The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-05-05
4 REMlRklBLE SOLDIER
An Athlete JUhS Turned his OHGIi
dr0fi0Iis to Good lcrOuHf

HrUftOnS "a GOOd IrcOuM.
Detroit Post and Tribune.
One of the most remarkable privat,
soldiers on either side of the late wal
was Il young man named Tom Kelly
Il private in the Twenty-secont
Michigan infantry. The remarkable
young man began with his build. lie
had arms full hand longer than any
other who could be found. He had
no more backbone than Il snake, anC
could almost tie himself into Il knot
He could tell the date on silver dol
lar held up twenty feet away, and he
could hear every word of a converse
ton in Il common tone of voice across
the street. He could run half Il mile
as fast us any horse could gallop, and
there was Il standing offer of $40 t.
any man who could hold him down
On "a bet of Il box of sardines he once
passed six sentinels within an hour
On another occasion he entered the
colonel's tent and brought away the
officers boots.
When Toms remarkable qualilica
tiOns were discovered he was detailed
us /, scout and spy, and was changed
from one department to another. In
the capacity of u spy he entered
Richmond three times. He entered
Vicksburg and preached a sermon to
the soldiers a week before the sur
render. He was in New Orleans five
days before that city was taken. lie
was man who firmly believed that
he could not be killed by any enemy
and he governed his movements
accordingly.
While under the orders of General
Hancock, Kelly proved OH several oc'
casions that he could see further with
the naked eye than any officer could
with a field glass. If he could get &
place Of cOncealment within fifty fee,
of picket he could catch the coun
tersign. He visited Lookout noun
tain, intending to spike as many OF
the confederate guns as possible
His disguise was that of farmer
who had been driven from home by
the Union forces. The enemy some
how got suspicious of him, and he
was placed in the guardhouse for the
night. There was a sentinel at the
door, and others near by standing
guard over guns and stores, but il
was all the same to Kelly. With III
old tin plate TO use as shovel ant
scoop, he burrowed out at the bach
end of the building, and walked ny
to two pieces of artillery and spiked
both before any alarm was given
When the Sentinels began firing OF
him he ran out of the camp, but be
fore he was clear of it he had beer
fired at fifty times.
Kelly was once captured while
asleep by Missouri guerillas. Wher
he opened his eyes he was surrounded
by five or six men OH foot and other.
in the saddle. 1t was under il tree il
an open field, and he had been tracked
by a dog. AS he rose up at theil
command, he resorted to his wonder
full skill as gymnast. BY lodging
and twisting, and jumping, he got
out of the crowd, pulled Il man of
his saddle. and would have escaped
had not the dog fastened to his leg
He was then put under guard in a log
house with only one room. Two
sentinels sat at the door with revol
verS in their hands, and kept watcl
of his every movement. After an
hour or two Kelly approached as if t.
offer them tobacco, and jumped cleaI
over their heads like deer. He hat
half a mile of open field to cross, and
he crossed it under the fire of score
of muskets and revolvers without
being hit.
During his three years and Il hail
in the service, Kelly captured fifty
two confederates and turned then
over as prisoners. He himself wa:
captured and escaped five times. AZ
a spy he entered more than thirty
confederate camps and forts. Ht
was fired upon at least one thousand
times and yet was never wounded
He said that he would never die by
the hands of an enemy, and hi.
prophecy came true.