The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-07-30
Tie Big aud LITTLE Gorporaly.

Being, es am, o man Of no education
never having been given q fair chow In
my younger days-the reader is asked to
excuse my plain language and bad gram.
mar. s-,l
You must know that / belonged to the
Fifteenth Alabama infantry, and that We
won't to the front pretty early In the war.
We thus had Our pick Of good men. LIN
my company the third corporal was
powerful big chap named Sam Chaplin,
who had been oyerseer on plantation
near Huntsville. He was not only big
and powerful, but his nigger driving
habits had made q selfish, oTesbearing
and cruel man of him. He hadn't been
/ in the company q week before half the
mon were down on him for his meanness.
Big Sam also had his dislike5, but
there was one man he mated in particu-
| lar. shouldn't have said man, for he
was only a boy seventeen yesrs old---
slim, pale faced and as timid In look 6s q
girl. Sam took hatred of this boy on
sight, and he let no occasion pass to nag
him and render his hard lot still harder.
Jimmie, 40 the boy was called, had no
complaints to make. He was of a foreiy.
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 OF from the brigade by q
flank movement Of the union troops, and
our situation was desperate, our captain
steps out and say8: y.
"Boys, want to send word TO Colonel
-. Where's the man who'll take it ?n
He was looking right at Big Sam ell
the time, but that individual turned two
shades winter and hid himself In tho rear
ranks, muttering that nobody but q fool
would try to puah past 8 600 yankee mug.
kets with the message. The first thing
we knew Jimmie had mounted q horse
from which some Office had been shos
ana was riding eway: How he ever Eun
that gauntles with his life was moro
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 tho 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 1t to the ends OF his
fingers. He couldn't nass; tho boy any
more, and have no doubt he sWore o
solemn oath to kill him at the first op.
portunity. Indeed he limited as much,
| and became go ugly and abusive 70 ali
that some of us wanted to kill him. .5, a
Well, in about six Eeeks we had
another tussle with the yanks. We GOT
into 1t hot and heavy, and as We were
driving them for the moment found
myself alongside of Big Sam. We were
disputing fof rise Of ground, and far in
advance of us, carrying the flag which
the color: bearer had dropped as q bullet
had hit him, was Corporal Jimmie. I
was feeling proud to see him there, when,
as heaven is my judge, / saW Big Sam
raise his musket, take deliberate aim as
the boy, and next moment Corporal Jim.
mie went down.
It was hurlyburly time, with crane
and lead cutting all around us. and i iat
the incident pass for tho time, determin.
ed. though, that Big Sam should pay the
forfeit after the battle.
| We kept on and on, but az we rose the
hill we were checked. I'm Eve minutes
| more we were being driven, an that was
how 1t came about that Corporal Jimmie,
with his left arm broken by Bic. San,'s
bullet, found himself lying 6esids tha ex-s
| overseer who had Yankee bullet in hi5
| Leg. There were plenty of other Wounds
ed, and some dead ones, too, but our two
men lay almost aide by aide. Big Sam
was groaniDg, cursing and whining like
| the coward he was, when q cansaen was
| held within reach and q voice eaid q: &
Take il; comrade-a drink win ease
"W.what is It you 2" exclaimed the
overeeer as he rose up on his elhoW and !
gazed OF Jimmie.
eyes; boti Of us are down, but YOU
are hit tbs W5sSs. Can I help you 2n TTsiis5
"You help ma ?" .:s'.!5. sl;ss5l ,5s5s
HOf courFe.n Il
It paralyzed Big Sam to meet with
such words from the man he had tried to
| kill. After time he groaned ont S:
"Say, Jimmie, you orter shoot NE
through the head 70 sjs;$ I. ..s
HWhat fort" A. ~
"Cause, I'm the man as fired that bull
let into yon !" -
"Welf. I don't want revenge. Pm
now able to crawl away, but I wont leave:
youw .,'3 s. ~,
The yanks were massing ARTILLERY Ia
play on that rise Of ground, and what
does Corporal Jimmie do but ges nm iii
the face of all the aharpa etsss and
wounded and fiat as he was, half drag,
half carry Big Sam down inso d sheltered
ravine. Mofe'n that, he binds up his
wound, and makes him pretty consfasta
BILE, and there We found sena along.
towards night, whtn o grand charge
fnally gave us the gYound sssss
You remember, had seen Pig sainss
draw bead on th o boy, but whom IL
went to make o stir ever It Corp Jiri-
mic said: q
enough. ! think he will he a clhangesI
man, HI -
| And SO he was. They took ID each
other like twin ducks and were tho iast-3
est, frmest friends you ever saw. Big
Sam dropped all mean ways, and within
q year was orderly sergeant of shs COM;
pany, while Corpoh e timnie was a iieii-:
tenant Detroit Isss kfeas. sss