The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-16
DrELING II AMERICA.
1v1rNJsCENCEsOF GEN. WILLIAM
HENRY HARRISON.

showed His lravery in the Field.
DYING nelist Forgives His
slayer.
In a letter witten to a friend many
-as-s ago, say the Washington Critic,
can William fenry Harrison, the ninth
p-o.i5ent Of tb United STATES, gave, as
t-nows his option regarding duelng:
~ believe thS there were more duels in
.bs northwestern army between the years
1-a1 and 179; inclusive, than ever took
LACE in the ,ame length of time, and
ar,ong so smaIa body of men as composed
tba commissiqed officers of the army,
aitbar in Ameica or any other country, at
last in moder. times.
az became q officer in the first men,
+iored wear, so early an age that it is not
wonderful tat l implicitly adopted the
oninioas Of te older officers, most of whom
we're veterak of the revolution, upon this as
well as uDoIo.her subjects connected with
NV condu5 and duty in the profession l
had chosen l believed, therefore, in COM
non with te larger portion Of the officers,
that no brae man would decline challenge
nor refraifrom giving one whenever he
considered hat his rights or feelings had
been trespBed upon. l must confess, too,
thst was hot altogether free from the
oninion devon honor might be acquired
by well fight duel.
'Fortunbly, however, before was en-
gaged in dduel, either as principal or
scond. with terminated fatally to any
one. l becae onvinced that all my opin-
ions on theibject were founded on error,
snd none othem more SO than that which
depicted III situation of the successful
duelist as eier honorable or desirable A
short experAce in the army convinced me
also that fitting a duel was not an I'M
doubted testbf true courage. l know in
stances of OILS. and desperate duels, being
fought by M who would not have been
selected, by fceTs who knew them, to lead
forlorn lpe. On the contrary, pos
sessed the mt positive testimony to prove
that some ofbe bravest men would not be
engaged in aaffair Of the kind under any
circumstance
LIEU DRAKE'S BRAVERY.
81 present lu with a Renaissance of my
earlier militia life. l introduce it not
only to sustaitny position, but from the
respect | enteain for the memory of gal
LIANT brother ocer, long since called to re-
ceive in anoth world mis- reward for hav-
ing preferred be praise of God to the
praise of men. in the summer of the year
| 1893, Lieut.. Dire, of the infantry of the
second sub-legll, received marked insult
from another ocer. As he manifested no
disposition to cl him to account, some of
those who wi3d him well, among whom 1
was one, spoil D him on the subject, ex-
pressing our lars that his reputation as an
officer wouIdratly suffer if he permitted
4 such an insu to pass unnoticed.
The answ that he gave me was that
he cared nothat opinions the officers might
form Of hiuhe was determined to pursue
his own cous. That course was SO novel
in the armyhat it lost him, as | supposed
it would, threspect of nearly all the Off
GERS. The euing summer, however, gave
MIR. Drake opportunity of vindicating,
most trlumRntly, his conduct and princi-
pies.
HE had tn stationed in small fortress,
which had en- erected by Gen. Wayne,
and had bedrendered remarkable by the
defeat of CO st. Clair's army, three days
before. Thsarrison consisted of a single
rife compa3 and thirty infantry. and of
the latter Dixie was the immediate COM
man7er. 1.-The beginning of July, 1894. a
detachmeI Of the army, consisting of
several humid men, under the command
Of Maj. McAIhol, were attacked early in
the morningy inward of 5000 Indians.
The troops mdet gallant resistance, but
being turned N 9th TANKS, and in danger
of being surrolned, they retreated to the
open ground arond the fort.
From this, D, they were soon dis
lodged by the empowering force of the
enemy. In thretreat, mauy wounded
men were in dyer of being left, which
fact being obserd from the fort, tho COM
mandant, Capt. ibson, directed his own
lieutenant to to the infantry brakes
particular comnnd) and portion of the
rifiemen and sal out to their relief.
11.,-TJ r1ru, 1TTrr n
"To this Dralobjected, and claimed the
right to comma his own men, and, as
senior to the otr lieutenant, his right also
to the whole mmand. oh, very we'll,
sir said the caain, If such is your wish,
take it?' 1T iay wish, sir, to do my duty,
and | will endvor to do it now and at all
times was . modest reply of Drake.
He accordnglsallied out, skillfully inter-
posed his deta fnent between the retreating
troops and thsnemy, opened upon them a
hot fire, AIRED their advance, and gave
an opportunif to the wounded to effect
their escape, Id to the broken and retreat
ing companido reform and again face the
enemy.
"Tbrought the whole affair brakes &C
tivity, skill ID extraordinary self-posses-
sion were ospicuous. The enemy, of
course, obsersd it as well as his friends.
The numerolshots directed at him, how
ever, like therrows of Teucer aimed at
the heart of Actor. were turned aside by
provldential reference, until he had &C
complished athat he had beeu sent to per-
form. He tin received ball through his
body and fa. 4 faithful corporal came
to his asStaute, and with his aid he
reached thu fort, and those two were the
last of the etreating party that entered it.
"Drake made it a point of honor that it
should b SO. Drake was rendered
] unfit for ATTY for long time by his wound.
E He had BIT, indeed, recovered from it in
the sumrtr of 1896, when he was my guest
at Fort Washington Cincinnati, where
was in dnmand) on his way, on furlough,
to visit is native state, Connecticut. His
friends, however. enjoyed his presence but
shor5time; having, as understand
taken tb yellow fever in passing through
Philad5hia, he died in few days after
he reacbd his home.
DUEL TO DEATH.
II i've another instance to relate: An
officer tho army had so often and 50 un-
4 Necesstkly wounded the feelings of another
Of The dme corps. the duties of which made
their location indispensable, that he con-
slderei himself bound TO demand satisfac-
ton ilithe usual way. They met and the
lnjuro inan fell, receiving a mortal wound,
as 1t WI anticipated he woald, from the
SlpeTi1 skill of Lis antagonist i'll the use
Of thel weapon which they used. Being
peS,essk Of a high grade of talent and an
amlabl character, ne had the sympathy OF
all the Ulcers
'W ii Otbare 7 x-iSifC6 HIN. offaT be n qd