The Shasta courier., 1864-03-26
MARCH %. 1864.
apparently had no disposition

- - IN
II apparently had no disposition
Tor the soldier forced the answer
as position: an tell yru," said
hes use I'm rail-splitter" We
iaus ast,then, not two yards behind
me, otplowed its way thrrugh our
rank joking sergeant with three of
his sswere killed almost il stantly
In 18th his joke lying nettlesome
o. ias literally torn in twoi
entered thick wood, upon
iof which we could see our line
ring had abated censidera.
iag almost entirely. We
q. sls order {" Rest" was Civ
.oa4-sshe Second of the Fifth
AEhich had been all day in
been relieved by the Third
D.s l'rps, were going to the rear
TAX their wounded with them.
One as supported by two comrades
had ger jaw taken off, and as he
mo'A sheld up in his hand the bloody
bon Apen and splintered, with fine
te7S taining in it. Another. lying
l her, had lost both his feet by
. The bleeding stumps had not
Sccou anu LIE hAIttcUeT WIS COW
the blood of The dying hero. Yet
fe.7 rmlust the roar of .nasketfy, and
his wound must have caused
singing in clear voice, with
Irish accent to make the strain
star spangled Banner, oh long may it
the land of the free and the home Of the
brave"
Alile was yet looking after the footless
sol Ter, little drummer boy attracted my
att stion by saying, in childish voice, as he
helggup his left arm from which the hand had
bee..hevered, while he held his drum with
the )ther:
'SWill you do as much as that for the I'm.
ion 2"
Yes, my little fellow, if / must"
We'll. I'd Go more," and he held up his
right hand; but then | would have no
lands at all to work Tor mother, and father
vas killed at Antietam"
| should suppose, from the little fellows
appearance, he was not over II or l3 years
ct age he was a young hero, but thorough
9ne-a child worthy Of its Inspirations,
worthy of the Future in which, may be, he
shall sit crowned with honors
Hardly had my notice been withdrawn
from the drummer boy when Corporal S
turned toward me. and exclaimed, Look
there u looked in the direction indicated.
and beheld sight at once SO horrible and
sublime that it will ever form living pic
tdre in my memory. A strong, stalwart fel
low, with the chever0ns of sergeant on his
arm, ragged and torn, was limping slowly to-
wards us. The shoe on his right foot was
covered with blood, and large rent in bis
~aInaloons. Just above the knee, from WHICH
the blood was also trickling, solved the ques
ton Of the location of his wound He was
hatless. his hair was dsordered his face and
hands were begrimed with smoke and powder
and he looked altogel her maniac-like and ex
hausted But he had his celors aciM him
His regiment, or the greater part of it, had
been either killed or captured he had lost
his colors once, and was afterwards captured
himself. He watched his opportunity, killed
the rebel who held the fag. and escaped with
it safely into our lines. Ought not the name
of one so brave as he to be chiseled in monu-
mental marble, that the ages as they go may
read it and admire7
Night came at last-the next day passed
and the evening of the fourth settled down
upon us, bringing TO some of us most disa-
greeahle duty. Shortly after dark. as was
about to lie down in my blankets for a nap,
was directed to take charge of squad of
men and report to a superior officer for or
ders. Obeying | was soon ordered to pro
coed tue wood Immediately in our front |
and there commence burying the dead-to
bury indscriminately both the enemy's and
our own; to do all in my power to obtain in
formation likely to lead to the indentifcation |
of the bpdies and to remain out until midnight |
We procured a lantern, armed the men with |
picks aid shovels, and started out.
Gainfse-she edge Of the wood after wading !
some dAtance through deep marsh. light
ed my lntern, and its rays fell upon the
bloatei FACE Of q rehel hellieutenant. Either he
lad died Systematically or some friend had |
pIaseu fssa in the position in which we found |
him, for was lying fat on his back with |
his arms Splded closely across his breast and |
his lips i htly compressed. But. nicely as
he lay, aust be buried At the edge of |
the wood snnd a soft strip of land-else- |
where it, rocky soil-and here we deter |
mined til. bel should have his last resting |
place. Ii men found piece of candle in
the dead n S haversack, lighted it and went
to work up she grave. Meanwhile pass
ed into the IDS to discover other bodies | |
found thrt3 bur men, but, as far as went.
could see Is Sre of the enemy's dead. | |
came bac's fmen hsd finished the grave. |
We pIa.-.s 80 rails; placed one under his |
sheuld Dther under his legs, just |
below the ( +, and thus the body of the
rebel was lyaysin the ground to await |
the day of Gng, in whose glare all of-us |
must stan.
told the. ito dig grave little fur |
ther on for They went at it, while |
proceeded to snethe bodies | had discov |
cred The. of corporal belonging
to the Firsta eon of the Fifth Corps. His
right hand ". &ced close to his mouth. aud
tightly clencH torn cartridge lay at his
side the end n he had bitten off so tight
ly held in his u that it was impossible to
withdraw it, = pocket had been cut out,
his shoes and Stockings stripped off, and
nothing whateve. was to be found on his
person by which 10 indentify him except the
corps mark on Il cap.
About two feet lm him lay private, hat
less. and strippedcf shoes and stocking also
His pockets had not been removed. | exaH-
ined them, and found in his pautaloons gol
den locket, with ths picture of q fair young
woman therein, and in his breast coat pocket
daguerreotype of the same person, with
card on which was lady's address. have
since asce-tained it was that OF his wife.
The third hOlv was that of a first lIeut5n-