, 1889-05-21
A PRESENIIMENT.
An Irish Soldier Who Knew He Was Co
ing to Die-A War Reminiscenco.

An Irish Soldier Who Knew He Was Co
ing to Die-A War RemIniscenco.
In the autumn Of '62 Gen. Mcclellan
was relieved from active duty in the
Army of the Potomac and Gen. Burn
side assumed command. This change
was very unpopular with the boys, who
loved Little Mac and who felt O great de-
gree of uncertainty in the ability of the
new commander. There was wide spread
discomfort in the ranks In
of this change. Added to this, the in
vincible strategists at homo were still
clamoring for q forward movement, re-
gardless of time or favorable opportunity.
In view of these facts, it was deemed
absolutely necessary that a battle should
be fought under the new leader at the
earliest possible moment. The first
battle of fredericksburg was the result.
On the day of that battle our brigade
climbed the heights on the southeasterly
bank of the Rappahannock, opposite
fredericksburg, and halted upon the
summit near some heavy batteries. AS
we looked down upon the river with its
slender pontoon bridge, with the city
upon its opposite margin, and as we
raised our eyes to corresponding heights
just back of the city, frowning withcan-
non and breastworks and swarming with
Confederate soldiery, II painful and over
towering sense of the impossible task
before us and the d~eadliness of the I'M
dertaking in all its horrible magnitude,
forced itself upon the minds of all
present.
A sense of duty, the imminence of the
great dangers before us, and the near
ness of tho conflict, served to close up
tho ranks and to keep nearly every mar
in his place.
l had been detailed with q small squad
to act as provost general to prevent fall
ing out and struggling to the rear. Dur
ing tire short halt on the brow of the
heights, before the march across tho
river, several of the boys came to the
rear of the column to leave with the
chaplain valuables n messages TO their
friends in case anything should happen.
Among the number came Mike, large,
powerful N courageous Irishman, O
great favorito in the regiment, and q
man who had always laughed at danger
and had rejoiced at the opportunity of
having a "scrimmage" with the enemy.
On this occasion he appeared to be an
entirely different man. He approached
the chaplain with tears in his eyes. He
gave him a picture of a sister living in
Portland, his Catholic catechism and
other relics, and in n choked voice gave
the address of his friends and what he
then declared to be his dying message to
them.
The chaplain ~endcavored to cheer and
encourage him, but in vain.
sCbnDloin - coi1 IA, aI'p, NOT ,rroiJ
to fight; I'm not afraid to die; l am not
n coward; but there is something here
(slapping his breast) which tells me my
timo has come. Chaplain, will you please
write my sister n kind letter? She is n
Christian Catholic and Hove her dearly"
Soon the word forward" RAM along
the line, and Mike, with tho tears cours-
ing down his checks, grasped tho hand
of the chaplain and requested tho good
man to pray for him. lie her took his
place in tho ranks. The long column
began to move slowly down to the river,
soon increasing its speed to the double
quick, over the pontoon bridges across
the river into the streets of tho city, out
on the plains and hillside beyond it amid
smoke, shot and she'll and death wounds,
up to the very frowning jaws of death
on the heights beyond. Tho terrible
charge, the murderous rcpulse, repeated
again and again that afternoon; the night
cannonado, tho long day following of
sllirmish and movement, tho succeeding
night and tho carly morning abandon
ment and retreat across the river have
been many times told. AS soon rs posi-
bic after tho battle tho chaplain made
earnest inquiries for Mike; but no Mike
was there to answer him.
In the terrible charge he was seen
to fall in the forefront OF battle, and was
borne from the field fatally wounded.
His boisterous, cheerful voice, good ma
turcd countenance, rich brogue and burly
form, were never again with us. His
was the most marked and startling case
of presentiment of coming death or dis
astcr that came under my observation in
the army.
Army life and its dangers made many
of us believe in fate-that the decree of
the Great Author had fixed the span Of
life for each one. We are sometimes con-
strained to believe that a very thin cur
tain was stretched between the seen and
tho unseen, and that n few mortals were
permitted to look beyond the visible and
to receive the absolute assurance of the
future fate In store for them and near at
hand.-L. d. Carver in Lewiston Jour-
nal