The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-06-13
History of a Danish Officer.

The Port Hudson correspondent of the n.
Y. Times gives the following interesting ac-
count of Danish officer in General Banks
army who was killed by rebel pickets during
the operations near Port Hudson:
''On arriving at General Sherman's l was
shocked beyond measure, on inquiring for my
friend Major Haifkill, to learn that he had died
only half an hour ago from rifle shot. Gen.
Banks and staff went into the hospital close
by TO take last look at him, and as | stood
over his inanilnate form l saw him move one
thumb-the last spasmodic effort of life
The very morning on which | saw him Ma
jor Hatfkill was coming from Springfield
Landing to Gen. Banks headquarters;
but, unfortunately mistakng his road, passed
between the headquarters Of Gems. Augur
and Sherman right up TO the rebel pickets
He was attended by nobody but his faithful
and now disconsolate aid, Corporal Thomas
Nugent, from whom / CLEAN the record of the
last few hours of the gallant major.
As soon as he came upon the picket he
drew his sword, galoped up to the rebel sol
dier and told him to surrender, which he did,
throwing down his gun. Four others then
appeared among the bushes, and all deliber-
ately fred, one shot penetrating the Majors
lungs andanother hitting his horse in the neck.
Major Haffkill - not seeing the other four
men exclaimed, the rascal has shot me after
surrendering.' The rebels, after firing, had
all run away. Corporal Nugent supported the
bleeding and fainting form of the Major as
long as he could on his horse and then got
him into mule wagon with entrenchment
tools which happened fortunately TO be at
hand, and had him Immediately conveyed to
Gen. Sherman's hospital.
While there Corporal Nugent, having heard
from the surgeon that the wound was mortal,
and that he could not survive more than an
hour or two, asked him if there was any thing
he wished to say. The Major-still thinking
of nothing but his duty-gave him some bust
ness message to his superior officer, Major
Houston. When reluctantly forced to say
that he alluded to matters of private nature
as his wound was mortal, Corporal Nugent
says he turned to him look of the most pain
ful significance and asked deliberately if he
meant he was going to die When sadly in
formed that it was so, Then Nugent,' said the
brave man, i die like a gentleman and sol
der
Major A. Hatfkill was Danish Iobleman,
polished and highly educated officer who
had never been out OF military service since
his boyhood-holdng the position of aid-de-
camp to the King of Denmark, and possess
ing honorary badges and titles signed by his
Majesty, of which the outer world knew moth
ing, but which the Major feltproud OF making
known among his intimate friends.
When this war broke out Major Haffkin, in
the true spirit of chvary, and conscious of
his knowledge Of the profession, obtained
permission to come here and distinguish him
self, with the proviso from his Danish Majesty
(which have myself seem that whenever he
wished to return to his native land his former
position and honors were open to him.
He originally came out in the humble posi-
tlon OF assistant engineer under Gen. Banks,
never doubling that his military talents and
tion as soon as he could acquire some little
knowledge of our language of which he then
knew nothing. He soon found employment in
the Notifications of Baton Rouge, which are