Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-06-08
A DRUMMER BOY HERO.

"A DRUMMtR buy HhRU.
On the first day of the battle of Gus
tozza, the twenty-fourth of July, 1S4S,
about sixty soldiers belonging to one OF
the Italian infantry regiments, having
been sent to occupy an isolated house on
a height, were unexpectedly attacked by
two companies of Austrians, who, firing
on them from different points, barely
gave them them time to take refuge in
the house and hastily barricade the doors,
leaving several dead and wounded in the
fields. After barricading the doors the
Italian soldiers hastily ran to the win
dows on the first floor and began to
pour a steady fire into the assailants, who
were gradually advancing in a semi
circle, and replying vigorously.
The sixty Italians were commanded
by two subalterns and a captain, a tall,
old fellow, lean and severe, with white
hair and moustaches; with them was a
Sardinian drummer boy, boy not much
more than fourteen years old, and who
scarcely appeared to be twelve; he was
small, with olive brown face and two
sparkling little deep black eyes, The
captain was directing the defence from a
window on the first floor, shouting his
orders like pistol shots and with no sign
of emotion on his hard face. The drum
mer boy, who was little pale, but firm
on his legs, got up on table and was
stretching out his neck to see out of the
windows and leaning against the wall !;
through the smoke he saw the white uni
forms of the Austrians, who were slowly
advancing through the fields. The house
was situated on summit of steep slope
and on the side towards the slope had
but one small window, high up, which
looked out from the garret; therefore the
Austrians did not threaten the house
from that side and tha slope was oloar =;
their fire was directed only toward the
front and two sides.
1t was hail of leaden bullets, which
on the outside cracked the walls and
crumbled the tiles, and on the inside
smashed ceilings, furniture, window
frames, and door posts, filling the air
with splinters, clouds of plaster and
bits of pottery and glass; Kissing, re-
bounding, crashing into everything
with noise fit to drive one mad. From
time to time one of the soldiers who
were firiug from the windows fell
back on the floor, and was dragged to
one side. Some tottered from room to
room, pressing their hands on their
wounds. In the kitchen there was al
ready one dead man, with a ball through
his forehead The semi-circle of the
enemy kept closing up.
All at once the captain, who until
then had been impossible, was seen to
show signs of uneasiness and TO stride
out of the room followed by sergeant.
About three minutes afterwards the SER
geant came running back and called the
drummer boy, beckoning him to follow.
The boy ran after him up wood en-
stalr-c case, and went with him into an
empty garret, where he saw the captain,
who was writing with pencil on a
sheet of paper, leaning against the win
dow, with well-rope on the floor at his
feet.
The captain folded the paper and
looking with his cold, grayish eyes, be-
fore which all the soldiers trembled, into
the eyes of the boy, said abruptly:
Drummer boy" The drummer boy
saluted. The captain said: "You've got
grit" The boys eyes lighted up.
eyes, captain" he answered.
'Iook down there" said the captain,
rushing him to the window, 'in the
plain, near the houses of Villafranca,
where there is glittering of bayonets.
Those arc our friends, standing idle.
Take this note, catch hold of the rope,
slide down from the window, run down
the hill, go through the fields and give
the note to the first officer you see.
Chuck away your belt and knapsack."
The boy took off his belt and KNAPP
sack and put the note in his breast pock-
ct; the sergeant threw out the rope and
grasped one end of it with both hands
the captain helped the boy to pass back
wards through the little window. "Take
care,' he sad to him, "the safety of the
detachment depends on your courage
and on your legs"
"Trust me, captain" replied the
drummer boy, swinging himself out.
"Stoop as you go down" said the
captain again, helping the sergeant tc
hold the rope.
"Never fear"
Oou heiP you!
In few minutes the boy was on the
ground; the sergeant drew up the rope
and disappeared; the captain sprang t.
the window and saw the boy flying down
the hill.
He was already hoping that he had
succeeded in escaping unobserved, when
five or six little clouds of dust which
rose from the ground both before and
behind the boy warned him that he had
been seen by the Austrians, who were
frirg at him from the top of the hill.
Those little clouds were earth thrown
up by the bullets. But the boy contin,
ued to run at breakneck pace. All al
once he fell.
"Killed" roared the captain, biting
his fist. But he had scarcely said the
word when he saw the boy get up. "Ah
only fall p he said to himself. and
breathed again. In fact, the boy begar
to run again as fast as he could, but he
limped. ga sprained ankle" thought
the captain.
A few more little clouds of dust ros,
here and there around the boy, but they
were always farther of. The captain