The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-17
THE CORP0RAL'S LUCK.


long legged chap named Aaron Smith
His face wore constant look of second
mourning, and his voice was enough to
remind the most careless hearer of grave
stones and weeping willows. More as a
Joke than for any good reason. the boys
elected Aaron a corporal, and ever after
that he went by the name of Corporal
SCHENECTADY.
Bull Run was our first fight. We were
in the neighborhood of the Henry house,
advancing upon section OF artillery,
when | saw Corporal SCHENECTADY take u
tumble to the ground, roll over and kick
and had no doubt that he was done for.
We were driven back. and by and by the
panic followed, and away we went for
Washington. About a week after this,
while the company was encampad al
Arlington, the corporal walked in on us
one day and drawled
"Iou are a purity lot of dod-gasted
pumpkin seeds 10 leave me dead on Il
batile,tield, and shan't forgit itl'
He had been struck in the stomach by
a spent bullet, and, after being captured
by the rebels had made his escape. He
was mad at the whole company, and
wouldn't give any of us Il civil word for
weeks.
The regiment was ordered into some
fallen timber, and The position was soon
red hot. The corporal was sighting his
musket across limb, when suddenly he
rolled over, and | saw blood ON his face
AS we crowded further to the left for
better cover. One fifth of our company
was wiped out there, and we hadn't got
over mourning for them when Corporal
SCHENECTADY suddenly appeared in our
midst. This was two weeks after the
fight, and his face was tied up with band
ages. We rushed to greet him, but he
waved us of and said
Don't nobody come near me! you
wreiches went and left me there in the
woods, and that night burial party
flung me into a trench, and was cover
ing me up when came to, and told EN-
what thought Of EN- and walked off. |
kin lick any man in this company
He had been shot 10 the mouth, and
the bullet tore out three teeth and left a
hole in his cheek as big rs walnut
On the morning of the battle of Fair
Oaks we were jus. crawling out of our
tents when the rebel wave rolled down on
Casey aud drove him back. Our CONS
pany was badly demoralized, and
Corporal SCHENECTADY was trying to
rally three or four of us behind fallen
tree, when shell exploded near us. |
saw two or three men 60 down, and
among them was the corporal. I'd have
taken my affidavit that one side OF his
face was torn away. We rallied after a
time and regained our ground, hut when
night came we abandoned the field and
fell back to make new stand Five
men Of my company were reported on the
rolls as killed in action, and among them
the corporal. A week otter the battle of
Malvern Hill he walked into the camp
after the old fashion and began:
"Durn the hull lot OF ye fur pack of
towards! you went right off that day
without stopping to see whether | was
killed or not, and I'll dare any two of you
to knock chip off my shoulder
The shell have mentioned did not
hurt him, but he was splashed by the bl pOd
of an un fortunate, and received q whack
oyer the head from club or a limb
During the night he exchanged clothing
with Confederate, and after many ad
ventures came back to report for duty
After that Corporal SCHENECTADY was a
marked man We looked upon him with
such awe and superstition that nobody
would be friendly. He became a sort
of outcast, indeed, we all argued that a
man who wouldn't stay dead when fairly
killed had very mean streak in his
composition,
In due time came Pope's fights around
Manassas. We were fighting at Grove
ton, and as the regiment was ordered to
head its brigade in charge, dozen OF
us had our eyes on the corporal. He
realized it, and there was look of deN
termination on his face. We interpreted
it to mean that if he was killed again he
would stay killed. The brigade was in d
hot box. The enemy gave us every sort
of missile known to war, and we cOuldn't
close up the lanes ploughed through our
ranks. had my can knocked off and
my canteen cut away, and was making a
grab to recover the latter when Corporal
SCHENECTADY got his dose again. | saw
him leap two fee; high and fail in heap,
and knew from the way he struck the
ground that he was goner.
There were only twenty eight men in
the company after that fight. They had
given me the corporal's place, and we
had got around to the opening without
losing another man. We had several
times talked over the fate of CORPORAL
SCHENECTADY, and had expressed regret
at the way we had used him. NV brig
ade was under Hooker then, and on the
evening previous to the fight we had
been pushed across the Antietam on the
right. About o'clock, as we rested on
the lines in the darkness, heard a voice
saying: 81 tell you it's dog-gone NEAR
to 90 and report Teller dead and give
his place away until you are sure abou,
itp'
1t was Corporal SCHENECTADY CONF
back to usl A. bullet had raked his head
at Groveton, and he had crawled to the
rear after dark and had been sent to the
hospital in Washington. He was
hopping mad at every man of us, and VIZ
gave him as good as he sent. We tol6
him that any one who had played hockey
on death as often as he had couldn't BIZ
trusted by the living, and he was advised
to go to the rear and be surely and honor.
able killed by the heels of some mule
inst nj daylight he crent over to me and