The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-14
GLORY WON BY ACCIDENT.
How . Southern Private Came to
Lead a Charge.
New York SUM

- We were mounted infantry and a par
Of General John Morgan's comman,
"A from Kentucky. The Yankees callet
y us Morgan's horse-theives, while the i'm
y habitants of the mountain districts O
- East Tennessee would ask, when the,
y met a squad of us in bridle.path
- "Does youens belong to Mister Morgan
], critter-back company
!, In the spring of 1884 Morgan's com
= mand had Just come upfrom South Car
: !, olina. and had gone into camp at Abing
: don, Va, when word came that General
: Crook, the present Indian-fghting hero
/, with General Averill, was moving with
n heavy force on Wytheviile. We took
up our line of march for that town, and
right we'll do / remember the happy
S faces of the old men, the women and
9 children who lined the curbstones Of
+ the principal street as we rode our
5 horses by fours in a triumphal entry
style before the admiring gaze of these
: non-combatants. There were no able
bodied men in Southern towns in those
days. On the opposite side of the town,
in q beautiful woodland pasture, we
went into camp Most of our horses
were turned loose to graZe while the
men were busy building dog houses
to sleep in, or hunting wood and
water. A sudden change came over the
camp.
The clear notes Of bugle rang ont the
familiar but now ominous order, Saddle
up your horses" Nearly 800 men were
instantly on their feet, the officers shout
ing Saddle up! saddle upl" and the
men calling to one another "Bill, have
you seen my mare" "Bring that bride
back here" "Where is my blanket"
and all the other hubbub of a hurried
departure. But here and there could
be seen the cool old soldier deliberately
folding the blanket that answered for
both saddle and sleeping purposes,
smoothing out every wrinkle so as not
to hurt the horses back, placing il with
great precision high up on the withers,
setting the old "Texas tree" carefully
over it, and drawing deft knot in the
belly band such as only an old hand can
make He mounts with the ease and
grace born of four years daily practice
in the saddle, and gets into line long
before his fussy messmate.
| We were soon all in line and the or
ders followed in quick succession. "By
twos right into line" March," "Trot,'
'Gallop," and away we went at double
quick to Crocket's cave, four miles away.
It was hot ride, and Just before reach
| ing the cave we turned abruptly to the
left through a pair of bars. General
Morgan stood in the road and shouted,
"Close up, men" as we galloped by him.
1t was evident we were making n flank
movement on the enemy, and now could
| be heard those first sad sounds To the
| -
| from the distant skirmishers. To NY
taste there is nothing so gloriously ex-
hiIarating as the hurly-burly of brisk
| fight-the rapid orders, the rattle OF
small arms, the boom OF the big guns,
the wild shout and rush of the charge.
All sense of fear is lost, and nothing is
thought of but winning glorious vic
tory. But these first picket shots make
you realize that there is death in the
air, and you think of home, and perhaps
of religion, if you've got any.
Fortunately for us there was not
much time for indulging in these
gloomy thoughts. We were soon in
1line of fight" as we always called
it, and Colonel Bowles rode out in
front of us and at the top of his
voice, shouted: "Now, boys, if you want
to give 'em the belly-ache, shoot at their
knees" We dismounted and rapidly
moved forward, taking shelter behind
rail fence. The firing was rapid, but
the distance, some 500 yards, too great
to do much execution. Some one soon
raised our old yell: "Look out for Nor
gan's men," everybody went over the
fence, and, to my surprise, the enemy's
skirmish line began to fall back. Itn0w
became a running fight and kept so un-
til about 5 o'clock in the afternoon,
when our line brought up against stake
and-rider fence. The enemy was equal
ly well posted on the brow Of the oppo-
site hill. The ground, dipped between
the two lines of bottle and a creek lined
with alder bushes, ran through the lit
tie valley about equi-distant between
us. The enemy had made "field hos
pital" near and on our side Of the creek,
and as we lay behind the fenco We could
see number of dead horses and some
men with clean white haversaeks on
them.
These haversacks were small bags and
became very much interested in them.
We had not had mOuthful of coffee for
more than four months, and turning 20
the soldier by my side j remarked,
"Thompson, do you see those hayersacks
down thereT A smile crept over his
face as he replied that he did.
"Tll bet you they are filled with cOf-
fee said l. "You hear all these bullets
going down over our heads2 Now, if
we skirt along that fence that crosses
that creek, we can slip out and lie down
behind those horses, be safe and get
some coffee"
"AIl right" he said, "if you'll start,
I'll follow"
No quicker said than done Over the
fence / went, with Thompson after me
Just before we reached the creek, out
from behind the dense alders marched
obliquely regiment Of the enemy.
When half way up the hill, and just be-
fore we reached the horses, they gave us
a voIley. / sat down with about six
inches of bone shot out Of my leg.
Thompson's right arm was taken off the
next day.
''Buck" Smith was hit in the head and
heel and was spinning around in the
dust in death struggle while was rap
| idly crawling into a fence corner. Sew
eral others were hurt at the same time,
but never had an opportunity to in
quire who they were, and for the time
! being was thunderstruck to know how
they got there. That night four soldiers
stumbled over me on the rough ground.
They took me in q blanket to Farmer
Crocketts house, which was literally
| filled with wounded men.
On the next morning General Nor
gan made a hasty visit to this field
! hospital. / was we'll acquainted with
! him, and when he came to the bench
that lay on he took me warmly by the
hand.
"Hardin,p said he, "that was a mag.
nifcent charge you led yesterday"
l looked at him in blank amazement,
but | was too good a soldier to deny the
statement of my superior officer In
thinking over the matter ! remembered
there was a rush Of men past me just
after / was shot, and on inquiry |
learned that when Thompson and went
over the fence the rest Of the command
followed like q flock of sheep, and did
not stop until darkness made an end to
the fight. was afterward sold by
staff officer that the general had re-
marked that he intended making lieu
tenant Of me on my return to the com
mand; but, alas the war was over pc
fore got of my crutchez ana the gen
, eral and many Of my old mesama.es
/ sieep ~ soldier graves, while, among the
!. lmvriad surviving generals colonies,
4 nsiora caDtains, and lieutenanis ot the
Tsosfederaey. / feel lonely as about the
cnlv soldier 81 that side who bore gun.
Ts 1on---
AZ Illinois girls heart i located on
tbe right side, and al the medical
faculty Of the region arc puzzled about
lfit Her "bost younE man I ne oI-
-- - t1+ E.I3I .r4a 81. ||I. .'.NI