Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-16
DETROIT CELEBRITIES.
Cen John Pulford, q. S. A, and
Capt. Francis Martin, q. S. N.
The Former Is the Most Desperately
Wounded Man IN America and the
latter Attended NapoleOn's
Funeral at st. Helena.

Especial Detroit Ndich.) Correspondence
It's the general IMP"
Yes he was in. A neat housemaid
found Gen. Pulford enjoying a tete-a-
tete with his charming young wife,
while their noble boy-the child of his
old age-prattled on the rug at their
feet. The veteran extended his usual
genial welcome, and rose to shake hands
with as much alacrity as if he did not
carry a lot OF rebel lead hidden in his
bones.
His friend and comrade, Gen o. NJ.
Poe, says of Gen. Pulford:
"A more gallant man than Gen. Pull
ford never walked the face of the earth
and the records show it. 1 was in the
same brigade with him, although not
in the same regiment, but his courage
and gallantry was confined by no regi-
mental limits. It was known and
recognized through the entire army"
Gen. Pulford served through the en-
tire war and it is believed that he is the
only man who ever survived being
struck by a solid shot from Il cannon.
at Malvern Hill he was lying on his
face with others of his regiment, the
Fifth Michigan volunteer infantry,
when solid shot from rebel cannon
half mile away rebounded In the air
so feet in front, and fell on him, strik-
ing him on the left side of the head.
The shock threw him up three feet in
the air, split his skull, and pulverized
his collar bone. His comrades picked
him up, leaned him against q tree, and
left him there to die.
A day or two after he disappeared
and they telegraphed home to his wife
that he was dead and his body missing.
Two weeks afterwards he was discov-
cred in Libby prison where he had been
tenderly cared for by his fellow prison
ers, but he was delirious with pain and
attacked every body who approached
him.
The prison authorities took the first
opportunity of exchanging the poor fell
low and he was sent to Baltimore
where he lay for two months in the
hospital, never speaking word. Sud-
de- one day he opened his eyes and
t life where it had left him on the
b.. held.
The manacles and chains which had
restrained him while violent were re-
moved and the soldier of iron constitu-
ton recovered, went back to his regi-
ment and lived to have his back broken
and both arms partially disabled in the
battle of the Wilderness. besides being
wounded in the knee at Boydtown
plank road.
Gen. Pulford did some harder fighting
after the war, when he fought the For
ty-fourth congress for the maintenance
of his rank in the army and a pension
commensurate with his shattered con-
dition. He finally won. His victory
was established upon this clause in the
report:
sit is considered that he has risked his per-
son, as an oflcer, in double as many engage.
ments aad actually commanded a regiment in
more battles than the oldest regiment in the
United States army has participated in since
its original organization in $780,
It does not often happen that man
lives to read his own obituary even
once, but Gen. Pulford has had this ex-
perience twice in the course of his va
ried life. The first was when he was
reported dead ON the battlefield of NAL
vern Hill, the other when he was
stricken down with stroke of paraly-
sis, the result of his wounds, some four
years ago. When he recovered it was
not deemed best to let him know how