The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-06

this Col. Quay refused 10 accept the discharge
papers, and declared his intention of waiting
for the battle. Gen. Tyler told him he would
be foolish to do this in view of his broken
health; besides, the papers were there and he
was private citizen. If he went into the bat
tie he would be sure to be killed. and had better
go home and get we'll "Well,n Col. Quay
answered, "I'd rather be killed in the battle and
called a fool than 90 home and be called
coward" SO he declared he would take a
musket and fight as private if he couldn't go
in as an officer. Gen. Tyler, seeing the young
so determined made him an aide on his
staff, and in this capacity Col. Quay fought all
day and far into the night in the famous battle
of Fredericksburg rendering important services.
Mr.. Cyrus b. Lower, who is employed at the
Safe Deposit Company's offices on Pennsylvania
avenue, won his medal by a number of heroic
actions. He fought all through the war; serv-
ing first for two years in the Twenty-third Ohio.
Afterward he joined the famous "Old Buck
tails,' the First Pennsylvania Rifles. In
heavy skirmish on the 7th day of May, 1864
the third day of the Wilderness-he was
wounded in the right knee while reconnoiter-
ing in force to feel the strength of the enemy.
His lieutenant told him to go to the rear if he
could, and Mr.. Lower started to do so. Find
ing he could manage to limp along, Mr.. Lower
thought he might as well limp to the front as to
the rear turned about, and went into the fight
again, keeping 1t up until it was over. He did
too much, however, and after the battle he was
compelled to go to the hospital, where he re-
mained until the 18th of May. Then he got
out again and participated in the fight at Spot
sylvania, although he was still weak and sick,
and had been urged not to leave the hospital
by the officers. AS result of the bad condi-
tion his leg was in, he was captured by the
enemy on the 30th of May at Bethesda Church.
With other prisoners he was shipped off to An
dersonville on the 9th of June, but during the
night he jumped from the cars near Danville
and made his escape For six days and nights
he tramped about the country, finally getting
into the Union lines at Buchanan, on the James
nrfy, mill fro, I Obi np fho
evening before making the Union lines Mr..
Lower was captured by a Confederate guer-
rilla, but after tough hand-to-hand struggle
he got away. Mr.. Lower served until the close
of the war and saw Lee surrender at Appomat-
tox. Mr.. Lower was granted the medal of
honor under the resolution of Congress of July
IL, 1862, by order of the President himself.
Milton M. Holland, now in the Sixth Audi
tors Office, was born in Athens County, Ohio,
and was but sixteen years of age at the breaking
out of the war. Notwithstanding his youth, he
entered the Army, serving in the commissary
department of the Third Ohio Volunteers under
Col. Nelson H. Van Worse, afterward Speaker of
the Ohio Legislative Assembly, under whom he
also served in the Tenth and Ninety-second
Ohio. In June, 1868, he recruited one hundred
and fifty men for the Ohio Fifth Regiment, col
ored troops, and was made captain. Owing,
however, to a regulation of the Army at that
time which prevented any man of his color be-
ing regularly commissioned officer, he could
not serve in such a capacity, and became SER
geant majorin that regiment. He distinguished
himself in numerous engagements, notably be-
| fore Petersburg, where on June Is, 1864, being
in command of the skirmish line, he carried the
outer works of the enemy. He was in front of
| Petersburg when three days later, occurred that
! very destructive mine explosion, 1t was at
| Newmarket Heights that his bravery was Off
cially noticed, and it was on this occasion, Sep
tember 30, 1864, that for his bravery he received
| the medal of honor In the early part of the
engagement the superior officers were all shot
| y,y,a Moi nd tnnl- ,l rf
company and, under the eyes of Grant, Butler,
| and Draper, carried the outer works in front of
Richmond. For his bravery in this engagement
he received in addition to the medal of honor,
silver medal from Gen. Benjamin +. Butler for
distinguished services. He took part in the bat
tie of Fair Oaks, in October, 1864, also at Fort
Fisher, December 25, the same year. He par
| ticipated in numerous skirmishes and engage
ments of lesser importance throughout North
Carolina until the surrender of Gen. Joseph E.
| Johnston, and was mustered out of the service
at Columbus, Ohio, October 5, 1865.
Leopold Karpeles was color sergeant in the
Fifty-seventh Massachusetts, Volunteers. 1t
was during the battle of the Wilderness, on
May 16, 1864, that he distinguished himself
principally, and for which he received the medal
of honor. He was the only color sergeant to
stand his ground during particularly hot por-
tion of the engagement late in the evening of
| the 10th, but, by the power of his example and
with the aid of some of the other officers, he
succeeded in rallying around himself sufficient
number of men to keep the Confederates in
check and prevent the capture of the stragglers
in the woods behind and around them. This
small body of men succeeded in holding
! together under a hot fire for space of over two
! hours, when, under cover of darkness, they fell
| back and reorganiZed their company in time to
take part in the succeeding days engagement.
Capt. Charles b. Tanner was found in his
| office in the War Department, and when the
object of his caller became known Immediately
stated his unwillingness to accept newspaper
notorety 1t was learned, however, that the
Captain served in Company III, First Delaware
| Regiment, and that it was in the battle of
Antietam he gained the notice which made his
bravery seem worthy of especial recognition.
In the heaviest part of the fight the First Della
ware Regiment received orders to charge the
Sunlken Road in the hecornfeld. Thewhole of the
! color-guard, consisting of nine men, were either
! killed or wounded, and the colors fell within
! twenty yards of the Confederate line, which was
stationed in the Sunken Road. Lieut. Tanner
! called for volunteers to rescue the colors, and
after having made two brave but Intellectual
charges, on the third they were successful, and
! triumphantly bore them back to the regimental
! line, which had formed about one hundred yards
! in the rear Lieut.. Tanner himself was badly
wounded in the effort besides losing in killed
and wounded nearly all who made the attempt.
! OF ten officers of the regiment eight were lost
| during the engagement. Col. John w.
| Andrews, commanding the regiment, promoted
! Lieut.. Tanner to the rank of captain on the
| field, and upon an examination of the records
! he has since been awarded the medal of honor
! by the Secretary of War. Capt. Tanner also
participated in the battles of the Army of the
! Potomac, was wounded at Gettysburg in 1868,
and again in front of Petersburg, Va, in 1864
while serving as aide-de-camp to Gen. Thomas
A. Smyth, commanding Second Division, Second
/ AtT,,x NOtps