The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-08-12
STORIES OF THE WAR.
INTERESTING ANECDOTES OF
BOTH THU BLUE AND GREN.

Corporal Jack-From Bull Run to
Malvern Hill-A Grim Old Soldier
and his Boy Comrads.
There were ten of us youngsters in
the Company &c" squad which Cor
poral Jack marched forth to drill, and
the old mans face wore fatherly
smile as he called:
clay foot-stray foot-right face
left face-front!''
If he had q home-a wife-childreu
we did not know. We wondered if
he had left anybody behind who would
mourn if his life went out on the field
of battle, but he never talked of such
things. To the men he was stern and
inhexible; to us boys he was kind and
gentle that we grew to look upon him
as father. 1t was Corporal Jack
who cured the blisters on our feet
who laughed our homesickness away;
who took part of our loads when the
knapsacks CALLED our backs.
When he counted us after Bull Run
and found that three of his ten boys
had been left dead upon the field, we
missed him for time, and when he
returned his eyes had the look of one
who had been weeping. Later on
when company "G' swung into the
slashed timber at williamsburg, and.
men went down by twos and threes
under the fire of the sharpshooters, it
was Corporal Jack who whispered to
each one of us:
STEADY, my boy! would not have
you give ground now for the world
More to the right bit-that's it
keep covered if you can"
remember how the light of battle
blazed in his eyes that day as he faced
the enemy, and how that light was
dimmed in unutterable sorrow as we
answered our names at nightfall, and
only six "heres p were heard. The
seventh lay dead in the timber the whip
poor-will uttering its sad night call in
the branches above him.
As we came into battle lire at Me
gainesville, there was look of pride
in Corporal Jacks eyes. His boys
had grown to be soldiers. Our faces
were no paler than those of the stur-
dy, middle-aged men further along
the line. As we knelt beside the log
breastworks and opened fire, I heard
the Corporal saying to himself:
Good! That's it How cool they
are!"
We broke line after line as they add
vahced upon us, but by-and-by we
were forced to yield. A bit of shiver
ran along the ine-the first symptom
of a panic-but the Corporal was close
at hand to say: - e -
STEADY now! Fall back in good
order We are not beaten, but only
falling back to a stronger position .'
The head ofthe company broke back
the centre fell into confusion butour
end simply shivered and then became
as firm as rock. We knew not who
had come out alive-who had been
killed-untii the old Corporal gather
ed us under his wing, as it were, long
as it were, long after darkness had
shut down, and in broken voice
murmured
''There are but four Of nay boys left,
and | cannot sleepv
After the fierce tempest of war had
passed over the fields and forests Of
Savage Station, there were only three
of us. Corporal Jack bent down over
the fourth, who lay dead in pool of
blood, cut off lock of his hair, and
said, as he reverently placed it in his
pocket
'This is for his mother, whose heart
will be breaking over his loss. pray
God the rest of you may be spared !"
After Gledale there were but too of
US. We toled YEARLY over the high
way with the stars sh ming above us
and the sullen crackle of musketry in
the rear Corporal Jack marched
with us, but for long time he was
silent. At last he said;
"Only two left :. After tomorrow
what %
At Malvern Hill he would have
been our breastwork to receive the
bullets. Darkness was falling and
we had broken and hurled back the
opposing lines again and again, when
a move by the right flank IN some way
separated the three of US. There was
a fierce and determined advances
fierce and desperate resistance-and
night shut down and the roar of battle
died away. / went out with those
who succored the wounded and mourn
ed over the dead, and I found them
Corporal Jack and my boy comrade.
They were deady side by side, but in
his dying moments dear old Jack had
thrown an arm over the poor boy, as
if to shield and save hin.
Truly those were the days when
mems hearts ached, and women's tears
could not be- dried-Detroh Free
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