The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-06-20
NUMBER %.
MAJOR GENERAL SHIELDS.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A BRAVE
SOLDIER-AN INTERESTING AND
REMARKABLE CAREER.

The late General James Shields was
one of the most gallant soldiers who ever
/ lived. He was absolutely devoid of the
sensation of fear and to storm a fortress
or lead a charge was merely a diversion
for his OverfiOwing spirits. While he
was yet a young man, and was Auditor
| General of the State of Illinois, he chal-
lenged Abraham Lincoln to fight duel,
on the presumption that Mr.. Lincoln
w IS the author of letter abusive of
General Shields which had been publish
ed in the Springfield Journal. The chal-
lenge was accepted by Lincoln. and shot
guns at forty PAGES were chosen as the
weapons. Before the duel could be
fought, however, the editor certified that
Mr.. Lincoln was not the writer of the
( letter in which among other things
Shields was spoken of as a dandy who
went flOatin' about the air without heft
or earthly substance, just like a lot of
cat-fur whar cats had been fightin''' -
/ Shields then challenged the editor, but
the journalist. while he refused to give
! his author, declined to fight and publish
/ ed an answer from "Aunt Becca''-the
author of the Objectionable letter. The
/ answer closed thus:
IF this should not answer. there is
one thing more l would rather do than
/ take a lickin' 1 have all along expect
/ ed to die a widow. but as Mr.. :. is rather
/ gOod-loOking than otherwise. l must say
/ l don't care if we compromise the mat
/ ter by-really. Mr.. Printer | can't help
/ blushin'-b -but-I-it must come out
but widowed mOdesty-well. if must
/ / muSt-wOuldn't he-maybe sOrteT. let
/ old grudge drap if was to consent to be
/ I-be-h-i-S wife | know he is a
| fghtin' man and would rather fight than
/ eat; but isn't maTTyin' better than
| fghtin' though ii does sometimes run
/ into it -? And ] don't think upon the
whole I'd be such bad match neither:
/ I'm not over sixty. and am just four feet
/ three in my bare feet, and not much
more round the girth; and for color, |
wouldn't turn my back to nary a gal in
4 the Lost Townships. But, after all.
maybe I'm countin' my chickens before
/ they're Matched, and dTeamin' of matri-
mOnial bliss when the only alternative
/ reserved for me may be a lickin'. jeff
tells me the way these fiTe-eaters do is to
give the challenged party choice of
weapons etc. which bein' the case. III
tell YOU in confidence tLat | never fight
with anything but brOOmsticks or hot
water or a shoyelful of Goals or some
such thing. the former Of which. being
somewhat a shillalah. may not be so very
.
choice. however. in one thing. and that
is. when we fight l shall wear breeches
or he petticoats- for presume the change
Is sufficient to place us on on equality. -
In Mexico General Shields was for
some time Military Governor of Tampi-
co, but rejoining his command in the
spring of 1S47. he assisted at the reduc-
tion Of Vera Cruz, and was commended
for good conduct by his division COM
. -. L
General Scott. March 30, 1917. On the
18th of March Shields brigade, composed
of New York and Illinois volunteers.
and of the South Carolina Palmetto
regiment. halted at the foot of CerrO
GOrdO. The engineers. who had brought
up three guns to be placed on a precipi-
tOuS height for use in the coming battle.
were overtaken by the nightfall and
about to abandon the undertaking as
hopeless. when Shields sent five hundred
New York and South Carolina men m-
der Major Harris to attempt the feat.
. To the general surprise they got the
guns up, and next day the battery did
effective service Early in the morning
Shields brigade had orders to advance
across rugged broken ground, attack the
Mexican reserve. under Santa Anna. and
seize the Jalapa road, III oIder to cut off
his retreat to the Capital. The attack
was so sudden and unexpected that Santa
Anna had hardly time to escape into the
woods. leaving his carriage, baggage.
money and plate in the hands of the vol
mteerS. and the whole medical staff of
the Mexican army were surrounded and
captured. a few minutes later Shields
was struck down while leading his troops.
big copper grapeShot passing through
his lungs. His soldiers halted to attend
to their idolized commander. but he said
/ to them Men. | am of no further
use to my country. You are. Lay me
down and let me die. / might as well
/ die here as be taken of to die. NOu are
all strong, able-bodied men. able to do
/ your country some service. For Gods
sake lay me down and go to Your duty,''
/ But he was not fated to die then. One
of the captured Mexican surgeons drew
a silk handkerchief through the wound
the silk went i'm at the breast and came
out at the back-aad cleaused it of clOt-
I ted gore. and. thanks to a splendid con-
StitutiOn and careful nursing. Shields
I recovered. He was brevetted Major
! General of Volunteers, and both Twiggs
. and Scott eulOgiZed him in their reports.
the latter as a commander of activity
( zeal and talent. -Four months later lie
was in the field, and August 20. 1S47.
fought at COntreraS and CheTubusco
J ltdlill2 Ill llt IdtAtI btODuN encounter
the famous charge of the-Palmetto and
New York regiments. 400 against 4. 600.
fighting till Worth came up with REIN
forcements. Gen. Quitman, Shields di-
vision commander. highly eulogized him
for his distinguished conduct
While the American army lay before
the City of Mexico Shields performed
one Characteristic deed. recital of which
reads like a chapter from a medieval
romance. An English boy, arrested IS
a SPY, obtained aprivate audience of the
General and told him that a Mexican
desperate had sought his sisters hand.
and being refused had threatened ven
geance and obtained from Santa Anna
the control of that part of the city in
which the boys father, mother and two
sisters lived. and hired "a gang of villains
who were to pluudeT the house, keep the
booty and deliver the girls to this MeXi-
, can. Properly disguised. the boy had
entered the American ranks to beSeech
T. assistance of General Shields. whose
: fame was known in the enemy S ranks
There was little time for debate. and rs
it was certain that General Scott would
= refuse to sanction any plan for attempt
ing a rescue, Shields got together 40i
volunteers and dashed at the walls. The
| Americans went over them with fierce
! rush, bayoneted the few scntries. tool
{ the English girls and their parents ant
: started back for the American lines. 4
Mexican infantry regiment which ha,
/ been turned ont 10 stop them. was scat