The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-30
The Big and Little Lorporals.

| 1uC DIE AlGt1C pOI
Being, as I am, q man of no education
never having been given fair show in
| my younger days-the reader is asked to
excuse my plain language and bad gram.
mar.
You must know that belonged to the
Fifteenth Alabama infantry, and that we
| went to the front pretty early in the war.
We thus had our pick of good men. In
| my company the third corporal was a
| powerful big chap named Sam Chaplin,
who had been overseer on plantation
near Huntsville. He was not only big
and powerful, but his niger driving
habits had made selfish, o7erbearing
and cruel man of him. He hadn't been
in the company a week before half the
men were down on him for his meanness.
Big Sam also had his dislikes, but
there was one man he hated in particu.
lar. I shouldn't have said man, for he
was only boy seventeen years old
slim, pale faced and as timid in look ss
girl. Sam took q hatred of this boy on
sight, and he let no occasion pass to nag
him and render his hard lot still harder.
Jimmie, as the boy was called, had no
complaints to make. He was of q forgiv-
ing disposition, and no matter what he
felt or thought, we never heard him con.
demning anybody by word of mouth.
Some of US would have killed Big Sam
had we been in Jimmie's place, but such
thing as striking back seemed never to
have occurred to the boy.
Well, one day when part of our regi-
ment was cut off from the brigade by
flank movement of the union troops, and
our situation was desperate, our captain
steps out and says:
"Boys, want to send word to Colonel
-. Where's the man who'll take it?"
he was looking right at Big Sam all
the time, but that individual turned two
shades whittier and hid himself in the rear
ranks, muttering that nobody but a fool
would try to push past 8 900 yankee mus
kets with the message. The first thing
we knew Jimmie had mounted a horse
from which some Office had been shot
and was riding away. How he ever run
that gauntlet with his life was more
than we could tell, but he did get
through and down came enough of our
forces to help us out of the boz.
There was new cause for Big Sam to
hate Jimmie. The boy had not only
exhibited greater courage in the face of
danger and right before us all, but he
was promoted to be third corporal. This
was promotion right over the head of
Big Sam, and he felt it to the ends of his
fingers. He couldn't nag the boy any
more, and I have no doubt he swore
solemn oath to kill him at the first op-
portunity. Indeed he limited as much,
and became so ugly and abusive to all
that some of us wanted to kill him.
Well, in about six weeks we had
another tussle with the yanks. We got
into it hot and heavy, and as We were
driving them for the moment found
myself alongside of Big Sam. We were
disputing for rise of ground, and far in
advance of us, carrying the flag which
the color.bearer had dropped as bullet
had hit him, was Corporal Jimmie. I
was feeling proud to see him there, when,
as heaven is my judge, saw Big Sam
AoiSO d1o WuohOU, tcAhO oVlIUe1otO GILL az
the boy, and next moment Corporal Jim.
mie went down.
1t was a hurlyburly time, with grape
and lead cutting all around us, and I let
the incident pass for the time, determin-
ed, though, that Big Sam should pay the
forfeit after the battle.
We kept on and on, but as we rose the
hill we were checked. In five minutes
more we were being driven, and that was
how it came about that Corporal Jimmie,
with his left arm broken by Big Sans
bullet, found himself lying beside the ex-
overseer who had Yankee bullet in his
leg. There were plenty of other wound.
ed, and some dead ones, too, but our two
men lay almost side by side. Big Sam
was groaning, cursing and whining like
the coward he was, when q canteen was
held within reach and voice said:
"Take it, comrade-a drink will ease
your pain"
"W.what is it you?" exclaimed the
overseer as he rose up on his elbow and
gazed at Jimmie.
eyes; both of us are down, but you
are hit the worst. Can help you?"
"You help me?"
"Of course"
It paralyzed Big Sam to meet with
such words from the man he had tried to
kill. After a time he groaned out:
"Say, Jimmie, you orter shoot me
through the head p
"What for?"
"Cause, Pm the man as fired that bull
let into you"
swell, I don't want revenge. I'm
now able to crawl away, but I wont leave
youp
The yanks were massing artillery to
play on that rise of ground, and what
does Corporal Jimmie do but get up in
the face of all the sharpshooters and
wounded and faint as he was, half drag,
half carry Big Sam down into sheltered
ravine. More'n that, he binds up his
wound, and makes him pretty comforta"
BILE, and there we found 'em along
towards night, when a grand charge
6ually gave us the ground.
You remember, 1 had seen Big Sam
draw q bead on the boy, but when I
went to make stir over it Corporal jim
mie said:
"Please, don't! He has been punished
enough. I think he will be changed
man."
And so he was. They took to each
other like twin ducks, and were the fast
est, frmest friends you ever saw. Big
Sam dropped all mean ways, and within
year was orderly sergeant of the COM
pany, while Corporal Jimmie was lieu.
tenant.-DetroH Eaee Press.