Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-04-24
SAVED BY GENUS.
A Gun Invented That Fired Stones TO
the Great Astonishment of the
Enemy.
Yankee Ingenuity Enables Twenty
Two Soldiers to Hold Rude
Fort for Thirty-Six Days.
Turning This New Implement of De-
struction on the Gunners. Their
Firing Was Silenced.

As d soldier under two governments.
! have fought Sepoys, Roers, Hottentots.
! Maoris, Indians, Maays and civilized
| white men, but for real. downright feroc-
| lty and logged perseverance, | give the
medal to the Afghans, says writer to the
New York Sun. Such thing as cowardice
! is unknown to them. They are ready for
a fight at a moments notice, and they can
stand the cold steel and grape aDd canister
longer than any white troops / was ever
| opposed to. They are fanatics to the las.
| drop of blood, and when an enemy believes
! that death on the battle field means eternal
| praise for his name and eternal rest for
| his soul, he becomes doubly dangerous.
| In the march to Cabul, which won
laurei's for the British arms only that they
might be covered with the disgrace of bad
! diplomacy, we found the Afghan on his
| own soil and on battle fields of his own
selection, and. although we could drive
him in every instance, each victory cost
US some of the best blood in the English
army.
One of our outposts, as the column was
encamped in the Coota valley to recruit its
strength and bring up supplies, was nine
miles to the north, where it covered
strategic point. A detachment of 100 men
was kept there for fifteen days,
being relieved every FIVE DAYS, and |
went out with the last detachment We
were all infantry, AMI we had 100 rounds
| of ammunition for our muskets. The post
was not IN the valley, but among the hills,
where it covered three different passes
and it was a terribly lonesome spot 1t
vas among the ruins of an old temple,
and the first companies holding it mao
/ used the first great blocks of stone to build
| a fort.
The structure was about 100 feet square.
crownine steep hill. Two sides of it
were the walls of the old temple. strength
ened little, and, while it was rude af-
| fair as fort, it was a stout and safe re-
treat In case of few men being hard
| pressed.
The blunders made in that historic cam
| palgn are too numerous to be recorded.
| The most impartial historians are agreed
| that lncompetenCy was the leading feature.
| We had been at the post two days when
the captain In command took fifty of the
men for what he called a reconnaissance up
one of the passes to the north of us,
! and at the same time sent TWEEN
| ty-tive men on another fools errand to the
| east.
We had been put there simply and sole
| ~ to prevent the enemy from coming down
the pass right at our door and entering
the valley. What was beyond US did not
| matter.
There was mutterIng among the men as
| they were marched out, each carrying
| twenty-five rounds of ammunition, and
| they called ''farewell!' to the twenty-five
of us left behind. Half an hour after they
| had passed out of sight we heard sharp
| firing to the north and east, and not one
| single man ever returned TO us. They
were ambushed in the deies and
| slaughtered just as might have been ex
| pected.
On this very same day this army decided
| to advance A courier was disOatched to
notify an outpost, but it never reached us.
either turning back through fear or having
| been picked off by some concealed riaeman
| About five o'clock in the afternoon the
natives appeared in large numbers, both
above and below us, and then we knew
what had happend; indeed, they tainted
us with TIE humiliation of our comrade
and gave us the news that the main
column had moved on and deserted us.
| An old sergeant who had passed twenty
| two years In the service, was in comand of
us, and as soon as he fully realized the
| disaster which had come about, he called
| the men together and said:
I'VE have no choice IN this matter. A
thousand men could not push their way
down into the valley now. to try and over
take the column. We must remain and
do what we can
But what can we do?" asked the cor
poral.
"Die!" replied the sergeant. That's
what we were sent out here for ANYHOW.
We are twenty-five to hundred and thous-
ands. We must kill as many of the devils
as we can and then lay down ourselves"
There wasn't a glimmer of hope We
knew the Afghans. In that long and
bloody campaign neither SIDE bothered
with prisoners. If we captured one, ten,
fifty or 100 it was puf! bang. and they
we're left lying dead as we marched on. If
one of our men fell into their hands his
head was Topped off or spear sent
through him before he could wink twice.
They d have the life of every man. even if
they yielded up twenty lives for one.
Some would follow on after the column.
but hordes would be left behind to harass
the outposts left along the line of commu-
nication.
1t stood us in hand to make good use of
the few hours left to us. The Afghans
were elated and excited ana showed no
disposition 70 attack that evening. but we
knew the morrow would open a siege
which might last until there was no longer
a man to defend the fort. As there were
five days rations for 100 mel the twenty
two of us had close upon months pro
visions. As for water, there was a spring
bubbling up within the fort, and all the
preparations we could make consisted in
strengthening the position. During the
night We built a bomb proof, hauled in a
large supply Of frewood and not one of
us got wink of sleep. Day had scarcely
broken when we found ourselves surround
ed by at least 1000 natives The first
move on their part was to demand a sur
render
This was promptly refused and
musketry fire was then opened on the fort.
We made no return, but avoided the prot
holes as much as possible, cooked break
fast and most of the men slept until
noon.
| told you our fort was on the crest of a
steep hill. The earth slanted away from
it in all directions for about forty rods
before there was any cover for the enemy.
So far as musketry was concerned. they
VII pldAC away lOi IL NCdl anu ubt iuIl
anyone, but we knew they would soon
bring up field pieces against US There
was only one spot where they could plant
the guns to get the proper elevation on us.
and that was just opposite the north centre
of the fort, on a little plateau forty
feet above the travelled trail Daring the
day we backed this wall with other blocks
of stone, and made it as secure as aircum-
stances would permit, and when night
came, the enemy had fired 5000 bullets at
US without infiicting the least damage.
We hadn't the lumber to build platforms
around the walls, but we had sufficient to
build three lookout stations at three
corners. and there sentinels took their sta
tions when darkness fell What we
feared was a night attack with scaling
ladders, and that was exactly what they
were planning for. Instead of taking
time TO make ladders, however, they made |
a rush on us about one clock in the morn |
ing with detail of men, carrying long |
poles to rest against the walls. The sen |
tinels gave Us timely notice, and, standing !
on blocks Of stone so as to bring US nearer |
the enemy as he showed up on TOP of the !
wall, we tumbled him on with bullet and |
bayonet so rapidly that he drew off In |
great consusion-
That attack was a good thing for Us. /
The enemy gave US credit for three times /
It. a,l -la-.r0,s, IL Z