The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-13

%, 1872 We struck the main camp of Co.
manches, under Chief Mowrie, on the North Fork
of Red River, and charged down on their camp.
Through some cause or other we had not been
seen, and the first Indians to see us were the
boys who were herding the ponies, which they
started on the run for camp. 1t was race be-
tween us as to who should get there first but
the Indians sbeat us, but not sufficiently long
enough to give a general alarm. My troop,
j, was leading troop, and consequentiy
charging troop, just as the General gave the
order to charge the right of the village. We
struck the bank of the river with
jump-off of between four and five feet,
with qucksand in places. My troop com
mander, as fine an officer as ever lived, Lieut..
Charles l.. Hudson, unfortunately jumped
with some Others into one of these qucksand
beds and stuck there, horses and all, which
threw the command of the troop on me as act
ing first sergeant We charged as foragers
through the village to small cover of trees,
dismounted, and staid right there, according
to orders. The balance of the command had
been turned and taken up the river, and
struck the village on the lett. After a hard
fight, lasting until after dark, we were in DOS
session of the village, which consisted of $50
lodges and several smaller shelters, which were
burned We also captured some two or three
thousand head of ponies and great many
women and children. After this coup we re-
badly crippled that they finally came and sur
rendered at Fort Sill, l. T. For this received
my second medal of honor''
Mr.. Leopold Karpeles, of whose case brief
sketch was given last week, has in his posses
sion n letter from Lieut. John Anderson,
Eighteenth Infantry, relative to one OF the in
cidents for which Mr.. Karpeles was awarded
the medal of honor. In this letter, written at
Fort Gibson, Lieut. Anderson says: 81 was
very glad to hear from you and find YOU still on
the shores of mortality, where our numbers are
fast diminishing. Our duty now lies in plant
ing the principles and memory of the great
struggle in the hearts of generations to follow
US, endear the old flag to them that you carried
SO faithfully and gallantry from the Wilderness
to North Anna, and teach them to love the
country which was saved at such a sacrifice.
Eyes, Karpeles, well remember you at the
battle of North Anna. l remember that you
carried the colors of the glorious old Fifty
seventh far beyond any other colors Your
bravery was conspicuous. l remember that
you fell badly wounded; another sergeant was
sent to take the coors from you, but you re-
fused to give them up, but carried them for
ward until loss Of blood or another wound, l
them into the hands Of another. l remember
all Of this distinctly, as l felt Justly proud of
you as sergeant in Company E."
In last Sundays article on medal-of-honor
men in The HERALD the statement was made,
on the authority of member of the Medal Of
Honor Legion, that Senator Quay was the only
man holding the medal who did not personally
apply for it. Regarding this statement another
member OF the Legion writes: "Your introduc-
tory remarks in writing of Senator Quay in the
article concerning medals Of honor think does
great injustice tothe other parties when you say
he was the only man receiving medal who did
not apply for it himself 1t is certainly news
to me to hear that they were awarded upon per-
sonal application Speaking for myself and
those of my regiment so honored, assert most
positively that we neither OF US made any ap-
plication for or looked for any such recognition.
The recommendation in our cases was made by
Maj. A. S. Bournstine, who commanded our
regiment, from his personal observation, for
warded without our knowledge, and first reached
us through General Orders from the War De-
partment. 1t is my impression that in most
cases this was the course pursued. In some in
stances in which medals have been awarded and
issued since the close of the aCar have known
that the parties interested made personal appli-
cation. Ours were received while we were still
in the service''