The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-11-15
LITTLE CONFEDERATE.
Detroit Free Press.

/
ing across the Crews farm to reach
us on Malvern Hill, we knew they
were coming to death and defeat.
We had been driven back from The
Chickahominv, step by step aud
day by day, fighting fierce battles
at every ralIying point, but this
was the end. Malvern HILL,
crowned with troops and bristling
with cannons, was impregnable. |
was posted on the point looking
toward the Crews house III the dry
bed of creek. IL was a capital
rifle pit, and we were packed in
there so thick that we scarcely had
elbow room. As The legiOns III
gray attacked our rapid fire, as
SISTED BY The batteries above us,
was enough to demoralize The lines
without the infantry, higher up,
firing gun.
Magruder must have been insane
that afternoon to send his men to
their death across that open as he
did. We could see them come out
of The forest in splendid formation,
and as they got the order TO ad-
vance their step was like clock
work. There was a meadow with
hardly a stump in it stretching
away before Us for half a mile, and
The Conlederales hadn't the slight
est cover. Being SO low down we
could see under the smoke, and 1T
was enough to make your flesh
creep 10 see The havoc worked by
our she'll before the lines got with
in musket range. The man on my
left laid down his musket aud
prayed God that the rebels would
90 back and thus put an end 10 the
horrible work. Then, when they
pushed on and got within range,
there was flame all along our
mile trout--flame after ilame-and
not rebel got within ii stones
throw.
The last charge, made Just at
twilight, was the most desperate OF
all. The lines started with a yell
aud charged on the run, and though
hundreds went down other hun
dreds kept on. We shattered and
scorched and wilhered them with
our mu>ketry fire, and finally
heard them sound "retreat." We
sprang up, gave them last volley,
and then dashed forward a few
rods with the bayonet. Out OF the
smoke and darkness suddenly APP
peared a figure on my front. There
was a blaze, and the man on my
right went down, shot in the shoul-
der. There was whiz-z-z, and
the butt OF n musket just cleared
nv head and Knocked the man on
my lefl flat to the earth. | had
my musket at a charge when a
vuice called out:
Hold on, | surrender!'
| went forward and took hold of
him, and who or what do YOU sup
pose he was? A boy not yet fifteen
years old and as pale-faced and as
gentle-spoken as girl. More than
that, he was wounded in the side,
in the leg and in the head. We
had driven them back to stay, and
our boys were cheering and yelling,
and took the boy on my back and
carried him beyond the creek into
our lines. He must have been suf-
fering painfully with his wounds,
but he never uttered a groan. |
heaped two or three blankets to-
oether and made him a bed, but
| could gel no one to do for him.
There were dead and wounded
! men almost without number
around us, and that last desperate
charge had hardly been driven
back before Mcclellan issued his
orders to TALL back to the river un
det cover of The gunboals. AS my
brigade was nearest TO the rebels
we were The last TO move, and il
was long after midnight before We
got the word.
Meanwhile | had inspected the
bows wounds and soojhed him a
best | could. 1t was plain that h'
was fatally hit, and when he real
lied this he said
"I-I don't care for myself, bu
mother-pcOr old mother AM
sister Maryland little Jlm-it viii
break their hearts"
By and by he fell into a sort o
stuuor that lasted for a quarter o
am hour. Then he reused himsel
and exclaimed:
lit was a glorious charge w
knew that we were going 10 deatl
but never a man hung back-neV
er "A man lost The step! Were the
driven back Z"
Yes
"But we reached your lines z"
Yes; a few"
"And | was one Y
"Yes, poor boy. Never a on
came nearer than you."
"That's grand +! They said
would be afraid, but ! wasn't.
- didn't feel II when | was hit. w
were on the double-quick. ] W;
cheering. Hurrah Hurrah y
Half an hour later he was dea
There we're three of us bendiT
over him, when he suddenly sat u
waved his arm and sought TO che
again but the blood choked IN
aud he fell back dead.
, Twenty long years afleT, one d'
in a Georgia farm house, l -four
his mother, old aud bent and gra
aud Iiftle linn now grown to ma