The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-09
jim sHfNffa
AZ First he Dida'i seem d. sunt 60 Mueh
but he Came Ont very strong at the Last,

weight to the saying. A comrado might be
known az n Jolly. gOod-natured fellow at home,
bu, his whole nature would change in a week
whom you had him whore the real manhoo and
worth Of a man came to the surface. or where
misorably mean spirit took tho place Of 1t. and
Disguised you with him. A comrade who sh AIRED
his last cracker. performed his full share Of
camp and field work stood Ivy you in sickness
ana divided clothing with you in health-such
nun was moro To you than all the brothers nj
mo Nv, hlu ms iiVeu 70 como Out o. the war has
ny pevn lorgotten. The hriny ts the place
where man can he meaner than dirt and ug.
ilrr than wolf. and yet retain his place In the
and receive no reward except the gratitude Of
Now never saw n menner private soldier o,
more sulky and morose tent mate than luck
gave me in the winter Of lSG4-6. He came
down In the fall to US recruit having enlisted
for the big bounty. and at the time the old yeta
who mad laced shot and shell for several years
qsh. who had pocke,ed $500 or 5000 and came
down to spend the winter in n wnrm hut Some
OF ;he recruits realized this. and by their good
nature and pleasant ways soon binisheh the
feeling 80 far rs they wcro concerned. Others
wcre nsttled and indignant. and were, not, in:
one sinRie camp duty because OF the arrival OF
Fate or luck sent me Jim shanks" for tent
mate. Hs was Jim some one ose. but the nick
name was very appropriate, He was logged
and sullrn from the fret. and we hadn't known
Zach other more than two hours before we had
aqunrrel. Next day we fought ngain, and after
that we did not exchange word for four weeks,
When found how mean he WAS. and that kind
words. kind Wishes. and friendly interest would
not touch him. let him alone as far as could.
and cUntented myself with knowing that every
other menlper oil Company hated him az
much as I did.
one night band Of twenty-five mon moved
valley. then held by Mos6y. and luck placed jim
Shanks alongside Of me. He was selected by
accident. il being the intention to take better
man. but he was there Just the same. silent, sui.
len ana ready to elbow or bayonet any one who
aa9Iclde9tally brushed him. That night. as we
IN whispers l saw Jim In front OF me. and
whispered TO myself:
Jim Shanks. If you don't get killed down
out Of the army n year ~
just in the gray OF tho morning and when
within mile OF Union Town Jim Shanks and
| were sent forward 10 reconnOitar. | would
sooner have gone alone and ten times sooner
MAJ the company of any one else. but luck do
cded IT, We said not word. | watched jim
and saw that he was ns cool rs an old soldier.
ing on MOsby's headquarters hut no stepped
o osut boldly and with no change ia his demeanor.
when we had nearly rHah hed the church, stanl-
ing on the hill above the town and facing the
ROAD leading away 10 IeesburR, ] halted. know
ing ing that a picket must be near, had not OK;
changed word with Jim Tor days. but nOwI
whispered to him that VIZ must proceed with
." II You are tired sit down in the mud"
growed, strding along, and inter a minutet
followed him, both of us walking on the side Of
the highway, knew he would soon strike the
picket. but II was either follow Jim or turn
back. suddenly. and without a word. 1--WE or
s1 men ib rose IN our path path, h9d barely dis
another tripped me down while third Rrowled
OUT,
IL You make any fuss. youll get bulle,
sbo 5iaa Pr9EGse to make v any fuss but Jim
We're brushed IN like flies. and. whirling his
.arhine around his head, he cleared path for
himself and was lost III the darkness. More
than dozen shots were fred nftrr him. and
being interccpte on his retreat down tho road
he nude for the church on the hill. Before hs
reached II there were a score Of enemies about
MIN. AMI the reports of the carbines sounded
more Ike a brisk skirmish than II conf ct with
single soldier. and raw recruit at that
could not have told whether ii was q church or
other building IN the darkness. Falling TO get
IN. ne found retreat under the front stems. and
IA the darkness the Coniederates believed that
he had escaped altogeter. They however.
and II would not have been possible for Jim
Shanks 10 regain the road by which he had
come.
