Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-10-25

4
went into the dark night and still dark
er river; and the boat glided on 70 bury
him among the fishes. No human hely
was near. God only could save him, and
| He only by a miracle. So the boy thought,
as he went down saying the prayer his
mother had taught him. Instinctively
clutching the rope. he SUNK below the
surface; but then il frightened in his
grasp, and held firmly. Selling it hand
over hand, he drew himself upon deck,
and was again live hoy among the living
Another kink had caught in another
crevice, and saved him, Was il that
prayer, or the love of his praying mother
which wrought this miracle? lie did not
know, but, long after the boat had passed
the lock, he stood there, in his dripping
clothes, pondering the question.
Coiling the rope, he tried to throw il
again into the crevice but it had lost the
knack of kinkiBg Many times he tried
six hundred says my infOrmant,-and
then sat down and reflected. Il have
thrown this rope" he thought, "six hun
dred times; | might throw IL ten times IS
many without its catching. Ten times
six hundred are six thousand,-so there
were six thousand chances against my
life. Against such odds, Providence on
" could have sayed IT. Providence, there
fore, thinks it worth saving; and if that's
so, | won't throw it AWAY on canal-hOat.
Pll go home, get an education, and be a
man."
He acted on this resolution, and not
long afterwards stood before a little log
cottage in the depths of the Ohio Wilder
ness. Ii was late at night; the stars were
out, and the moon was down; but by the
freight that came through the window,
he saw his mother kneeling before an
open book which lay on chair in the
corner. She was reading; but her eyes
were off the page, looking up TO the n
visible. "Oh, turn unto me-" she said,
"and have mercy upon me! give Thy
strength unto Thy servant, and save the
son of Thine handmaidp More she read.
which sounded like prayer. but this is
all that the boy remembers He opened
the door, put his arm about her neck,
and his head upon her bosom. What
words he said I do not know: but there
by her side he gave back to God the life
which He had given So the mothers
prayer was answered. SO sprang up the
seed which in toll and tears she had
planted.
The boy worked. the world rolled
round, and twelve years later Governor
Dennison offered him command of a reg
iment. He went home. opened his moth
er's Bible. and pondered upon the sub
ject. He had a wife, a child, and few
thousand dollars. If he gave his life to
the country. would God and the few
thousand dollars provide for his wife and
child? He consulted the Book about it.
1t seemed to answer in the affirmative;
and before morning he wrote 10 friend,
q regard my life as given to the coun-
try. ! am only anxious to make as much
of it as possible before the mortgage on
it is foreclosed.'
To this man. who thus went into TIL
war with a life not his own, was given
on the 10th of December, 1861, come
mand of the little army which held Ken
lucky to her moorings in the Union
He knew nothing about war beyond its
fundamental principles,-which are, /
believe, that 2 big boy can whip a little
boy, and that one big boy can whip two
little boys, if he take them singly, one
after the other He knew no more about
it; yet he was called upon to solve mil
itary problem which has puzzled the
heads of the greatest generals: namely,
how two small bodies of men, stationed
widely apart. can unite in the presence
of an enemy. and heat him, when he is
of twice their united strength. and strong
ly posted behind intrenchments. With
the help of many "good rcen and true"
he solved this problem: and in telling
how he solved 1t. | shall come naturally
to speak of John Jordan, from the head
of Baine.
Humphrey Marshall with FIVE thousand
men had invaded Kentucky. Entering
it at Pound Gap, he had fortified a strong
natural position near PaintviIIe. and with
small bands was overrunning the whole
Piedmont region. This region. contain
ing an area larger than the whole of Mas
sachusetts. was occupied by about four
thousand blacks and one hundred thou
sand Whites brave, hardy, rural pop
ul2tion, with few schools. scarcely any
churches. and only one newspaper, but
with that sort of patriotism which grows
among mountains and clings to IFS barren
hillsides as if they were the greenest
spots in the universe. Among this sim
pie people Marshall was scattering fire
brands. Stump-oratOrs were blazing away
at every cross-road. lighting a fire which
threatened to sweep Kentucky from the
Union. That done. so early in the war,
dissolution might have followed. To the
Ohio canal-boy was committed the task
of extinguishing the confiagratiOn. 1t
was a difficult task. and one which with
the means at command, would have ap-
palled any man not made equal to il by
early struggles with hardship and power
ty, and entire trust in Providence that
guards his country.
The means at command were twenty
FIVE hundred men, divided into two bod
les, and separated by hundred miles of
mountain country. This country was in
tested with guerrillas, and occupied by
a disloyal people. The sending of dis
patches across it was next to impossible;
but communication being opened, and
the two columns set in motion, there was
danger that they would be fallen on and
beaten in detail before they could form
a junction. This was the great danger.
What remained-the beating of five
thousand rebels, posted behind intrench-
ments, by half their number of Yankees,
operating in the open field-seemed to
the young Colonel less difficult of accom-
plishment.
Evidently, the first thing TO be done
was to find a trustworthy messenger to
convey dispatches between the two halves
of the Union army. To this end, the
Yankee commander applied to the Colo
mel of the Fourteenth KENTUCKY.
"Have you man." he asked, "who
will die. rather than fail or betray us?"
The Kentuckian reflected q moment
then answered: 81 think I have,-John
Jordan, from the head of Baine"
Jordan was sent for. He was tall.
guant, sallow man of about thirty, with
small grey eyes, fine falsetto voice,
pitched in the minor key, and his speech
the rude dialect of the mountains. His
face had as many expressions as could be
found in a regiment, and he seemed q
strange combination of cunning, simplic-
ity, undaunted courage and undoubting
faith yet though he might pass for a
simpleton, he talked a quaint sort Of
wisdom which ought to have given him
to history.
The young Colonel sounded him thor
oughly; for the fate of the little army
u i 4 L = q 1 .,