Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-07-17
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
SOMEBODY'S BOY.
The Target of Man with a Grim Face
and AIurderous Heart.

The Target of a Man with Grim Face
and a Murderous Heart.
As we were falling bacI, on Malvern
Hill, in the peninsular campaign, the
rear-guard fighting back the Confeder-
ate advance. our brigade was wheeled 70
the left ana another 10 the right 10 COW
er the narrow highway and give the
wounded and the straggier5 an oppor-
tunity 10 close up Across the fields,
which were broken and wooded advanc-
ed the theenemv's skirmi>hcrs. followed
by the double line Of battle. We check
ed them with q yolicy, bur they reform
ed and charged with cheer could
sec their face. very plainly under The
smoke and as they rushed forward J no
tieed that the man directly 2 front OF
me was not man, but a stripping 81
boy He didn't look 70 be more than
fifteen years old. and ii, face was white
and scared | had q dcad-re,t with my
musket, and this boy was coming
straight upon me. Had he been a man
] should have killed him could have
hit him with my eyes shut When saw
that il wa. q boy / couldn't fire upon
him. covered him once, but his scared
face turned my gun away
We let them come charging mp until
some Of the more impetuous were all
most over rs. and then there was an aw-
ful crash Of muskelry--a great billow Of
fame-a thousand cries and curses
The fame Of death had licked up their
lines was looking for the hoy as the
smoke lifted lie stood. musSet in
hand, looking about him as Z paralyzed.
Every man had gone down for ten feet
either side Of him. As our cheers burst
forth the boy faced about with the rem
nant Of the line and reiterated 70 cover.
/ rejoiced over his escape and hoped If
another charge was made he would not
be with them
Half an hour passed and now we were
the rear guard "a brigade holding the
narrow road We saw the enemy mass
Ing for another charge, and again we
made ready TO receive them As they
came forward | saw the same white
faced BOY this time a little to the left
o. me
Don shoot STAT boy" called to the
men beyond me
The third man on the left was in line
with the boy. He looked mp al me with
a sardonic smile and then hc rested bis
musket and covered the hog to Kill him
when the word came 20 fire An enemy
was an enemy 70 him, whether man or
boy He was there to KILL ! held my
breath as tine double-lne again adj
vanced little closer and they fired a
volleY and then charged. They sought
our death-they we're following us to
destroy they had no mercy Ard vet as
| fired into the smoke knowing that my
bullet must find human target ! was
consoled BY the reflection that ! was
not shooting al the boy at Somebody's
Boy If he was Killed il would be by
the man on my left, and be must answer
for d
The enemy could not bulge US They
couldn't touch onr TANKS, and a charge
in front was simply slaughter Our vol
leys broke their lines docimated them
threw them n confusion and they
were breasted back again spgang to
my feet and looked Tor the boy The
powder-smoke swirled about dove down
lifted up hoated away among the
tree tops, and my heart bounded as
saw Somebody's Boy again. lie stood
with two comrades The remnant. per-
haps. Of his whole company Just as |
got a glimpse Of him the three turned to
obey the call to retreat, and swung my
cap and cheered Our whole line was
cheering the others because they had
again repulse the enemy because
Somebody's Boy had again escaped
And when ! looked along our line to
the left wondering how the man with
the grim face and mnrderous heart had
missed his target, saw him lying on
the ground stone dead A bullet had
struck him fair in the forehead De
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