Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-13
AT COULTER's NOTCH.

How Hero Obeyed Orders During the
War and Lost All He Possessed on
Earth.
DO you think, colonel, that your brave
Coulter would like to put one of MS guns
in here?" the general asked.
He was apparently not altogether seri-
Gus; it certainly did not seem place where
any artillerist, however brave, would
like" to put a gun. The colonel thought
that possibly his division commander
meant good-humoredly to intimate that
Coulter's courage had been too highly
extOlled In recent conversation between
them.
General, he replied warmly, Coulter
would like to put gun anywhere within
reach of these people, = with motion OF
his hand in the direction of the enemy.
1T IS the only place, said the general.
He was serious then!
The place was depression, notch,
in the sharp crest of a hill. 1t was pass,
and through it ran turnlike which, reach
ing this highest point in its course by a
sinuous ascent through the thin forest, ran
straight away toward the enemy For a
mile to the left and mile to the right the
ridge, though occupied by line of infan-
try lying close behind the sharp crest and
appearing as if held in place by the at
mospheric pressure, was inaccessible to
artillery. There was no place but the
bottom of the notch, and that was barely
wide enough for the roadbed. From the
confederate side this point was commanded
by an entire battery posted on a slightly
lower elevation beyond a creek and mile
away. All the guns but one were masked
by the tree of an orchard; that one-it
seemed a bit of impudence-wa directly
In front of rather grandiose building,
the planter dwelling The gun was safe
enough In Its exposure; the rifles of that
day would not carry mile without such
an elevation as made the fire, in a mill
tary sense, harmless; it might kill here
and there, but could not dislodge. Coul-
ter notch-it came to be called so-was
not, that pleasant summer afternoon,
place where one would like to put a
gun.
Three or four dead horses lay there,
sprawling In the road, three or four dead
men in trim row at one side of it and a
little back down the HILL All but one
were cavalrymen belonging to the federal
advance. One was quartermaster; the
general commanding the division and the
colonel commanding the brigade, with
their stats and escorts, had hidden In the
notch to have a look at the enemys guns
which had straightway, obscured them
selves In towering clouds of smoke. 1t
was hardly profitable to be curious about
guns which had the trick of the cuttIefsh,
and the season of observation was brief.
At its concluSion-a short remove back
ward from where it began-occurred the
conversation already partly reported. 1T
is the only place" the general repeated
thoughtfully, ''to get at them"
The colonel looked at him gravely.
''There is room for but one gun, general
one against six. >
THAT is true--for only one at a time, >
said the commander, with something like,
yet not altogether like, a smile. But
then, your brave Coulter-a whole battery
In himself.
The tone oflrony was now unmlStak&ble.
1t angered the colonel, but he did not know
what to say. The spirit of military subor-
dination is not favorable to retort, not
even depreciation. At this moment a
young officer of artillery came riding slow
ly up the road attended by his bugler. 1t
was Capt. Coulter. He could not have
been more than % years of age. He was
of medium height, but very slender and
1.-THE. sitting on his horse with something
of the air of a civilian. In face he was of
a type singularly unlike the men about
him; thin, high-nosed, gray-eyed, with a
slight blonde mustache, and long, rather
struggling, hair of the same color There
was an apparent negligence In his attire.
His cap was worn with the visor a trifle
aSkew; his coat was buttoned only at the
sword belt, showing a considerable eX-
panse of white shirt, tolerably clean for
that stage of the campaign But the
negligence was all in his dress and bear
ing In his face was a look of intense in
terest In his surroundings. His gray eyes,
which seemed occasionally to strike right
and left across the landscape, like search
lights, were for the most part fixed upon
the sky beyond the notch; until he shuoid
arrive at the summit of the road there was
nothing else in that direction to see. As
he came opposite his division and brigade
commanders at the roadside he saluted
mechanically and was about to pass on.
Moved by a sudden impulse the colonel
signed him to halt.
Capt Coulter, > he said. 1.-The enemy has
a battery of six pieces over there OH the
next ridge If | rightly understand the
general he directs that you bring up gun
and engage them.
There was blank silence; the general
looked stolidly at a distant regiment
swarming slowly up the hill through rough
underground. like a torn and draggled
cloud of blue smoke; the captain appeared
not to have heard him. Presently he
spoke, slowly. and with apparent effort.
ION the next ridge, did you say, sir
Are the guns next the house?"
''Ah, you have been over the road before
Directly at the house
And it necessary to engage them
The order is Imperatiye?"
His voice was husky and broken. He
was vastly paler. The colonel was aston
ished and mortified. He stole glance al
the commander. In that immobile face
was no sign; it was as hard as bronze. A
moment later he rode silently away, fol
lowed by his staff and escort The colonel
humilitated and indignant, was about to
order Capt. Coulter in arrest when the lat