The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-11-14

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BENEDICT 8 HAENoHD, !
. PRofnsR1oss.
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Two lena Nerass Il War.
aAss Res,ssss.
Isl story o. tho hero;sn ara
death Of two Iowa ,olaiers, o. told bv
= surviving comrade, now one Of Dies
ho'nes' most highly honored citiseps--
u story OF the valor and devotion Of tho
private soldiers. II is q st Offering for
Decoration Day-the tribute Of a com.
rade and eyewitness, told with the elo-
aaence and pathos that always graces
the story Of va!or, Ntells Of an Incl
dent. and Of the courage and valor OF
untitled heroes. which should be pre-
served and guarded as a precious part
etthe history Of Iowa:
Editors Of Register: Noticing in
pr paper the organization and nam
e OF Virtue Post Of tho Grand Army
the Republic at Polk City, brings 10
hind an encounter of the most thrill
h4 nature during the lato war. The
~ Iowa infantry after the ever mam-
charge ut Black River Bridge,
ippi, was sent to Memphis in
lot the four thousand prisoners
had just been captured. This IA
WAS shown, as the regiment had
b terribly slaughtered, and after u
hg, weary march. needed rest. On
he return Of the regiment it was STA
Toned for q few days at Yonng's Point
nearly opposite Vicksburg. While
there information came that there
,, would probably be an attack at Mill
ken's Bend a short distance above
Young's Point, which was being occu-
pied as a sanitary camp and where
many refugees had congregatcd. The
Nrcgiment vas ordered aboard q boat.
aid iatv in tue evening of Jane 9TH.
1868, landed at Ntlr2sn's Bend. Any
one familiar with the lover Mississii-
pi will remember III" high levee back
a few hundred fc.i from the river.
Back IF the levee is usually a tract. of
cultivated land. and then the swamp.
covered densely with cypress trees and
hanging heavy with moss.
On the morning of May 9TH. 1868,
an alarm was given that a brigade of
Texas infantry was charging the camp
from the swamp. The regiment (then
numbering less than two hnndred,)
was ut once ordered in line and started
on a 6ouble.quick. The contending
forces met at the levee. 4 brigade of
/, the picked Texas infantry on II side,
and a decimated remnant of The Odd
IOWA, with a regiment Of new colored
troops, IN the other. Here the pen
fails and the Imagination will have To
reach to its utmost to grasp the thrill
ing encounter. An army Of men IN a
hand to hand conflict SO close together
that when tao ball misses the powder
burns.
The special picture l wish to present
is as follows: John Virtue. a private
Of company b. Of the Twsnty-tlird
Iowa, a former resident of Polk City. a
strong muscular man of over Two hun.
dred pounds, seeing the enemy SO close
determined to drive them back, and
not having time to load his gun.
mounted the levee and thrust his bay
lonot deep through the body OF swar
thy foe, and at the same instant re.
ceived from his antagonist a thurs,
that impaled him OH the bayonet OF
his enemy. There stood the two giants
each having the other pierced with his
bayonet on the top of the levee, while
on either side was the fierce carnage
Of blood and savage war.
An instant afterwards a comrade
Thomas Mcdowell another Of com
pany d, no,.ing the death strugg!.
Jumped 10 the rescue, and with lie
versed gun Drained the brawny enemy
receiving at the same instant IA morta
wound. The three 60 down together
tha enemy dying instantly snd the tw'
friends surviving the deathly struggle
but for a short time.
During The very short engagement
more than half of The regiment wcr
either killed or %woanaed.
John Virtue and Thomas Mcdowell
were private soldiers. No eraulet
had adorned their uniforms. No com
mission had thev received. They wnr
the forage cap and the duty b!ons,
They were men Of trl;c manly wurti
daring to do aud to die for their cont
trv's cause. This is the loyalty. til
bravery, the sacrifice that a nation
callad to-day to commemorate. Afte
twenty years the grateful comrades {
these men erect a lasting monumer
to their memory in the name of VII
tine Post. Grand Army of the Rcpubli,
:. This monument is not in granite Z
marble, but in the loving rcmem'ran'
of his comrades which time has onl
decpened hut not erased.
0NE OF THE TwESrY-TN1Ep.
What Did 1t?