Had tho rast OF tho oosa.~ra moved up %.
hearing the row, there might have been a show
by the time the soldiers hal given up the
, ssaIc9 iot u e our comrades were on the back
picket post because Mosby's Li@atsHan a. was a
there. and because he hoped to bride or Brighten
me into furnishing him Information Of value
| was, therefore. in position To sac the result OF
jim Shanks work, single handed and alone
Whom he broke away he disabled one man bya
ono and wounded two others Wounded ard
dead were brought to the picket post and saw
but Tor the fear Of an attack by our force. whose
strength they did not know, believe they would
have hung me up in their first rage
II was the guerrilla eheitun's last dash into
tho beautiful valley, He was gathering forage
aud hurryng II back TO Lees lines. and many
farmers were robbed OF their last horse and
their last ear OF corn. In three days more thaY
would hive been out Of the valley entirely. Al
tho iirst signs Of daylight. and when the old
church on the hill was hardly visible through
thr gray OF ihe morning. came bullet which
bored Il soldier through and through and
edfopped him dead IN his TRACKS. II was from
the carhine OF Jim Shanks. Hiding under tha
steps. he had only waited sfor daylight to
open tho Hight anew not waiting TO he
hunted out and captured All was ex-
Gllemenl In an instant and as soon ne
rias ssattsrcd HnI or 'rsii' 'hs skitsm asg6,
line. The ire of this line WIS concentrated on
line OF battle. Tie llring had lust b,gun when
one OF the skirmishcrs fell away from n stumu
with bullet IN MS head In three minutes an
hud iorty rounds OF ammunition, and he fired
SLOWLY and with precision could see splinters
~ from me Steps every tlms ball struck and
through the boards For long twenty minutes
Jun held that skirmish line OF thirty-nye men
NJ bay, killing tr"e and wounling two.
counted his shots and he fired Just twenty one
reinforcement Of about twenty mounted
mon nna'ly came M, and h { hing horses under
cover OF the hill. the men took the skrmish
line. just ~ the lining hogan anew Jim Shanks
down the road. Every sklrmishrr rose up, and
there must have been at least one hundred bull
let's ired at tho running man in the next min
ute saw thcm plough up the earth all around
MN. and one OF them sent his cap saiilig INTO
lte air. As 10 ct in line with the horses tho
Nr" slA 'kcnrd while TIA" men saw his plan and
rushed forward. Jim WAS IN no hurry. Rest-
NIX his cHrbiur over saddle, he wounded an
olN'f ol his putSurrs and n seemed "A full min
VI" peiorp no mounted and rode of toward
L'rhhurg. There WAS rush for the horses
and away lhey Galioped after the recruit. firing
as they rode.
Tho strange luck that had stood by Jim
Shanks in his fight might have aided him 10
escape mad he sch'vted better horse. After
Eal.op OF hall AN hour he found his pursuers
Ehinlng, and in trying to get into the fields his
MORSE ltll. rolled over TIE poor fellow, and thu
luisu"lS lound ann dead when they rode up
ms cothlng was larry riddlcd with bullets
ana yet his flesh had not been scratched. The
churfh steps were IA iuil OF holes AS u coan.
GER ana about the same distance apart and YET
jim wds not wounded. Mean-sp.rItcl. oh.
Stinhte and logged rs q tent mutH he had this
COURAGE II non and tho gallRntry OF knight
ana tho llrst and last gray" ever dug tor
l nion soldier by MusDy's men was followed
1ut Tor recruit VINO had never boon AZ tho
front. NJ Quad
The Theory OF the Identity of Comets and
MetsOrs.
The theory of the Identity of comets and