Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-03-19
WHOLE NO. 1917.
The Vagabond Hero.

From recent number of Apple
tons Journal we extract the follow
ing story of a brave boy whose heroi
act Was hardly surpassed during tn
late war:
Among the regiments terribly de
rimated at the second battle of Bu
Run were those belonging to Sickles'
brigade. Held in reserve during the
fierce carnage of the earlier part oil
the day, they had only seen the bat
taiions of strstcber bearers and train.
of ambu ances loaded with their
groaning burdens. Late in the &c
ternoon came the order TO go TO the
front. The drum corps, contrary to
custom, accompanied the brigade il.
to the line of fire. Army drnmmers
were generally tie lowest of low, buI
Tommy GOwan was worthy TO be
branded as he "wiokedest boy in
New York" Under ,welve years
old. be was yet plunged to the eyes
in every possible vice. No gentler
prophecy was ever made than that
no would yet dance in the air at a
ropes enc. a street Arab, with all
the M st aideous defects of elan, eV en-
the tende' ness that 81 tiers generally
felt for the boyish pelts of the drum
corps exenued not 10 him.
The order was given to disIodge
the enemy holding q section OF dense
woods and under brush. The post
ton was very strong and obslructeo
by all the cCntrlvan0es of the eI :
glneer. Three times the brigade
charged up to the jaws of the can
non, and each time was roll d back
like paper shriveIed in he fir !.
Again the officers marsh,l,d them
into the line of attack. A deadly
storm from the yawning hell of ART J.
lery again tore through the bleeding,
broken rank. The last ofsthe coIor
guard, tho fifth man who upresred
the fatal banner within an hour, u en-
went down, shot through the hear !.
II was "a critical moment. The off,
GERS oo' | hardly make them selves
heard in the boiribie din. The line
wavered aud shook, as a wild, ire
pressibIe panic shot through the
near Is thrice charged on those al
p,llug woods with sSch q lavish
waste of life
AT this moment he drum
Gowan rushed forward, seized the
dishonored cOloTs from the ear b, and
facing the regiment, backed toward
the enemy for seve' al rode. The
hero's heart, under all the foul rags
and taters had swathed an buried il
out OF sight, burst through its bonds
aader the Inspiration of that terrible
moment. The gutter snipe. that had
grown ike toad-@tool out of the
Inns of the Five Pins, was trans-
asuiea o aa'U ~1n tne sE Ss 81 hSeSeg
aTu msrtyrdcm shining on his brow :.
ShriIly he shrleked, as be waved the
ponderOus coiors over his head, "FIe
Shame on yes, b'yes would yes der
art the ould flag ?" and the next mo-
meDt umbled in q lit, less heap, liter
ally torn IN two by a she'll. The
Irish regiment gave one frautic y,n
of wrath that sIilled the rafting
fusillades, and swept on with the i'm
peLus of an avalanche. Notbt < hu-
man could endure b fore that tren-
zied onset, and 10 q moment the Cou-
federates wers hurled back in route
and confusion.
The name of young Gowan is carv-
ed in no marble tai l,t. stamped on
no medal of honor, and was mention
ed by but one paper. Yet, 10 the
memory Of all who witnessed that
transcendent out burst of the divine
and heroic through corrupt aud ca
lous crust. it sends a burning thrill
through I'll the nerves at the recurr-
ing thought. Vic'or Hugo could put
in the mouth of Cambronne the fnu''
est of words to express his boundless
despair and rage when oriered to
surrender the shattered fragment OF
the "OId Guard" at Wate' 20; be
could make Gavroche die at the bar
ricades of Paris with a g y laugh
quivering on his shru"ken lips. But
ne never conceived anything more
supremely grand than the death Of
that Irish drummer boy.