The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-05-27
"hER GAL JIM"
A Romantic Story of How She Defended
the Cabin.

AS our brigade advanced, crossing
pasture land. sweeping through thick
cts and fording a creek which seemed
to be all turns and elbows a man
about ten feet from me on the left
dropped dead. My company was on
the extreme left of the line, you see.
and the man was tanker. He had
been shot from the window of hum
BILE looking cabin which stood in open
ground about rifle-shot away.
Sergeant, take ten men and clean
those bushwhackers out and burn the
| houser' was the order 1 got from my
captain, and minute later l had a
squad marching away.
| There had been more or less fighting
over this same ground all the forenoon,
and the artillery and musketry 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. 1t wasn't lawful war
fare for bushwhacker to hide away
in farm house and shoot soldier in
the back. Even if battle was raging
such deed smacked of murder. If
he could shoot it was his business to
be in the lines opposed to US. Then if
l IL
was the chances of war, and if he hap
pened to be captured by us he would
be treated as prisoner of war.
We marched straight for the house,
expecting that the bushwhacker had
fled as soon as he fired his shot, but we
had not covered over half the distance
when a rifle cracked and one of my
men dropped with bullet in his heart.
The nearest cover to the house was a
stone fence hundred feet in front OF
it and a shed barn about the same dis
tance from the back door. Dividing
my squad and now adopting all the
precautions we could. all of us finally
gained the shelters mentioned. 1t was
a log cabin, a story and half high
with two windows in front, one or
each side and a window in the rear
The two doors were front and back.
How many men were in the house
we could not say, but as soon as IL
position we opened fire on the doors
and windows. Not a shot was fired il
return for three OF four minutes. Ther
one of nv men at the wall who had ex
posed himself got bullet in th'
shoulder and crawled away to hid
under bank of earth. Our bullet
soon riddled doors and windows, ant
must have searched every part of tn
house. We expected to see three O.
four men dash out and make a run fo
it, or a white flag to be displayed i
token of surrender, but all was griml
silent. About ten minutes after m
man had been shot one of the men a
the shed got his head out too far whil
shooting and received bullet in re
turn. It didn't kill him. but carrie
away the right half of his upper Ii
and mustache. passed through hi
cheek, carried away four teeth an
split his ear, and after term in th
hospital he was discharged and ser
home.
That was two killed and two wounC
ed, and all apparently by the sam
weapon. We knew it to be an ordil
ary rifle by the whiplike crack of i
report, but there might be three {
four men in the house for all we coul
8 determine. We kept blazing away
= doors and windows on the chance
hitting some one, and from the silent
of the next ten minutes felt contidel
that we had disabled them. Then
gave the signal for rush at the hous
All of us were up and half way thel
when a rifle-barrel was poked throug
a broken pane and a flash followe
The ball grazed my cheek and strut
the man behind me in the Torches
} and dropped him dead. Next nome
we were at the doors, front and bac
and they were banged open with
crash.
This is what l saw: A boy soldi
lying dead on the floor with an ar
;. torn off by fragment of shell. I
the bed was gray-haired woman wi
m a bullet wound in her face. Standil
Y in the corner of the room, proud al
defiant, with the unloaded rifle in h,
hands, was girl of sixteen-a reg
). lar country belle in grace and beaut
, II can do no more. Shoot us if yo
willr' she said as she confronted us.
AYE! shoot!" added the mothe
There lies my only boy, killed
:. your guns this morning. 1 lie hel
wounded, and my gal jim has droppe
four or five of you to get even! Or
gal to a dozen soldiers! Come ar
finish your work!''
But we simply took the rifle avs
and left them with their dead, and v
pitied them even as we smarted vii
the sense of our own loss.-DetroI FIR
| P,.ooo