Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1892-11-16
THE CAPTAIN OF COMPANY B.
The Men Had sized Him Up Long Before
He Led Them Toward the Knoll.

After the first year of the war the
rank and file sized up an officer on his
merits within ten minutes of the open
ing of battle. No matter how mucf
they saw of him in camp. no verdict
was rendered until he had been tried
by fire. While every man is part OF
a great machine in battle, the rank
and file moves only as directly COM
manded. We depended not on each
other, but on the man in command.
He must be brave; he must be COOL he
must have good judgment. He must
know when he is whipped and how to
retreat to the best advantage.
Many officers made the mistake of
irving to pass off bravado for the gen.
uine article. For instance, they tai ked
| in loud tones not thinking that the
sharp-eared men could detect the
tremor of their voices. If bullets and
shells were flying over the line they
would control their nerves and not
duck and dodge. When they looked
around for admiration they saw faces
wearing signs of doubt.
"He is holding himself up-he's no
good!" was the criticism against each
officer, and it always had sure foun-
dation.
Nobody had any sympathy for pri-
vate who became ratified, although it
was not always sign of cowardice,
but there was never more pitiful
sight than the spectacle of captain
breaking down on the battlefield.
| Watch him as the regiment suddenly
receives the order to move by the
| right flank from the shelter of the hill
| into an open field to fill gap. It's
his first fight. In camp he has been
| bulldozer and martinez. Back there
with the reserves, safe from the mis-
slles of war, he has folded his arms
and assumed theatrical poses, talked
| very loudly, handled his sword, and
| examined his revolvers. Other cap
tains have watched him and perhaps
envied his nerve, but the men have
muttered to each other.
He's too cool-too much show.
Wait"
AS we move out shell comes
screaming over our heads and man
is struck by a bullet. Our captain
grows white-faced and looks uneasiiy
| about him. There's a single gun on
knoll to our right as We fill the gap. Ii
it is supported, we cannot see the in
fantry. 1t is glorious opportunity
for a hundred men to distinguish
themselves.
"Capt. Blank take your company
and bring back that gum" shouts the
colonel as he rides up.
attention, Company b! Forward
guide right-march"
r. .L.@ ~ - ,ro;oo 80 a., T.
is, but it is so changed that no man
can identify it. His lips are as white
as one lying dead for day, and he
drags his feet as if there was no spring
to his knees. There are ninety-two OF
us. We leave almost 900 men in the
lines, each one hoping for our success,
but each one critic.
"Whizz! Scream Whew-ew-ew-ew
EVIL" comes a shell, just clearing our
heads, and our captain falls fiat on his
face. He leaps up to wave his sword
in frantic way and shout for lis to
charge. We do NOT obey. We are not
near enough for that.
Boom. Rattle-wish! wish! wish"
come the grapeshot, but not man is
struck
Our captain has thrown down his
sword, and is crying and laughing in
| hysterical fashion. | am near him
and | can hear him muttering:
"We can't do tive shall all be
killed. We must go back! Company
B, about facet"
"Now, men, there's our gun and
away we go-charge!" shouts our first
lieutenant, and with yell we spring
forward.
The captain ran after us. Then he
turned and ran back. Then he ad-
vanced again, waving a stick he had
picked up on the ground. We dashed
for the gun and got it, but as we were
drawing it off a full regiment of the
enemy suddenly came into view from
behind a heavy fringe of bushes.
"By the left tlank-left flank-left
flank" screamed the captain.
"By the right flank" shouted this
first lieutenant, and we tumb led into
a dry ravine and fired volley after vol
ley into the advancing regiment hold
ing it in check until our lines came
up.
The left flank was an open plain.
One volley from that regiment would
have wiped us out. We did not 90
back. Company b had advanced the
line to the ravine. We were cheered
and cheered again by the 90 men.
whats it for-what do they mean9"
shouted our captain. "Oh, yes,
know. Hip hurrah! Yes. We got
the gun! Glorious old Company Is! |
am proud to lead you"
We had sized him up. He had lost
his head in battle and we had no fur
Their use for him. Every man in Com
pany b pitied him. but not man
would have gone into battle with him
again if refusal had been called NUT
my. He had no "goodbys" to make.
The officers of the regiment turned
away from him as from an outcast, and
the men sat in their tents and knew
not when he went.-M Y. Sun.
| Canned Fruit from pompeif.