The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-12-23
A PLUCKY SOLDIER.
DRAGGING A WOUNDED CoMRAoE
OFF THE FIELD AT GETTYSBURG.

A Drummer Boy who Had to Shoulder
q Musket--His Excitability While I'm
der the Confederate Fire-A Pcriious
Journey.
Speaking about pluck" said Col. Higgins,
of Wayerly, Of whom reporter had lust
been making inquiries, "there goes fello"
whom / saw do as nervy thing as VIII
messed while | was i'll the service"
The reporter looked across the street in the
direction in which the colonel had nodded,
and saw Dick Enderlin plodding along, hands
in pocket, i'll his matter of fact, indifferent
SORT of a way.
at was at Gettysburg" remarked the
colonel, knocking the ashes from his cigar.
"You probably knew that Dick enlisted as
drummer boy. He was in my company, and
he beat drum for all that was out; beat it
so hard that you couldn't find drum heads
enough i'll the army to keep him supplied,
and a short time before the Gettysburg fight
he came to me for the sixth or seventh drum
head, and just gave him gun. He kicked
q little, but took it, and made pretty good
use of it afterward, too.
IN THE WHEAT FIELD.
Edward the close of the first days fight at
Gettysburg our regimental line was stretched
along the crest of the ridge, adown the side
of which was field of wheat almost ripe
enough for the reaper. Much of it had been
cut that day, and more was destined to be
cut on the morrow--cut by shot and shell
and swept by the musketry of the two
armies. On the opposite side of the field,
onI l,,,to friuLtfulINr short Iictanoa
were the rebel lines. Twice that afternoon
! we had charged across that wheat field in the
effort to drive the enemy from their position,
and twice had we been driven back, leaving
| many dead and wounded man among the
standing wheat The wheat was so high that
when lying down one could not been seen by
| the enemy, and for some time before the
! charge was ordered we had occupied the
position described, keeping up a sharp fire on
the enemy, and receiving as good as we sent
! in return. couldn't help but be amused at
Dick. In order to save the men as much as
possible, directed them to lie down to do
their loading, and only rise to deliver their
fire; but Dick insisted upon standing up all
the time Three or four times l yelled at
him to keep under cover or he would get hit,
the better of him and he would be on his
feet again, loading and firing as rapidly as
he could handle his piece.
"When the sun had gone down and the
shades of night had checked the firing con-
siderably several of us were standing
grouped together, looking out over the field
of wheat, wondering what had been the re-
suit of the days work and what would be the
result of the morrow, when we heard some
wounded man, way over in the wheat, groan-
ing terribly. His means were sickening to
listen to, and it got so after while that
couldn't stand it any longer. So, taking off
my haversack, handed it to Enderlin, who
was standing by, and remarked that I was
going for that fellow.
A TICfLISH UNDERTAKING.
. "This, as every one knew, was a pretty
ticklish piece of business, for, although it was
then night, the moon was shining, and al
every rustic of the wheat that indicated the
possibility of its being moved by a human
being the Johnnes would send their musket
and rifle balls through it in way that made
it very unhealthy for any person that mish
he concealed there.
"Still | resolved to chance it, and getting
down on my hands and knees | began to
worm my way through the wheat in the di-
rection of the groans. had got but few
yards, however, when l felt some one grasp
me by the leg, and 1 heard Dicks voice:
"'Look here, major, he said, you mustn't
go out there You might get killed, and we
can't spare you; let me go
"Why, don't believe you could get the
fellow in, Dick 1 replied; he is probably
bart SO bad that he has to be carried, and
don't believe you could carry man in that
way and through that wheat
Jewell, you just come back and let me try
it, said Dick, III bet you that.I bring him
in Saying which, Dick bolted ahead,
worming his way on his belly through the
wheat, as carefully and cautiously as posi-
BILE, so as to avoid attracting attention,
while 1 returned to the line and awaited
results.
Gle was gone long time, so long that
began to grow uneasy, but finally he made
his appearance, crawling on his stomach
through the wheat, and on his back, with his
arms clasped around his neck, was a poor
devil whose hip had been shattered by a
musket ball
"'Where did you find him, Dickq I asked
bim, as we lifted the poor fellow off his back.
"'He was within couple of rods of
the rebel lines, was Dicks reply, as he
crawled to his feet and stretched himself after
his long trip.
" Dick said l, you are sergeant Of
course meant in embryo, for at that mo-
ment there wasn't any vacancy, but there
were plenty of them within twenty-four
hours. n-CbllIcothe Leader interview.