The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-12-04
PROM PRIVATE To CAPTAIN.
An ineident OF the Late Civil War
showing what n True Man
May Accomplish.

oucc u week, tndl the soldier WIG hac
anything Of the heroic in his nature
was offered a chance TO develop it
Men stepped from the ranks int
shoulder straps at one stride, and the
case to be related was only one in .
hundred. We were the rear guard
We had fought the enemy at Malvern
Hill and checked him, but the army
dared not halt. Under the v Of
darkness the long trains and the bat.
tered and disheartened lines resumed
their march towards White House
Landing and the cover Of the gun-boats.
Dead and wounded were left on the
field, and over the swamp roads, deer
with mire and mud, plunged wagon
and gun and caisson and ambulance.
followed by men whose eyes closed in
sleep even as they walked. The rear
guar1 had work on hand. Close on
our heels came fresh troops who had
orders TO ride US down-cut us TO pieces
-trample us in the mire-get rid OF
us that they nigh. reach the army be-
yond. They followed us on the road,
and they followed on both sides OF us in
the woods. There was hardly a minute
during that long night that the guns
were silent. Men fell dead In the mlre
and were left TO sink out of sight. Men
fell wounded in the bushes and were
not given a second look. When one
fle OF men had been shot away in the
e a guard another took its place, and
so the long murderous night wore away
and the blessed daylight came. Day
light was not TO end the pursuit or make
wounds less horrible or rob death of its
ghastliness. Yet, it was a relief. Just
at sunrise we had n respite. The enemy
was closing up topush us with a deter
mined onslaught. Our men were
marching at will, detected, Respondent,
sullen and ferocious. ] could not see
an officer anywhere up the road. !
could look over a thousand men, but
not so much as the bar Of a second
lieutenant was among them. Where
had all the officers gone tor Some
were dead in the road and bushes miles
away, but death had not claimed all.
Here was an entire regiment without
an officer TO command. We had made
a dozen stands since midnight, but no
one remembered to have seen an officer.
Men had halted, bout faced and
dressed lines like machines, and when
the pursuit was checked we had toiled
on again. We struck n terrible slough
extending across the road. Five pieces
out Of six in a battery had been aban-
doned there with everything belonging
except the horses. Scores Of men sur
rounded each gun and caisson and
lifted them out of the mire and dragged
them to a clay hill beyond. On the
crest of this hill the five guns were
planted and 500 men deploycd right in
support. Fresh cartridges were served
out, a supply of hard tack came down
the line and we were resting and eat
ing and wondering what general was
in command, when "a private soldier,
face black with powder, uniform cov-
cred with mud. and lis left arm in a
sling and covered with blood, mounted
a gun before us and said: boys, we
are going TO stop right here and give
'em h-ll. they can't flank us and
they can't ride yer us rs long as we
have q shot left. Let's show little
Mac how we can fight without shoulder
straps to boss u.s. lie was only 4 pri-
vate soldier-a man from the ranks
whom no one would suspect Of having
anything heroic in his composition =
yet 1t was under his orders we had saved
the battery-he had planted it, he had
deployed us in support-he had picked
up ammunition to serve us. We had
rested for twenty minutes when the
head of the pursuing column appeared.
We had the key Of the road for three
miles. They came on with a yell, the
road lacked with them, and our battery
opened. Men were never cooler. AL
most like clockwork were the guns
served and in ten minutes we had
cleared the road. Then they brought
up two batteries and for half an houl
live guns fought twelve. When oui
fire slackened by order of that sam,
private soldier, the enemy came on will
n rush. When they reached the slough
500 muskets blazed into them and the
battery opened with grape and no MAJ
lived to cross i. We were cheering
and yelling, when an aide came up be
hind us and shouted:
"Where is the general in commando
"IIere lam," replied the private, n
he stepped out.
"You are directed TO fall back beyond
the Hickory road, where We are mas
sing for pattle," shouted the aide rs III
dashed away.
We could have held that position
against 10000 men, but our general
obeyed orders. 1t was n better roa'
now, and as We retrcated We dragge'
the guns with us. We had not reaches
the Hickory road when u dozen officer
were with us, coming from no on
could say where, Int they could not rol
our brave private al his glory. Befor
we had passed the battle line Gen. Nc