The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-06-26
a SOLDIERS STORY.

was rather disappointed, if the truth
must be told-so indeed we were all at
lome-at my kinsman's >scanty flow of
words, when he returned from the Crinea
campaign.
AS for the general story of the war | did
not want that from him, brt what had per-
sonaly befallen him; for we knew that,
though it was hard, indeed, TO be promi>
nent in discharge of duty, or daring of dan
ger amidst that flower oi the worlds soldier
hood, he had been noted as noteworthy,
even among such. by those who had the
best means oil appreciating his courage and
his industry.
have found this modest, manly silence,
touching personal exposure and achievement
al aImos. invariable characteristic of our
noble fighting men. My reader will, there
fore, kindly bear il in mind that the detail
ed and curious narrative l put under his
eyes here, is of my wiring rather than of
his telling, short as it is And | have in
tsrwoven in il, so far as | know, nothing
but authentic threads of recollection.
picked the matter for the spinning of them
biz By bit out OF his conversation, as an old
woman might pick out OF long hedgerow,
at intervals, wool enough TO furnish worsied
fors,ed tor her knitting needless 20 work up
into stocking or pair of Rits.
He had been under fire continuously, for
seven hours and more, on one of the msst
hard fought days of all that hard-fought
struggle, and. as he rode away al evening
towards the camp, rode 5are-headed, in
reverent acknowledgement 10 Heaven for
the marvel that he was riding out olthat hail
of iron, himself unhur.
As for the unobserved incidents OF that
days danger, from which merciinl pies
ervaiion had been vouchsafed they wond
be hard 10 reckon but upon three several
occasions during those seven exposed
hours, it really seemed that the messengers
OF dealh avoided him, as in some legend
they lurn aside from the man who bears a
charmed life. There was a six-pound shot,
which he saw distinctly coming as the cri-
oI,eier eyes he projectile which threatens
his middle wichet. It pitched righ; in.front
of him, and rose as a cricket-ball when the
turf was parched and baked, bounding clean
up into TIE air, and passing right over his
untouched head. Ii fell behind him, and
he looked at il for more than once that day,
and, but for It's convenient bulk, thought of
carrying it away for a momenlo. There
was four-and-twenty pound shot next,
sort OF iwin-brother 10 that which, some
three weeks before had actually torn his
forage-cap from off his head but it came
too Quick for sight. He was that moment
backing towards the chats of an ammunition
cart horse, whose reins he held close 10 IFS
Jaw, as he spurred on his own TO make it
give way in The right direction Smash
came the great globe OF iron, and as the
bones and blood and brains bespauered
him, he almost fell forward for the poor
brute was restive no longer; headiess hor-
ses don't strain against that bit, although
'Is just as hard as ever 20 back them into
the shafts.
Then there was a moment, one of those
of direst confusion, of what other than such
soldiers as fought that fight would have rec
oned moment of dismay-a moment
wherein regimenteI order itself was in part
broken and confused The guardsman min
gIsd with linesmen, linesmen with blue
coated artillery.
There had been fearful havoc among
these noble servants of the deep-voiced
cannon, and men were wanted TO hand out
shells from cart he had himself brought
up, replenished, to bresetwork. He call.
ed in some Of The linesmen. One o; them
stood By him fool TO foot, almost or actually
in contact. They were handing ammunition,
from one The olher, as men do fire-buck-
eIs when LlEes are blazing in q street. He