Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-07-02
SOMEBODY'S BOY.
An Incident of the Fierce Struggle at
Malvern Hill,

From the Detroit Free Press.
AS we were falling back upon Malvern
Hill, in the Peninsular campaign, the
rear-guard fighting back the Confeder-
ate advance, our brigade was wheeled to
the left and another to the right to Gov
er the narrow highway and give the
wounded and the ~stragglers an opportu-
nifty to close up. Across the fields,
which were broken and wooded, adj
vanced the enemy's skirmishers, follow
ed by a double line of battle. We
reformed and charged with a
cheer. I could see their faces
very plainly under the smoke,
and, as they rushed forward, l no.
ticed that the man directly in front of
me was not a man, out a STRIPPING of a
boy. He didn't look to be more than 10
years old, and his face was white and
scared. | had a dead-rest with my
musket, and this boy was coming
straight upon me. Had he been a man
/ should have killed him. l could have
hit him with my eyes shut. When |
saw that it vas a boy | couldn't fire
upon him. l covered him once, but his
scared face turned my gun away.
We let them come charging up until
some of the more impetuous were al
most over us, and then there was an
awful crash of musketry-a great billow
of hames-a thousand cries and curses
The flame of death had licked up their
lines. | was 10 oking for theboy as the
smoke lifted. He stood, musket in
hand, looking about him ASH paralyzed.
Every man had gone down for ten feet
either side of him. As our cheers
burst forth the boy faced about with
the remnant of the line and retreated
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
We're the rear guard-a brigade holding
the narrow road. We saw the enemy
massing for another charge, and again
we made ready to receiv them. AS
they came forward / saw the same
white-faced boy, this time a little to the
left of me.
Don't shoot that boy !" I called to
the men beyond me.
The third man on the left was in line
with the boy. He lookedup at me with
a sardonic smile, and then he rested his
musket and covered the boy to kill him
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 as the double line again adj
NdI1COd. n LOU1O C1OoCI dlIO luCN nICO
a volley and charged. They sought our
death-they were following US to de-
stroy-they had 40 mercy. And yet, as
| fired into the smoke, knowing that
my bullet must find a human target, I
was consoled at the reflection that | was
not shooting at the boy-a somebody's
boy. If he was killed it would be by
the man on my left, and he must an
swer for it.
The enemy could not bulge us. They
couldn't touch our TANKS, and a charge
in front was simply slaughter. Our vol
leys broke their lines, decimated them,
threw them into confusion, and they
were breasted back again. | sprang to
my feet and looked for the boy. The
powder smoke swirled about, dove down,
lifted up, hoated 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 a
glimpse of him the three turned to obey
the call to retreat, and | swung my cap
and cheered. Our whole line was cheer
ing-the others because they had again
repulsed the enemy-I because Some
body's Boy mad again escaped.
AID 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 forehead.