The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-08-01

As our brigade advanced. crossing
pasture land. sweeping through thick
cts and fording creek which seemed
10 be all turns and elbows, "A man
about ton feet from me on the lett
dropped dead. NV company was on
the extreme left OF the line. you see.
and the man was Tanker. He had
been shot from the window OF an
humble looking cabin which stood in
open ground about rifles away.
Sergeant, take ten men and clean
those bushwhackers out and burn the
house," was the order got from my
captain. and minute later | had
squad marching away.
There had been more or less fight
ing over this same ground all the
forenoon. and the artillery and mus
kerry fire had been pretty hot We
were now driving the line. and as
we advanced we found many
Of the dead still lying where
they fell. II wasn't lawful
warfare for bushwhacker 10 hide
away in farm house and shoot "a sol
der in the back. Even IL a battle
was raging such a deed smacked OF
murder. " he could shoot IL was his
business "a be In the lines opposed to
us Then II his bullets found a hui
man target IL was the chances OF war.
and II he happ ned TO be captured by
MS be would be treated as prisoner
OF war
How mnny men were In the house
we could not say, but as soon as In posi-
ton we opened fire on the doors and
windows. Not q shot was fired Ia re-
turn for three or four minutes
Then one OF my men at tho wall, who
had exposed himself, got "A bullet in
the shoulder and crawled away 10
hide under n bank OF earth. Our
bullets soon riddled doors and wind
ows and must have searched every
part OF the house. We expected To
see three or four men dash out
and make run for IT, or white flag
to be displayed in token OF surrender,
but all was grimly silent About ten
minutes after my man had been shot
one OF the men at the shed got his
head out too far while shooting and
received bullet in return 1t di dn't
kill him. but carried away the right
half Of his upper lip and moustache,
passed through his cheek. carried
away four teeth aud split his ear. and
after term In the hospital he was
discharged and sent home.
That was two killed end two
wounded and all apparently by the
same weapon. We knew II TO be an
ordinary rifle by the whip-like crack
OF It's report But there might be
three or four men In the house for all
we could determine We kept blaz-
Ing away at doors and windows on
the chance OF hitting some one. and
from the silence OF the next ten
minutes | felt confident that we had
disabled them. All OF IA were up
and half way there when IA rifle bar
rel was poke through broken pane
and "A flash followed. The ball grazed
my cheek and struck the man behind
me In the forehead and dropped him
dead Next moment we We're at the
doors, front and back, and they were
banged open with crash.
This Is what | saw "A boy SOL
dier lying dead on the floor with an
arm torn of by fragment OF she'll
On the bed was gray-haired woman.
with a bullet wound in her face
Standing in the corner Of the room
proud and defiant. with the unloaded
rifle In her hands. was girl OF l6-il
regular country belle In grace and
beauty.
II car do no more. Shoot us II you
willrn she said as she confronted US.
AYE. shoot added the mother
There lies my only boy. kill by your
guns this morning. / lie here wound
ed. and my gal jim has dropped four
or ave OF you TO get even! One gal
to dozen soldiers. Come and finish
your work."
Bat we simply took the rifle away
and left them with their dead and we
pttiod them even as we smarted with
our own loss.