Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-06-13

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to their horses, and started on a full
gallop towards their own encamp
ment, hotly pursued by the rebels
This was kept up until just across
Bull Run, when the Colonel of tbs
rebels who was mounted on splen
did horse came so near the Genera
as to draw bis sword upon him, bu
when in the act of raising to strike
General Birney suddenly turned, ant
with his pistol shot the Colonel III
! the region of the heart.
At this point the General had sta
toned aregiment, to do duty as pick
cts. They, previously hearing the
commotien, were drawn up in line
The General Immediately rode tc
the rear, giving the order to fire,
which they did promptly, thus check.
ing the pursuit of the rebels, killing
some twenty, and taking quite mum.
Der prisoners.
These troops were all attired in
the uniform of Uncle Sam, and had
with them the Stars and Stripes. A
conversation had with the wounded
Colonel before he died, disclosed the
fact that in this uniform and with
these colors, they had frequently
been within our lines, and that it was
their intention to visit Washington
at some future time in the same dis
guise.
General Birney was much compli-
mented upon the cool daring dis
played upon this occasion.
Lieutenant Col. Heron, of the 9th
Iowa, was surrounded by ten or
twelve OF the enemy, and ordered to
surrender. He Indignantly refused.
and with his revolver in one hand,
and his sword in the other, kept his
enemies at bay, by placing his back
against tree. He had killed and
wounded four of the rebels, when,
having been twice wounded himself,
his sword was knocked from his
grasp and his arms seized from be-
hind. He would have been killed,
had not Southern Captain, from ad-
miration of his courage, ordered his
life to be spared. Even while the
Colonel was a captive, a Creek Indian
stole up, and was about to plunge q
knife into his side, when the Captain
drew his revolver and blew out the
treacherous creatures brains.
A printer from Indiana, perfectly
raw recruit, sat at an embrasure and
fired over five hundred shots. He
kept up all the time a continuous
laugh in the ranks about him, by his
witty and humorous remarks. The
men below loaded for him, and he
fired rapidly and with splendid ef-
feet
"Right IN the mouth he would
exclaim, after an effective shot
"There's q job for the Dentist. Give
US another gun"
He managed to escape without be-
ing parolled.
A brave little fellow, of not more
than seventeen, belonging to the 9th
New York, stood in front Of his reg
iment while it engaged the enemy,
at short range, in which position he
fired all his cartridges, and, STOPPING
down, took his dead comrades cart
ridge box and fired the entire con
tents, in all ninety five rounds,not re-
ceiving a scratch the whole time,
Notwithstanding the ground was COW
cred with the dead and wounded all
around him. The regiment was
ordered to charge rifle pit where
the rebels were concealed, and the
young hero was the first who entered
it, the enemy flying at the approach
of the bayonet.
Among the most cool and fearless
of the Indiana officers is Gen. r. S.
Foster. When he arrived at Win
chester, with his command, they
came plodding along under "right
shoulder Shift" and the General, not
deeming this rebellious city worthy
any respect, did not bring the boys
to shoulder" nor change the easy,
sauntering tramp of the march to the
trim step of the parade. When they
had got fairly into the city, they
were saluted with sundry volleys of
rebel musketry which were repeated
till they were ''past the outmost
guards" of the town. The bullets
whistled past their ears, and clattered
against their bayonets, but not man
looked around, nor swerved to the
right or left. The General rode on,
and the men followed, as though
nothing had happened. Not man
was hurt.
At another time, when Foster was
Colonel of the 18th Indiana, and
when he was marching his regiment
into Phillippi, finding the boys pref
ty loose, and struggling along with
out much order, he sung out:
"Close up, boys! close up! If the
rebels should fire on you, scattered
as you are, they wouldn't hit one of
your
The boys, relishing the joke ex-
ceedingly, and not desiring to be
considered SO poor a mark, closed
up Immediately.
A member of the 18th Indiana,
while out scouting, was fired upon
by squad of rebels; and, as they
approached him, he fell fiat upon his
face in the mud.