Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-11-13
LITTLE POTTER"
THE STORY OF BRAVE SOLDIER AND A
HERDS DEATH.

4 HEhO DkAThs
A short, little, square built. dark
skinned, twinkling-eyed young fellow
was known the regiment over as =" Little
Potter The name came from his trade
before var times, and from the fact that
he was always talking shop and exam
lining clays with the enthusiasm Of ge-
ologist. He had the faculty of becom-
ing interested in anything that any other
man was doing. Standing near the
picket fire, though uncomfortable him.
self, he could always suggest way to
make the coffee boil. and would gather
up splinters and chips and pile them I'M
der or about the little kettle with the
keenest enjoyment, although the kettle
belonged to the most laci'urn man H. the
company. He showed this kindly inter
est in every mans affairs, and of course
was universally liked. In Shiloh, in the
mids; of the second days battle, Little
Potter lef, the company to get water for
himself and several companions. A quick
change Of position, new line-of- battle
formation, took place after his departure,
and Little Potter was seen no more for
several days.
After the rebels retreated he was dis
covered acting as nurse at the brigade
hospital. He couldn't find the regiment
on his return, but found the hospital, and
the division surgeon ordered him on duty
and discovering his excellence as nurse,
would not let him return 10 the company
There was a quarrel between the captain
and the surgeon, the former seeing Little
Potter AS u skulker, and the latter seeing
him as u useful man who had made Il
mistake through no fault Of his own.
The captain reported Potter absent with
out leave, and he was ourt-martialed.
The sentence was that he should forfeit
six months pay. The men Of the com
pany were indignant, but Potter said
nothing. The stoppage of six months
pay told sorely on him, but he weathered
the storm, and came out as serene a.
though he had never been court mar
| tailed.
Much clothing was los, at Shiloh, and
list was made out of clothing lost ia
battle. The sergeant would say: "Well,
Blame, what did you lose at Shiloh ::
Answer: IAN overcoat and knapsack.
What did you lose at Shiloh, Potter :"
With Understandable drollery, Potter said,
with sort Of lisp that was Characters
tic: IL lotht theventy- ght dollarth. y
This was the only reference he made to
the court martial and six months pay
until until the morning of the terrible
Decemb'r 3lst. al Stone River. In the
hurry Of the company formation for bat
tie Little Potter WAS the first man in
place after the orderly, and though the
shor,es, man in the company, held his
place Their. in face OF the rule 10 the con-
,rary. There was sweeping charge.
Ths, company left their dead further to
the front than any other regiment in &C
ton that day. They were cruelty crushed
and relentlessly driven. Little Potter
was giant in doing. He kept his
place next TO the orderly when the COM
pany Was broken. and scattered. With
precision that would under other cir
cumstances have been droll, he formed
on the orderly whenever a charge was
made, and while it was every man for
himself. As he was ramming home
load ball struck him in the fleshy par,
OF the leg, cutting a great cash and tear
ing his clothes. He was advised to 20
to the rear. The reply was: II will
show them who is coward A shot
struck him in the shoulder, and he be-
came deadly pale. Still, with teeth and
right hand. he managed TO load his gun
and fire. Another shot struck him in
the thigh and he fell. He was dragged
to a stump and placed so tina, the raking
fire would not touch him. He crawled
deliberately around and placed himself
so as to face the rebels as the company
gave back IN one of those almost hand
to-hand fights Little Potter kissed his
hand TO the men nearest him and nestled
down with a sigh of relief.
Days afterward the sergeant found
pair of bright eyes glittering from fes,oons
OF white sheets in Il hospital at Murfress-
boro. They belonged to Little Potter,
oken-legged, broken-armed and ban
dsged. de could not move and could
hardly speak. But as the fearful man
bent over him he lisped, We wakthed
them, didn', we :" The rebels found
him braced against stump, punching a,
them with his gun held in one hand Ms
they ran by. He was taken to the hos
pital, and here, day after day, went his
old comrades TO see him. They did
more; they wrote to General Rosecrans,
telling the simple story. The carried the
letter along the red-tape line, from brig.
ade headquarters to division, from divis-
ion to corps, from corps to army head
quarters and returned with an order from
Rosecrans himself directing six months
pay be restored to Little Potter; that all
charges on the record be forthwith erased
and that an order complimenting his gal
lantry be read on dress parade, and that
copy be sent to the man who had be-
hayed SO nobly. The order was read on
dress parade. and the document, with all
its array Of endorsements and old Rosa
letter were carried to Little Potter by
men who could scarcely speak. He
seemed like one TRANSPORTED as one of his
old-time friends read and re-read the or
der and the letter. He held it down to
his eyes so that he could see the red lines