Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-03-24


a small stick that hit the tree at his
side. He jumped as if he was shot,
fumbled upon the ground, then up
and around the tree, in search of his
gun. [ still remained silent to see
what he would do. | saw he was be-
coming terribly excited, and fearing
that be might raise false alarm. L
stepped ont from my cover and spoke
to him [ asked him where his gun
was, and what he had been doing.
He was SO excited, that all he could
say was: Corporal, remember L have
a mother, dear mother, aged,
crippled, and dependent upon me for
all her help. She loves her country
as well as she does her son, and If L
was to die such a disgraceful death
it would Kill her, poor soul-mother.
mother. mother He wept like a
child. and my heart, too, was touched
at what l thought might be a scene.
| knew not hardly what to do. There
stood man guilty of the highest
military crimes, the penalty of which
was death He saw me hesitate for Il
moment. when he broke forth again
in the most pleading terms | ever
heard from the lips of man. He said:
II know | have to die, l knew it be
fore l left home. There was some
thing impressed me L could never
see my poor mothers face again, and,
oh, Corporal, as l have to die, and l
know | will, let me die an honorable
death. 1t will not break my poor
mothers heart then. Oh, just give
me chance, and l will redeem what
| have lost in an hour here; Though l
know l will redeem it, but it will be
at the cost of my life
1 then took the whole matter under
consideration, knowing The exhausted
state of the poor man, his faithful
ness heretofore as soldier, and the
sad consequences that would follow
if l reported him; so l gave him back
his gun, with many words of pre-
caution in the future, and left him.
Next morning. just at the break OF
| day, we were relieved from the picket
line, but not without the Rebels dis
covering how near we had been
posted to them through the night.
As we were drawn off random fire
sprung up, and our boys took as lively
an interest in it, as any of the rest.
1 noticed that my friend Ennis was
very reckless in exposing himself, and
l spoke to him to be more cautious,
but he insisted it was all the same to
him, for his fate was sealed anyhow.
| NY regiment was allowed to retire
to the rear of the lines and rest.
This we enjoyed mostly all day by
sleeping. In the afternoon the mail
was brought in. and amongst it was a
package of clothing for Ennis.
About dark Ennis called me aside
and said he had got such nice pres
ent from home-a gingham shirt, and
how nice it was in comparison to our
flannel army ones. That his mother
had made and sent it, and SO it was
doubly dear to him. Il have put it
on" said he, ''and | know it to he my
last. and when fall want to have
it on and to be buried in it, for it is
the last thing poor mothers hands
will make for me-" | attempted to
laugh him out of such a foolish idea,
as a presentiment of that kind, but
after all he would still insist that he
had to die, and he wanted it to be
manfully for his country. Next
morning, June 20, we We're ordered
out to the front for duty. No man
went more cheerfully than Ennis did.
The regiment was placed on the
skirmish line or picket line. hardly
know what to call it. We took posi-
ton in an open woods, directly in
front, and not over 800 yards from the
Rebel works. The men were de
ployed about 10 feet apart, and each
man was ordered to screen himself
behind any object that he could find
- tree, log, stump or anything else.
The men were then ordered to open
a random fire up the woods towards
the Rebel works, and to keep it up all
the time. In the absence of the Ord
nance Sergeant, | was ordered by
the Colonel to take the musicians and
keep the men along the line supplied
with ammunition. AS the amount
used that day was 200 rounds to the
man, the fire was kept hot all day,
and 1 think we received as many as
we sent. The point at which Ennis
and another soldier was stationed was
an open glade, rod wide or more,
and they, not having any object to
hide behind for protection, SO they
pulled off their knapsacks and used
them. Behind these the two men
were lying on the ground. They
would turn on their sides or back and
load without raising their bodies from
the ground. Every time l passed
him, or stopped to throw him bun
die of cartridges, he would turn his
face towards me, and l could see there
was a smile upon his countenance
which said, II will redeem myself to-
day."
He did. poor fellow! but it was
with his life--true as he said. The
shots in the afternoon were flying
thicker than usual around our heads,
and in passing along the line in dis
tributing ammunition, l had to run
from tree to tree, and then throw the
cartridges to the boys on the line.
Ennis and his man were still occupy
ing their old position, and at time
when there was ram of bullets com
ing out of the woods from the Rebel
works, Ennis's partner thinking prob
ably that the Rebels might be coming