Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-10-20
NO. 80.

4
feeling rather than to inflict physical pain.
] The culprit was generally made SO much
ashamed of his sins that he would rarely
attempt to repeat them. Yet in those
obstinate cases where the sense of honor
is so low as to be beyond the reach of
effective appeal, he hesitated not to deal
with proper and necessary severity
Soon the regiment was sent to the field
After few weeks spent in drilling and
discipline it was ordered to march on
Moorfeld, trim little village situated In
the beautiful valley of the South Branch
of the Potomac. Here, shut In between
| the rugged walls of the grand old ALE
ghanies, several weeks more were spent
in camp routine and in picketing, scout
ing and foragiDg among the mountains
Here the young Buckeyes first learned
to feel that they were really in anenemy'sI
country. IF you overtake those fellows
let them know you are from Ohio" said
Gen. Schenck to us one day when about
setting forth on a chase after Harness
guerilla party. Eyes we will, General
shouted the regiment. All day long we
marched up and down the wild noun
tains wading waist deep through the cold
streams swollen with the rains Of Spring
and threading by narrow paths through
dark ravine and overhanging gorge.
Nightfall found the weary column clam
bering in single file up a preeipitous
mountain, while beside it tumbled down
over the rocks a splendid sheet of clear,
cold water, ever and anon breaking itself
into beautiful cascades and clouds ofsil-
very spray, and making the pine-clad
mountains echo with its laundering re-
verbrations. The dark trees Overhung by
darker clouds beshrouded our path, ma
king the scene one of gloomy and romat-
tic grandeur.
| 'fT cannot c,o ION s+ans for+be,n sold
many brave but exhausted novice in
soldering. 20 yes you can, this is moth
| ing, would reply the noble Captain. as
he lent a helping hand, burdening, per-
/ haps. his OWN weary limhs with an addi-4
tional knapsack or musket In gloomy
silence we plodded upward, upward, gro
ping THROUGH thick darkness and some
/ times Wading knee deep in mud. Soon
we reached the point where from small
crevice among the rocks the bright wat
ers gushed in vast volumes like as in an
cient days they came forth from Horeb
at the shifting of the prophet-leader Of
Israel. But stopping not here we toiled
upward still, until finally at the midnight
hour the weary soldiers reached the sum-
NIT of the mountain and were permitted
to aoajt rather than rest until morning
4 The enemy taking the alarm had fled, and
the regiment through the mud and rain
Of two dreary March days dragged itself
back to camp.
Such were some of the initiatory trials
of our young Captain and his followers.
When the campaign opened Schenck led
| his Brigade up the Potomac in order to
join Milroy forces and check the ad-
vance of Jackson. Messengers came
| from Milroy with breathless haste asking
us to hurry forward as Jackson's army
was advancing over the Shenandoah
Mountain $4,000 strong. There's work
ahead boys" said our brave old Colonel
as he shook his head and wiped his fiery
mustache. And so there was, the first
bloody work ever done by the bloody
SD The column pushed on with alac-
rity until late at night, and then after res
ting a few hours by TIE roadside, re-
sumed its march at early dawn. Can
you march ten miles and go into fghtY
said the Surgeon each sick man pre-
sented himself in the morning for eXamI-
nation. Many of course promptly an
swered mo" some from actual indispOsi-
tion, others from less honorable motives.
But OF company I there were very few
Il who declined to follow their brave Cap
tain through that day. And when, in
the evening, the regiment came to make
it's fearful charge in the face of the enc
my's fire up the steep side OF Bull Pasture
Mountain, there were very few of our
QumD0r whose LQuSkeIS Qlu nOb S0uu du
answering echo to those of the traitors.
IAnd during the fight, while bullets whiz-
zed and hummed through the cir like en-
ragged bees, Capt Purdy was ever active,
now encouraging or directing his men.
now seizing a musket and joining In the
fire. and again helping wounded soldier
to the rear, or binding up mangled limb
with materials gathered from his own
pockets or clothing. It is needless to say
that such an example inspired all who
witnessed it to like noble deeds.
Napoleon once said 1.-The first quality of
a soldier is constancy in enduring fatigue
and privation; valor is but a second. "
To achieve a victory is generally an easl-
er matter than it is to bear defeat. And
, it is when to privation, exposure and
sickness is added the gloom and discour-
, agement of military failure that "a soldier
nerve and fortitude are put to the seyeresi
test. The nervous excitement and ex-
hilaration of success will keep up his
spirits and sustain his tagging energies
amid the greatest difficulties. But the
moment this artificial prop is Knocked
from under him by defeat there Is moth.
ing left but his own inherent strength tC
lean upon, and that in many instances
, fails. But it was at such times of dlsas
: ter and encouragement that Capt. Pur,
dy's virtues as a man and a soldier sshont
brightest. Never under any cIrcumstan-
ces did he permit himself to give expires
| sion to detected feeling, or to despair O.
his country and its cause. During the
night retreat from Bull Pasture and oul
subsequent ntdisheaTtening Tetrogrades from
Cross Keys and Robertson's River. ht
, bore himself ever with an exemplary for
titude which was of priceless value to hi
weary, sick, and discouraged comrades
!, Though often himself unwell or ready t
Z drop with exhaustion yet, with indoml
: table res solution, he kept himself at th'
! head of his company, lest by his example
: he might furnish pretextfor those more
: able than he to drop to the rear
: But as I am not writing biography
: must pass unnoticed many facts tina
o would illustrate the character of ou
4 brave comrade-in arms. | win not stol
o to dwell upon his faithful and manly con
: duct throughout the fifteen days of fight
: ing and privation along the Rappahan
Q mock in 1862, and amid the sanguinar,
e scenes on Manassas Plains on the 29tl
r and Both of August of that year, has
: ten to still more thrilling events in which
J. he was a participant and amid which hi
/ earthly career terminated.
h On the 9th of April 1863, Hooker
i army broke up its camps in front o
e fredericksburg and began its famous "ol
: to Richmond. AT midnight of the 2Stl
i the 1ith Corps without opposition crosses
IAlo at Kallnyfa Earrv