The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-29
SOMEBODY'S BOY.
An Incident of the Fierce Struggle nj
Malvern BilI.

An Incident Of the Fierce Struggle at
Malvern BilI.
AS we were falling back upon Malvern
Hill. in the peninsular campaign. the rear
guard fighting back the Confederate ad-
vance, our brigade was wheeled to the left
and another to the right to cover the mar
row highway and give the wounded and
the stragglers opportunity to close up.
Across the fields. which were broken
and wooded. advanced the enemy's
skirmishers, followed ty a double line
of battle We checked them with
volley. but they reformed and charged
with cheer. l could see their faces very
plainly under the smoke, and as they rushed
forward l noticed that the man directly in
front of me was not man, but stripping
of boy. He didn't look to be more than
10 years old. and his face was white and
scared. had dead-rest with my musket,
and this boy was coming straight upon me.
Had he been man | should have killed
him. l could have hit him with my eyes
shut. When | saw that it was a boy l
couldn't fire upon him. l covered him once,
but his scared faced turned my gun away.
We let them come charging up until some
of the more impetuous were almost over us,
and then there was an awful crash OF musk
etry-a great billow of fiame-a thousand
cries and curses. The flame of death mad
licked up their lines. | was looking for the
boy as the smoke lifted. He stood, musket
in hand, looking about him as If paralyZed.
Every man had gone down for ten feet
either size of him. AS our cheers burst
forth the boy faced about with the remnant
of the line and reti Gated to cover. l rejoced
over his escape, and l hoped that if an
other charge was made he would not be
with them.
Half an hour passed, and now we were
the rear guard-a brigade holding the mar
row road. We saw the enemy masSing for
har a,,h in tua do adv n
receive them. a they came forward l saw
the same white-faced boy, this time little
to the left of me.
"Don't shoot that boyI" l called to the
men beyond me.
The third man on the left was in line
with the boy. He looked up at me with
sardOnic smile, and then he rested his mus
ket and covered the boy TO Kill him when
the word came to fire. An enemy was an
enemy TO him, whether man or boy. He
was there to kill. L held my breath as the
double-!ine again advanced. A little closer
and they fired volley and then charged.
They sought our death-they were follow
ing US to destrOy-they had no mercy. And
yet, as fired into the smoke, knowing that
my bullet must find human target, L was
consoled by the reflection that l was not
shooting at the boy-at Somebody's Boy.
If he was killed it would be by the man on
my left, and he must answer for it.
The enemy could not bulge us. They
couldn't touch our TANKS. and a charge in
front was simply slaughter Our vOlleys
broke their lines-decmated them-threw
them into confusion, and they were breast
ed back again. l sprang to my feet and
looked for the boy. The powder smoke
swirled about, dove down, lifted up, foated
away among the tree tops. and my heart
bounded as | saw Somebody's Boy again.
He stood with two comrades-the remnant.
perhaps, of his whole company. just as l
got glimpse of him the three turned to
obey the call to retreat, and | swung my
cap and cheered. Our whole line was cheer
iDg-the others because they had again re-
pulsed the enemy-I because Somebody's
Boy had again escaped.
And when l looked along our line to the
left, wondering how the man with the grim
face and murderous heart had missed his
target, saw him lying dead on the ground
stone dead. A bullet had struck him fair
in the orehead.-Detroit Free Press.