The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-07-14
How ban Took a Prisoner on the Fourth of
July.
Philadelphia Sunday Times.I


How Dan Took Prisoner ON the Fourth of
July.
philadelphia Sunday Times,l
1t was morning Of the Fourth day of July.
"But which Fourth of July2" asks Tom,
for Tom remembers that there have been
one hundred and four good days of that name
since the old bel rang out its glad tidings
from Independence Hall.
1t wasthe very darkest Fourth ever known.
Did it rain on that Fourth? Yes, but the
people were not troubled by the ram. They
were troubled in another way.
It was the morning of the eighty-seventh
Fourth of July-the one that came in the
year 1868. As little Dan Hargreave rubbed
his eyes open that morning he could see
streak of gray light in the east. Dams body
was wedged in between two stones. A bit
of moss on one of the stones had been his
pillow and his bed for the night had been
very hard one, indeed,
"I'm wet to the skim" said Dan. ain fact,
really believe my face is clean for the
first time in three days"
Dan drew q little looking-glass from his
pocket and held il before his nose. He saw
that the burnt powder and dirt had been
washed off by the rain. Dan got up and
walked little way from his bed. He was
searching for some one who would give him
cracker. He soon came upon a man stretched
out at the roots Of u tree. Dan punched the
man.
sGet up" said Dan, "it's daylight and the
Fourth of July"
There was no answer; the man did not
move. Dan put his hand down and felt of
the mans body, which was cold.
"Poor fellow p said Dan, "he'll sleep a long,
long time.
~ 100 . J-,,,,,,,,ar hox- and he vvos on
Culp's Hill, which is part of the battle
field at the town of Gettysburg, beyond the
river Susquehanna, in this State. All around
Dan were sleeping soldiers. The soldiers
were very tired. They had marched hard
for several days and they had fought for
three days. The battle had begun on July
l, and had been waged throughout the sec
ond and the third, and would it be kept up
on the Fourth? Dan didn't know. He left
the cold, silent man and walked down the
hill. By-and-by he saw soldier standing
upright with his back to tree.
'.Hallo!" said Dan, 'it's the Fourth, isn't
it? Got a cracker?"
The soldier knew Dan and loved him as
much as if he had been son. He told Dan
to STEEL in there" pointing to pocket in
his coat. Dan got handful of crackers.
''I'm Just going down to that spring L saw
"You Oughtn't to CO." replied the soldier,
who was on guard, 'the Rebs might get
you"
s'The springs IN our lines" said the boy,
"and want some water for my coffee
And so the little soldier stepped quietly
with soft tread down the hill. He munched
his crackers as he went. They were real
crackers-biscuit crackers, not fre,crackers.
The oak and chestnut trees stood all round.
The grass that grew between the big rocks
was wet Sometimes Dan had to climb
over fallen tree. for great balls of iron had
Kissed through the tree-tops on the morning
of the day before and thousands Of fierce lit
tie bullets had hidden themselves under the
bark of the trunks of tn trees. The spring
of water was down in abit of valley. 1t is
there to this day and the writer of this saw it
once and drank sweet, cool water from it, using
for a cup part Of a broken shell. Dan reached
the spring and took drink Everything
was STILL Everything was still. Dan dip
ped his tin bucket in and was about to re-
turn when he heard a groan. Dan listened.
"Oh, mother, motherl" cried voice from
the rocks near BY. "Oh, rain, rain, fall on
my tonguel"
s'That's boyl' Dan exclaimed, ''and 1
do believe he's Reb''
Dan crawled towards the pile Of rocks. As
he drew near the place where the sufferer
was he raised his head and peered over. He
saw boy lying fat on his back. The boy
was raggad and by his side was drum.
"He's Reb," said Dan to himself, "but
he's wounded and its the Fourth and I'll help
him."
Then Dan walked boldly up to the wound
ed boy.
ais that mother7" asked the wounded
boy.
'You can't see, can your" said Dan; 'your
eyes are full of dirt and blood. Take a
drink; there, that's right. Where are you
hurt?'
ats bullet in my knee" said the boy;
Tiny neck is hurt, too. Are We YankF
eyes, I'm Yank, but III tend to you.
You've been here good while2" The boy
groaned and said that he had been wounded
the morning before. His name was Thump
that's what the soldiers called him. "Little
Thump"-and his mother lived in Georgia
Dan washed Thump's face. He went back
up the hill, made some coffee-strong, black
coffee, without sugar or cream-and gave
Thump drink.
"Don't go to sleep" said Dan, 81 want you
to surrender
"Who's licked?' asked the boy; "ohl my
leg, my legP
"We've licked, 1 guess" Dan replied
s'anyhow, / think Ill take you to the hos
pitai. You don't want to die here. know
Dan got down on his all-fours and ThumI
crawled up on Dams back. Thump groaned
for his leg panied him whenever he moved
Dan asked Thump if he could hold on and
Thump said he'd try. Dan moved slowly
up the hill with Thump's arms around hi
pack Evarv noxv and then the Yankee no,