Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-08-31
Fate's Choice.


three of us, as we marched out OF the
little inland village that morning,
with drums beating, flags waving and
men shouting and women weeping
farewell 1t was May, 1861, and we
were going to the front
A month later, when the roll was
called on the heights of Georgetown,
there were only an even hundred in
Company G.. Death had claimed the
three before they had snuffed wars
powder-death-
A month later still, the roll was
called on the morning Of the battle Of
Manassas. Foot-sore, hungry, excit-
ed and anxious, the men answered
~aye," and there were ninety-seven
responses, making just a hundred
with three company officers. Would
we fight? 1 saw our captain look
down our line. There were printers,
lawyers, mechanics, students, farmers
and day laborers in Company g., and
not a man knew what grim war
was.
Down across the meadow, up along
the edge of the wood, and there We
rested and waited until the fight
opened waiting half an hour longer
than that-when came the order to
move. 1t was like dress parade, as
we moved by the left flank down
across the old pasture and into the
edge Of the cloud of powder smoke
floating on the morning air. Only the
mems faces were white and their
eyes anxious, as they caught the
roar of small arms and felt the
ground tremble under the discharge
OF the heavy cannon which was
throwing shot and shell into the hill
side above US.
Down went a company to the edge
of the forest, spread out like a fan,
and the skirmishers were hidden by
smoke. The rattle OF musketry in
creased, they had found targets for
their bullets. Standing in line, we
looked down into the smoke cloud,
trembled little, and then came the
order to march forward. March
marchl and then the smoke hid US,
and we struck the Confederate line
of battle, thrown out in front Of an
earthwork.
Crash crashl roarl The line wav-
cred, fell back, sprang forward again
with cheer, and we were all there
all but those killed or wounded. II
was like a wild dream Forward
retreat-forward-now at the earth
work, now hurled back by the sheet
Of flame, and finally driven back to
stay. A thousand men had been
fighting three thousand, and there
could be but the one result.
The roll was called again at Arling-
ton Heights, and seventy-four men
responded-seventy-four men from
ninety-seven-twen three Of the
rank and file of Company G.. left dead
along the little creek which meander.
past banks of willows, over beds OF
gravel, and around gray old trees
which have felt the blasts of half a
century. We had no wodnded-all
dead-all lying under the smoke
stained leaves of the dark forest. r II
was sad, and yet glorious There
would be thirteen widows in the
little hamlet, and their sons and
brothers would be wept for, but we
had been tried in the balance, and
the Company G. had made the whole
regiment famous. N~
Winter came and war was chained
for a while. When the south winds
blew the frost away the war shook of
its lashings, there were but seventy
men to answer roll call. With muf-
fled drums and arms reversed we
had followed the others to their last
sleep, and they cared not whether il
was war or peace. The Peninsula
campaign was not for us, but the
thunder Of Jackson's cannon as he
swept down on Manassas second
time called us out He was a fail
we the grain--it was no longer q
battle, but slaughter. In the gray
of the morning his columns came
feeling through the woods and ovel
the fields to find us. We heard hin
coming. There was weak brigad,
to oppose ten thousand Confederate
muskets, but if we could hold then
one hour more, help would come
Company G.. went grouping through
| the woods that morning to meet thei