The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-05-28
SARGE PLUEKETT.
a War Walt.


enlisted as a private in the Second
Louisiana Volunteers in 1861. My 6rst
real soldering was on the Yorktown Pc
ninsula. While there or at Suffolk n
forget which) there strolled into camp a
young boy, not over ten or twelve years
of age, who attached himself to one of
the neighboring regiments. Who he was,
his name or where he came from, can
not now recall. He WAS looked upon as
"No Mans Child" as such found genial
fellowship among the soldiers.
soon realized that he WAS cosmopol.
itan, and at home anywhere, for I next
saw him the pet Of the First South Caro-
lima Volunteers. How long he stayed
with them I cannot say. 1t was nearly q
year before I saw him again. His small
form and boyish face were great contrast
to the men among whom he mingled. 1
remember then how odd it seemed to see
that child in camp, but he mas truly
"the child of the regiment"
After ne had fallen back to Richmond,
and after those terrible seven days. of
battle, the army was reorganized, and the
troops brigaded by States, 80 lost sight
of our Carolina neighbors, and also the
boy.
at the second Manassas, on the 10Th of
August, 1862, our brigade (starks, poor
fellow, he fell at sharpsburg) was lying
in the woods nearly opposite "that terri
BILE deep cut" When the dripping, spat.
tering fire of the Yankee skirmishers
drove INCUR outlookers, las "old Jack"
didn't have counter skirmish line, the
cry forward" rang along our lines, and
we advanced -and iran almost into the
Yankees, who, giving us deadly volley,
fell back rapidly across field, and into
the woods beyond, where battery, sup
ported by swarm of troops, WAS
posted. Nothing checked us. Under a
whitening fire of minies and canister we
pressed on, Bushrod Johnston riding
ahead, and with his sword run through
his hat, waving us on until ne waved him
out of our line of FIRE by yelling to him
to clear the way.
When re arrived within about hun
dred yards of the battery the line was
halted, and under this raking fire the
alignment was corrected and the men
fright dressed" to be shot down.
Ihave often thought that that command
of "halt" might have been heroic, but it
certainly "was not war;" however, not a
man faltered. Again forward, and we
drove straight for the guns.
Just then I felt a thud, sting, q twist
around and l fell. A mimic had struck
my pocket Bible edgewise, and, passing
nearly through the New Testament part,
dug a trench across my left side into the
flesh. With the blood squirting from my
side started rearward, while our boys,
brave fellows, went up to and over the
battery, scattering its supporters like
chaff.
As I struggled back over the field, the
dead and wounded, blue and gray alike,
lying all around, heard great rum
bling on my left and noticed that our
guns we're plunging to the front under
lash and shout, to seize the hills whence
to pour shot into the now retreating foe
T can see them now tumbling, bouncing,
surgiDg to gain the front.
What else did see7
So close could almost reach him, the
little boy, sitting on the timber of one Of
the pieces, his'eyes ahame, his hat way
ing, his treble voice shouting excitedly,
and his whole being lit up and aglow with
the terrible magnetism of battle-cheer-
ing on the line.
Ihave never seen him since. He PASSED
on and was lost in the cloud and smoke
of the field, but the memory of that in
spring scene will never fade.
A. L. S.