The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-11
GRANTS FIRST BATTLE.
The Hero's Experience at Beimopt-FSe
Acknowledges Il Lack of Moral Cour-

The Hero's Experience at BeImont-Ee
Acknowledges Lack of Moral Cour-
age.
Gas soon as the enemy saw us
speaking of his first battle in the civil
war; they decamped as fast as their
horses would carry them. kept my
men in the ranks and forbade them en-
tering any of the deserted houses, or
taking anything from them. We halted
at night on the road, and proceeded the
next morning at an early hour Harris
had been encamped in creek bottom
for the sake of being near water The
hills on either side of the creek extend
to considerable height, possibly more
than one hundred feet.
''As we approached the brow of the
hill, from which it was expected we
could see Harris camp and possibly find
his men ready formed to meet US. my
heart kept getting higher and higher,
until it felt to me as though it was in
my throat. | would have given any
thing to have been back in Illinois, but
| had not the moral courage to halt and
consider what TO do. | kept right on.
When we reached a point from which
the valley below was in full view [
halted. The place where Harris had
been encamped few days before was
still there, and the marks Of a recent
encampment We're plainly visible, but
the troops were gone. My heart re-
sumed its place 1t occurred to me at
once that Harris had been us much
afraid of me Us had been of him. This
was Il view of the question | had never
taken before, but it was one | never
forgot afterward. From that event to
the close of the war Inevcr experienced
trepidation upon confronting an enemy.
AT the battle of Belmont, fearing
that the enemy we had seen crossing
the river below might be coming on us
unawarcs. | rode out in the field to our
front, still entirely alone, to observe
whether the enemy was passing. The
field was grown up with corn 50 tall and
thick as to cut off the view Of even a
person on horseback, except directly
along the rows. Even in that direction,
owing to the oycrhanging blades of corn,
the view was not extensive. | had not
gone more than few hundred wards,
when | saw Il body of troops marching
past me, not fifty yards away. | looked
at them for a moment, and then turned
my horse toward the river and started
back, first in walk and, when | thought
myself concealed from the view of
the enemy, as fast as my horse could
carry me. When at the river bank [
still had to ride a few hundred yards to
the point where the nearest transport
lay. The corn-lield in front of our
transports terminated at the edge of a
dense forest. Before | got back the
enemy had entered this forest and had
opened a brisk fire upon the boats. Our
men, with the exception of details that
had gone to the front after the wounded,
We're now either aboard the transports
or very near them. Those who were
not aboard soon got there, and the
boats pushed off, | was the only man
of the National army between the rebels
and our transports. The captain of a
boat that had just pushed out but had
not started recognized me, and ordered
the engineer not to start the engine.
He then had plank run out for me.
My horse seemed to take in the stu
alton. There was no path down the
bank, and every one acquainted with
the Mississippi river knows that its
banks, in 4 natural state, do not vary
at any great angle from the perpen-
dicular. My horse put his fore feet over
the bank without hesitation or urging,
and, with his hind feet well under him.
slid down the bank and trotted aboard
the boat, twelve or fifteen feet away.
over a single gang-plank. Idismouhted
and went at once to the upper deck. -
From General Gr"Mfs Ferso"aI Ne
91lOirS