The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-07-30
4 WAR RENINISCENm
How Private Nash Surrounded and Capt
ured Eleven Rehe1s.

How Private Nash Surrounded ana Can't
ured Eleven Rebels.
It was along in the afternoon, OF
! Wednesday, Nov. %, 1853, that on,
boys were massed in front of Missio,
Ridge. The day was like most of thu
autumn days in that country, pleasant
chilly, but not too cold for comfort
The Fifty-seventh Indiana, of which
regiment the writer was a member, wa:
located at the foot of the Ridge, where
the rebels had thrown up a slight earth.
work, som thing in the nature of a rife
pit.
The engagement had been raging
since the morning of the Monday pre-
v;ous, and the reoels had been slowly
forced from their position. About 3
o'clock a grist Of nail was dist ributed
to the Fifty-seventh Regiment. and as
til 8 was the first mail that had been re-
ceivel for over six weeks most every
one got SOM word from home. There
was one exception, though. Private
William Nash. of Company /, looked
respondent when his name was not
called, and be Wa, observed to fix his
bayonet AMI quietly walk over to the
foot Of the Ridge; e-er. one who saw
him remarked that he would certainly
be killed. In a few II nCes he was cen
returning driving before him a number
of Johnnies. When he got back to the
company we found that he had ten men
and a lieutenant that he claimed lie had
surrounded. He took his catch" to
the Prov, st Marshal. got a receipt for
them, and was back with the regiment
in time to assist in storming the Ridge,
which we occupied that night.
At the last reunion of the Fiftv-sev-
enth Nash was called on to tell how he
surrounded eleven prisoners" and he
We'll. there amt much to tell; vou
see the mail came into camp that after
nooI, and every man in my company
got a letter, some of them two or three.
did not get any, and, not having heard
from home for nearly three months, l
felt down in the mouth, and said to my
self that I didn't care a d--n what
of me- So l fixed the bavonet
IN my musket and went over to the foot
the bluff, where a breastwork had
oeen thrown up by the rebels. I went
Up to the rise in the ground and peeped
'ver, and saw a parcel of me- a d an
':ficer, brought my gun to a charge,
umped over the rampant, and yelled,
Get out of here, you ID rebels
Lieutenant presented his sword
nd said, we surrende..' I ordered
he men to throw down their arms and
larch owe the rampant, which they
d. From there I mar he'd 'em back
} the Captain of my company. Capt.
ummers, who, when he learned that
had brought them all in alone, sent
le to Col. Lennerd, who sent me to the
rovost Marshal in the rear. l turned
he squad owe to the Provost Marshal,
king his receipt for 'em, which l still
I'D. The Lieutenant pres ,nted me
it'll his sword. When I returned to ,
& regiment we went up and camped F.,
the top of the Ridge. The rebels !
ID thirty-two pie; es Of heavy artillery 8
ere that morning. but we moved 'em {
d camped on the spot" =
Here is a copy OF the rec' ipt that
ash values so highly: =
Ha,DHE iHrEnS DEPT. C.MBER:ASD, @
C~IiTTA S0G;s, Nov. 3, lsb'. y
Received of VILLAIN A. Nash. pri az Com
ny /, Il'ty-s ryenth Ind ana vo' untecrs.
v0n Prisoners of war, incIu1ing one lieu
'ant, Thomas i. Shipman, SiAticth North
rolina, VINO in my presence pre>entel pri- J
-e n sh with Lis sworl as a cater. g
ELIAS C.>rEi, Captain and A.. p. VI. Y
For his gallant conduct on this occa- &
II Nash was offered a commission as n
otain, hnt he firmly declined to &C. n
it. He vas made sergeant, retain d
that position till the final muster 81
in the fall of 1850. He o resides b
the Bluff read, nc.r CeGtcr Church, d
ne three or four miles south of Indi- n
lpolis.-MIinun Phnyn nrist. o.