Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-15
SOMEBODY'S BOY.

The whole Line Cheered, and at Least
One Voice Was for an Enemy Spared.
As we were falling back upon Malvern
Hill, in the Peninsular campaign .he rear
guard fighting back the Confederate adj
vance, our brigade was wheeled to the left
and another to the right to cover the mar
row highway and give the wounded and
stragglers an opportunity to close up.
Across the fields, which were broken and
wooded, advanced the enemy's Skin
mishers followed by double line of bat
tie. We checked them with volley, but
they reformed and charged with a cheer
Icould 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 a man, but a STRIPPING of a
boy. He didn't look to be more than Is
years old, and his face was white and
scared | had dead rest with my mus
ket, and this boy coming straight upon
me. Had he been man | should have
killed him. could have hit him with my
eyes shut. When saw that it was boy
could not fire upon him. / covered him
once, but his scared face 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 nuSkelTN. u great DlllON vi lld1De-d
thousand cries and curses The flame of
death had licked up their lines. l 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 side of him. AS
our cheers burst forth the boy faced around
with the remainder of the line and retreat
ed to cover. | reioiced over his escape and
hoped that if another 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
another charge and again we made ready
to receive them. AS they came forward
saw the same white faced boy, this time q
little to my left.
Don't shoot that boyi' called to the
men beyond me.
The third man on the left was in line
with the boy. He looked up at me with a
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 boy or man. He
was there to kill. | held my breath as the
double line again advanced. A little
closer, and they fired a volley, and then
charged They sought our death-they
were following us to destroy-they had no
mercy. And yet as | fired into the smoke,
knowing that mt bullet must find hui
man target, ] was consolad by the reflec-
tion that | was not shooting at the boy
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 decimated them, threw
them into confusion, and they were breast
ed back again. ! 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
got glimpse of him the three turned to
obey the call to retreat, and ! swung my
cap and cheered. Our whole line was
cheering, the others because they had once
more repulsed the enemy, and | because
Somebody's Boy had again escaped
And when 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 Observation-Disclosures Free Press.