sing through Philadelphia, he died in n few days
after he reached his home.
1 have yet another "Reminiscences, the relation
of which may serve the cause you have SO much
at heart. ..I. 4l45-...
An officer Of the Army had so often and so
unnecessarily wounded the feelings ofano.her of
the same corps, the duties of which made their
associations Indispensable, that he considered
himself bound to demand satisfaction in the usu
al way. They met. and the INJURED man fell,
receiving n mortal wound, as it was anticipated
he would, from the superior skill of his antago
mist in the use of The weapon which they used.
Being possessed of high grade of talents, and
an amiabe character, he had the sy mpathy of
all the off GERS. With others visited him after
he had been removed 10 his quarters. He eX-
pressed desire TO see the officer with whom he
had fought, and | was present at the interview.
wish could describe, as its merits, this nteres
ting scene. The circumstances attending it were
81 pCCpIy ilptc,Sci upon my HH'ui tiot piOJ
can never he effaced, as long as memory holds
its seat. .t3a aatss.f 5000
In the tent, were some halt dozen officers,
the friends ofthe dying man, flor, as have said
he had from his anabe qualities, many aud
warm ones.) exhibiting unequivocal evidence of
their sorrow. Conspicuous above the rest, and
near the bead of the rude couch, was the manly
form of the comnanddnt of the corps, to which
both the duelists belonged, (he beau deal
of chyalrous valor and the chevalier de Bay
ard ofthe ARMY endeavoring TO stiAe, as best
he could, the feelings which agitatcd his bosom.
At little distance, and in full view of the vic.
tim of his passion, sat the insensible-: but |
must restrain the indignation which still feel.
He was my brother officer-wo had shared to-
gether the perils OF a difficult war--and, in bat
tie lsknew heidi his duty--and whatever might
have been his conduct to Others, never had per-
sonay any reason to complain of him. But
there he sat, apparently at least, unaffected ny
The mischief he had done, by burying in an un.
timely grave, man who had never injured him.