The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-02-26
THE MULE OF SuMPTER.
An Interesting Incident of the War That
Pleases Friend and Foe.

The newspapers and magazines are
full of war stories but there are few of
them any better than this one told by
an old soldier at Il New York dinner
table the other evening:
When Dahlgreu's ironclads began
operations in Charleston h, bog, the
Tenth Army Cops made i sudden
dash and drove in the thin lines of
pickets which TIE Southern officers had
posted on the eastern end of Morris
Island. When daylight came, every
gun which Beauregard could bring to
bear upon the new work began to rain
shot aud shell.
There were enough men there, but
there was a deficiency OF ammunition,
The only road was the smooth sand
beach along the bay, and the distance
between the two points about mile
and Il half Half that distance within
easy range of Fort Sumter, and Battery
Waguer's guns covered all the way to
the sand hills behind which was the
Federal camp.
| am describing the incident as it ap-
peared from the shipping in the bay,
and what called attention to it was the
sudden waking up of every gun on the
southeast angle OF Sumter.
Looking to see the cause of the
furious cannonading. everybody was
surprised TO see mule team tearing
up the beach in the direction of the
work. The driver was laying the lash
on, and that mule had its ears laid
straight back, aud was making its legs
90.
81, L..
beach, bound up and explode, and the
mule would then hesitate and try to
turn back. But the driver would lay
the cowhide on with renewed vigor;
then the mule put on another squirt,
until at last it became entirely de-
moraliZed by the explosion of Il ten
inch shell almost under its belly.
The driver got off his scat. took the
animal by the head, whrled it round
once or twice, and started it up the
beach once more.
Fort Sumter flashed and famed,
Battery Wagner belched and thunder
ed, aud still that daring driver urged
his mule along, though the way was
swept by at least thirty guns.
AT last he reached his destination,
but he could not stay there aud in Il
moment he was turned around and ex-
horting that animal to do its level
best The mule did not need to be
told to step out, for in its rear there
were roar and racket and about its
ears were flying sand and scrap-iron.
which seemed to stimulate its fleet
ness.
Down that hard beach flew the mule,
the light cart bobbing and sway ing.
and the drivers s arm rising and fall
ing as he dealt out lash after lash. AT
last they neared the friendly shelter of
the sand-hil!S.
In another minute they will be safe.
but just as they neared the place to
turn aside a she'll came screaming
from Sumter Everybody could see
the huge mass of iron as it roared
through the air. 1t struck the beach
directly in the rear of the mule, and
with Il bound it overlook it and ex-
ploded with terrific violence.
When the she'll exploded circle of
smoke hid the mule ior moment; but
when the smoke cleared away Mr..
Mule had his ears laid back and. with
head down and legs l;,shing wildly
out. he was making kin ding-wood OF
the cart, which had been badly de-
moralized by Il fragment of the shell.
Presently the driver is seen limping
to the mule; in a second the mule is
free from the cart, and. with the
driver on his back and farewell
whisk of his tail disappears behind the
cover of the hills.
The thousands OF BOYS in blue unite
iu Il long and hearty hurrah; the sail
ors wave their hats aud shout them
selves hoarse, and. bark. the Southern
soldiers have c.taght the infection aud
are cheering tool