Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-09-27
CAPTAIN OBSTINATE.
BY NJ. A. SANLEY.

July, an old soldier of the grand ar
my, who had left one of his arms on
the field of battle, was seated at the
door of his pretty cottage. He was
surrounded by groups of young vilag-
ers, who were clamorously reminding
him of his promise to tell them some
of his military adventures. After a
moment of pretended resistance to
their wishes, the old man took his pipe |
from his mouth, passed the back of his
remaining hand across his lips, and
thus commenced his tale:
I'm my time, my friends, the French
would have disdained to fight against
Frenchmen in the streets, as they do
in these days. No, no, when we fought
it was for the honor of France, and
against her foreign enemies. But my
story commences on the 9th of No
vember, 1872, short time after the
battle of Wiazma. We beat a retreat
not before the Russians, for they were
at respectable distance from our camp
but before the sharp and bitter cold of
their detestable country, a cold more
terrible to us than the Russians, Aus
trians and Bavarians all put together.
During the preceding days our
officers had told us that we we're APP
preaching Smolensko, where we should
get food, fire, brandy and shoes but
IN the mean time we we're perishing
in the glaciers, and continually har-
assed by the COssacks. We had
marched for six hours without stop
ping to take breath, for we knew that
repOse was certain death. An icy wind
blew the drifting snow in our faces,
and from time TO time we stumbled
over the frozen corpse of cOmrade.
We neither spoke nor sang, even COM
plants were no longer heard, and that
was bad sign. | marched by the side
Of my captain; short, strongly built,
rough and severe, but brave and true
as the blade of his sword; we called
him Captain Obstinate. for when once
he said thing, it was fixed; he never
changed his opinions. He had been
wounded at Wiazma, and his usually
crimson face was then CHASTITY pale,
while a ragged white handkerchief, ali
stained with blood, was round his
head, and added 10 the pallor of his
countenance All at once / saw him
stagger on his legs like drunken man
then fall like block to the ground.
"Morbluel captain, said [, bending
over him, you cannot remain here.
You see that can, since | do it,
replied he, showing bis legs.
Captain said |, you must not
give way, lifting him in my arms, l
tried to put him on his feet. He lean
ed on me, and attempted to walk but
in vain; he fellagain, dragging me with
him.
John said he, all is over. Leave
me here; rejoin your company soon as
possible. One word before you 60: at
Norreppe, near Grenoble, lives a good
woman, eighty-two years of age, my
my mother. Go and see her, embrace
her for me, andtell her that-that-tell
her what you will, but give her this
purse and cross. 1t is all | have +!
Now 60.
as that all captain?
THAT is all God bless you'll Make
haste. Adieup My friends, | do not
know how it was but l felt two tears
roll down my checks.
No, captain, | cried, [ will not
leave you; either you come with me,
OF | will remain with you.
"a | forbid you to remain
You may put me under arrest,
then, if you like, but at present you
must let me do as please
You are an insolent fellow
Very good, captain, but you must
come with me- He bit his lips with
rage, but said no more. | lifted him,
and carried him on my shoulders like
sack. You can easily imagine that
with such burden, | could not keep
pace with my comrades. In fact soon
lost sight Of their columns, and could
discern nothing around me but the
white plain. | still walked on
when presently appeared a troop of
COssacks gallOping toward me, with
furious gesticulations and wild cries.
The captain was by this time com
pletely insenslble, and [ resolved,
whatever it might cost me, not to
abandon him. | laid him down on
the ground and covered him with snow:
then | crept beneath a heap of dead
bodies, leaving, however, my eyes at
liberty. Presently the Cossacks came
up, and began to strike with their
lances right and left, while their
horses tramp led us under their feet.
One of these heavy beasts set his
foot upon my right arm and crushed
it. My friends, | did not speak,
| did not stir | put my right hand
into my mouth TO stife the cry
of torture which nearly escaped
from me, and in a few minutes the
CoSsacks had dispersed.
When the last of them had disap-
peared, | quilted my refuge and pro-
ceeded to disinter the captain. To my
Joy he gave some signs of life. | CON
trived to carry him with my one arm
toward rock which offered sort of
shelter and then | laid myself by his
side, wrapping my cloak round US
both.
The night had closed in and the
snow continued to fall
The rear guard had long since dis
appeared, and the only sound that
broke the stiffness of the night was
the whistle of Il bullet or the bowling
of the wolves feasting on the corpses
that lay stretched around. God knows
what thoughts passed through my soul
during that dreadful night which | felt
sure, would be my last upon earth. But
remembered the prayer which my
mother had taught me long before
when | was child at her knee. and
bending low, repeated il with fervor
My children, that did me good,
aud remember always that a sincere
and fervent prayer is sure to comfort
you. / felt astonishingly Gained when
| returned to my place by the captain.
But the time passed, and / had fallen
into state of half stupor, when | saw
group of French officers approach.
Before | had time TO speak to them
their chief, little man dressed in a
furred pelisse, stepped forward toward
me and said:
What are you doing here2 Why
are you away from your regiment?
For two good reasons, said | point
ing first to the captain, and then to my
bleeding arm. The man says true
sire said one of those who followed
him; saw him marching in the rear
ofhis regiment, and carrying this officer
on his back
Tho Emperor-for, my friends. it
was he gave me one Of those glances