Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-19
SOMEBODY'S BOY.
The Whole Line Cheered, and mt Least One
Voice Was for an Enemy Spared.

tneuoit FREQ frcs-.l
As we were falling back upon Malvern
Hill, in the Peninsula campaign, the rear
guard fighting back the Confederate adj
vance, our brigade was wheeledto the left
and another TO the right to cover the mar
row highway and give the wounded and
the stragglers an opportunity TO close mp:
Across the fields, which were broken and
wooded, advanced the enemy's skirmlshers,
followed by 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 az they rushed forward |
noticed that the man directly IN front OF
me was not man but STRIPPING OF boy.
He didn't look to be more than fifteen
years old, and his face was white and
scared. had dead rest with my musket
and this boy coming straight upon me:
Had he been a man / should have killed
him. | could have hit him with my eyes
shut. When | saw that it was boy L
couldn't 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 musketry, a great billow of flame, a
| thousand cries and curses. The flame OF
death had 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 side of him. As
our cheers burst forth the boy faced around
| with the remnant of the line and retreated
| to cover. / rejoiced 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 brigade holding the mar
row road. We saw the enemy massing tor
another charge, and again we made ready
| to receive them. As they came forward
saw the same whitehead boy, tins time
| little 10 my left.
Don't shoot that boy," / 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 hi:
musket and covered the boy to kill hin
when the word came TO fire. An enemy
was an enemy to him, whether man or boy
| He was there TO kill. held my breath 0:
| the double line again advanced. \ LITTLE
closer. and they fired volley and ther
charged They sought our death-thel
| were following lis to destroy-they had nc
| mercy. And yet, as fired into the smoke
| knowing that my bullet must linda human
target, | was consoled by the reflection
| that was not shooting at the boy-at Some
body's Boy. If he was killed it would b'
by the man Oh my left, and he mus
answer for it,
The enemy could not bulge us. The,
couldn't touch our TANKS, and a charge IL
front was simply slaughter. Our volley
broke their lines. decimated them, threw
them into confusion, and they wer
breasted back again. sprang To my Zee
and looked for the boy. The powder-smok
swirled about. dove down. lifted mp. float
ed away among the tree-tops. and my hear
bounded as saw Somebody's Boy again
He stood with two comrades, the remnant
perhaps, of his whole company. jus
a. got glimpse OF him the three turne'
to obey the cail to retreat and | swung m
cap and cheered Our whole line wa
cheering, the others because they had ono
more repulsed the enemy and becaus
Somebody's Boy had again escaped.
And when I looked along our line TO tn
left, wondering how the man with tn
grim face and murderous heart had missed
his target. | saw him lying dead on tn
ground, stone-dead. A bullet had strucl
him fair in the forehead.