The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-13
WERE THERE ONCE BEFORE.
Congressman Cummings and Tars-
ney Visit Once More the Battle
field Of Antietam.
The Instinct for News and How It
Led the Former Into
Danger.
Tarsney in the Famous Volunteer Charge
for the Battery-Cool Bravery of .
Young Lieutenant.

Where Richardson was slain,
With Stark and Douglas mid the corn.
just behind 1.-THE cornfeld,' where the
most desperate fighting was to take place
the following day, Hooker stopped his ad-
vance ON the evening of the 10Th. The |
troops lay on the ground with their guns by |
their sides. The picket lines were scarcely
pistol-shot apart. Cummings was there, a
New Jersey infantryman just turned p. As
he lay there he heard curious whistling
sound at frequent intervals out in front.
The newspaper instinct of investigation
Cummings turned to his fellow picket and
whispered that he was going to see what
that whistling meant. Flattening himself
to the ground he crawled out toward the
Confederate pickets. It was the extreme
o. sSd:. Il the moving form Xas
low, intermittent whistle guided him.. and
3 he kept on. The mystery was soon solved,
lbut howl A soldier had fallen desperately
ii Wounded during the afternoon's lighting.
He had been shot through the throat: In
piece out Of the windpipe. As the dying
man drew his spasmodic breaths the air
whistled in and out of that hole in the lar
i ynx. His curiosity entirely satisfied, Cum
mings wormed his way back to his place on
the picket-line, and waited for the first
streak of dawn to give the signal for the
battle to begin.
Potomac between mountainous slopes. A
main road from Maryland into West Vir-
town. Lee reiterated south on that road
from Antietam and had passed over while
the deliberate Mcclellan was making up his
mind how to renew the battle. When Lee
had made the passage he planted q battery
g on the West Virginia heights, The guns
q exceedingly uncomfortable for the Union
troops which had come down to the hill on
the Maryland side of the river. On the
evening Of the 10th, two days after the bat
tie, the division commander said that bat
terry must be carried, and he called for vol
unteers. The work cut out was to descend
the Maryland side, form in the bed of the
canal at the foot Of the hills, wade across
the river, which at that point rushes over
the rocks, climb the mountainous slope on
looked desperate. Congressman John C.
Tarnsey remembers the details as if they
occurred only Yesterday. He was q raw
recruit in the .4th Michigan. In 1862, only
books to become a soldier. Hurried to the
front with other fresh material, he was put
into the 4th Michigan upon the battlefield
of Antietam. And, with the baptism of
blood not yet dry, he was brought face to
with thia desperate charge. What a break
1.-THE general called for volunteers to take
that battery Mr.. Tarsney said, as he
pointed out the localities. "Our colonel
promptly volunteered the whole regiment.
Then he came back, had us drawn up in
line and explained what he had done. He
explained that the work would be very
dangerous, and he didn't want anybody to
go who wasn't willing to take all the
chances. He said that those who didn't
:, want to 90 with the regiment could return
Nobody fell back?'' asked fellow con-
Eyes there did," replied Mr.. Tarsney.
Zone man left the ranks, and there wasn't
anybody who jeered or said word to him.
Mr.. Tarsney drew long breath and went
1.-The water rushed oyer the rocks just as
you see it now. In some places it was
breast high. We held our guns and cart
ridge boxes above our heads. You will re-
member that from the time we started down
the Maryland side we were under steady FIRE.
When we got into the bed of the canal we
were partly protected. but when we went
over the tow-path and down into the river,
the confederates had us fully exposed.
There was no chance to do any shooting
back. All we could do was to hold up our
guns and cartridges and wade along right
toward the confederates with their bullets
splashing the water all around us. When
we got across the bank was SO steep that
we were partly protected. The artillery
couldn't be used against us. We climbed
up by holding to rocks and roots of trees.
and when We reached the top the battery
was ours.''
81 think" Mr.. Tarsney continued. "that
the bravest act that saw during the whole
war was something that took place that
day. No, it wasn't our charge It was
something connected with it. When We went
down the Maryland side and jumped into
the canal bed, young fellow went with us.
He was lieutenant and on the generals
staff. He had been sent down to see that the
movement was made according to the order.
When we were in the canal bed that young
fellow rode up and down the towpath be-
tween the canal and the river. He was
little chap and young, and had thin, fine
voice. Cool? He couldn't have been more
at ease on dress parade. Up and down the
towpath he rode. telling the colonel what to
do. can hear him:
.sNow, colonel he said, as easy and
pleasantly as you please, get your men all
Rether. Let every man hold his gun and
his cartridge-box above his head. Take your
time.' "A
'sAnd SO he went ON as he rode sleHay
along in front of our forming line, with the
bullets striking the bank before and be-
hind, above and below him. Two often
thought that was the bravest thing ] saw
during the war. I'd like to know what be-
came Of that young fellow, but I never
knew MS pane, and there's no way OF
tracing him."
Sunday Excursion.
The Northern Pacific Railroad company
VIII make Sunday excursion rate of one
fare for the round trip to all points between |
Helena and Butte via Garrison; also to all