The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-07-26
THE LITTLE YANKEE DRUMMER BOY.

OH the -Ou Gay Oh June, IOOS, koloHc"dii
Jackson's foot cavalry were in the valley
| of Virginia. foOtsore from very long ana
| rapid marches up and down that classic
valley, and often across the Potomac into
! Maryland, to the utter CONSERVATION OF the
government at Washington. At this time
| Jackson had made a feint in that direction,
! which, as usual, greatly alarmed the enemy
| for the safety of their capial lself. 10
| check Jackson and save Washington from
| destruction, as they thought, General NC
| Dowel was ordered post haste from Vlr-
| ginia to move as rapidly as possible up the
! Potomac, and check Jackson's movement
| in that direction. This was the very OBJ
| ject for which Jackson was maneuvering,
| and when the eyes of the nation were
| eagerly turned to Washington, and their
ears were strained to catch the hated boom
! of Jackson's cannon, Jackson was moving
| day and night towards Richmond to at
| tend Il surprise party rendered Mcclellan.
| On we went to Richmond, while Mcdowell
| with all vigOr, was pressing toward Harper S
| Ferry to stop Jackson, whom he supposed
/ was there.
| On the Goth, A. z. HILL with his mag
| niflcent corps, struck the enemy's rear at
| Mechanicsvile and, although they were in
| overwhelming numbers, he drove them from
| the field. Our brigade early in the morn
| ing surprised large body of the enemy IN
| their encampment by coming up Ill their
| rear, and drove them pel-mell on when we,
| fatigued from an all-night march, and
| hungry almost to furnishing, rushed into
| their quarters and took from their savOry
| cook vessels, and ate with the greatest
| relish, the best breakfast we had had the
privilege of enjoying for long time. 1t
| was taken hurriedly, and the word was
| passed down the line, ten minutes tor
| breakfast. The hungry confedcrates
hastily took from the tires the stealnlng
pots of sure enough coffee, sWeetened
it with white sugar, and used the
ready cream, and empued the luscious
beefStcak from the cook vessels into plates
ready on tables conveniently arranged, ana
which to them was Verltable picilc. AZ
the word of command the troops pressed
on in the direction of the Chlckahonnny
all the morning in full hearing OF the rat
! tie of musketry and the boom OF cannon
on the left, where A. L. Hill was making
it warm for the enemy, until about +
o'clock in the afternoon we came up with
their pckets, who were driven back ana
back until the historic field of Cold Harbor
reached, and upon which the enemy
was found i'll countless numbers and well
cntreuchcd. Our brigade was held III re-
serve two hundred yards i'll the rear of
the first battle line, and kept there two
hours, which appeared to lcngthen INTO
week, as the Shot and shell ralned about
us necessarily. l shall never forget the
awful din of the small arms, which seemed
to come from the earth beneath us. just
before sunset the forward command was
given, when we pressed through the woods,
entered Il clearing, and charged the enemy
posted behind brcaStworkS on the crest
of Il small hill. They were soon dislodgcd,
and slowly fell back until the night shad
ows began falling about, when they left
the field, covered with their dead and
wounded, to us. The scene was the most
tII had IL
ries will never fade from my mind. The
WrcckaGe of artillery, wagons, ambulanceS
camp cquipage; the broken and bent guns
and swords, which literally strewed the
ground, cast away by the enemy in their
flight; the hcart-rending Groans of the
wounded, some i'll the last agonics of DEATH
others pitcously calling for help or water
all were so horrible that | associated the
scene with hell. Where | stopped as dark
ness like a pail fell upon the scene. to lie
down to rest for the night, was upon the
spot that had been occupied by the Penn
sylvania Buck Tails. Many Of them, mag
nlhcent specimens of manhood, lay
dead about me. Opening the KNAPP |
l spread out his blanket for my bed, and |
threw away my WORKOUT socks, and put on |
a par OF his new ones. WIS "a the act of |
seeking the sleep, of which | WAS 80 much |
in need, when distressed cry came from a |
mere child only few yards away. | has |
tened to him, and to my horror found that |
the sufferer, who had Just rcgained con |
seriousness. was a little boy. Both of his
legs were crushed | supposed from the fra2c- |
ment of II shell, which lay by him, though he
could tell me nothing about it, He Law |
prone upon his back, and. although man
glcd and mortally wounded, was entirely |
plant on account of his chastly wounds
| gently raised the little head and placed a
knapsack under it, and gave him drink
of water to mosten his parched lips and
Although the dying were all around me, my
first impulse was to find Il surgeon to re-
lieyc him if possible But he said, NO. |
don't leave me, sit down please" and l
did 50. lie had i'll his pocket Il small tes-
lament, in which was written mis- name.
and beneath which the quotation
Fear not, Abraham, / am thy shield, and
thine exceeding great reward He asked
me to take and keep it, He said he knew
that he would die, but it was not that
which distressed him. but the thought of
dying there and away from his mother
from whom he had run away, and she did
not know where he was. He said if he
could see her once more he would be salts
fed. | endeayored to comfort him, but l
could not, for, poor boy, his conscience
was shifting him for his disobedience to
his mother. and he felt no pain except that.
,.e said his home was in New Jersey,
and gave me his mothers address, which I
marked in his testament, but which | lost
before the end of the Seven Days battle
have always regretted the loss of his book
for it was my purpose to write to or visit
his mother, and tell her of her darling boy
his penitence and love for her.
He became quiet after awhile and we both
fell asleep. and when | aWoke early next |
my ncw-found friend lay cold in
DEATH and the rising sun was shining into
his ycidc-opcn, CLASSY eyes, but the little face
was serene. Although he was fourteen
years old, rs he told me, he was not larger
than a boy of twelve. He said he was
drummer boy. and gallant little soldier
am sure he was.
Although | left the little body soon after
sunrise and was engaged for the five sue
cea1ng days in a continuous battle until
Mcclellan reached his gunboats and found
protection under their batteries on the