Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-07-29

~ turned thirty,
whose active years had been passed in
commonplace business enterprises on the
Pacific coast and in his native Buckeye
State. He was one of the average promis-
ing fellows seen in every camp in those
days, specimen go ahead Yankee.
His father had served in the 1912 war,
and his grandfather had been a fighting
patriot of the Revolution, and he would
wear the age rust off the saber of his sires
in the old, old fight.
1t was comparatively easy for such man
to be a good soldier, but Emerson Opdycke
aspired to wear the xxx band, and threw
his whole soul into the task of mastering
the first letters of his new art. Having
mastered them he was prepared to teach
Others For volunteers the capable novice
is the most enthusiastic and practical drill
master, and one Opdycke was worth a
regiment of old fogy martinets.
So some sensible colonel or governor
pinned a lieutenant's straps upon him and
gave him standing on par with his voca-
ton. To tell the truth the recruit was
soon proficient enough to give points on
soldering to superiors; in fact, ran a school
for commissioned officers. In six months
time he was captain putting other cap
tains, and mayhap majors and colonies,
through their sprouts. But he enlisted to
fight and not to keep school, and the first
battle of his regiment found him in line
posted notch higher. He was acting
major.
Now the major of infantry is in about
the position of an heir waiting for dead
mems Shoes There is nothing for him to
do in the way of handling troops until the
chaps of higher rank step down and out.
At Shiloh, in April, 1862, the Forty-frst
was in Nelson's division of Buell's army,
the command which Grant dispatched for
in hot haste on the first day to march to
his relief. Nelson's troops entered the
charge to recover the captured encamp-
ments of Sherman and Prentiss The
Ohioans dashed in with the recklessness Of
new hands, and the Confederates first led
them away from their supports and then
charged back on them. The color beavers
went down in succession until six had
! fallen.
At the first or second mishap of this
kind it is not at all difficult to find sub
stitute. In fact for round or two there
will he a rush of candidates for the place
of honor. And it is as natural in an ordi-
nary fight for the man nearest the flag to
pick it up when it falls as it is for gen
tleman to pick up a neighbours hat when
it blows toward him. But when that same
flag counts not merely first and second
victim, when the third and fourth and
fifth and sixth to hold it "bite the dust" it
looks like fatality to grasp it.
In very short time in that first charge
of the regiment the sixth bearer of the
staff dropped at the call Of bullet, and the
Forty first was without flag to rally on
Though on a charge the Ohioans hesitated
they looked into each others faces; their
eyes besought from colonies and captains
an explanation Was the god of battles
fighting on the other side? 1t looked SO
with their colors down and six pairs OF
hands paralyzed in trying to keep them
waving,
The acting major, hanging on the edge
of the line waiting for something to turn
up and wipe out his official nothingness
saw the halting column, the PROSTATE
banner and the enemy rushing on two
against one Pushing through the ranks
he seized the staff and waved the flag back
and forth as if to say, Here are your
colors again and here they shall remain
shouted to the men to follow and leaped
into the smoke and fame that masked the
Confederate line in front The tide turned
Opdycke lived through the tornado of shots
hurled at the banner. He kept it waving
. ana the men look neart. Inc Olu Ddrrdck
drill master was for the hour a man OF
destiny. Bullets couldn't kill him, and
if it was not his to command it was his &c
lead by dashing ahead first.
The Shiloh incident once more impressed
Opdycke's superiors that there was some
thing in the young man and the governor
of Ohio called him home to raise new
regiment. He was securing the state fol
recruits when Bragg's Confederates
| reached her borders in the fall of 1852
Troops for home defense were scarce
towns on the Ohio river were in a panic
Cincinnati was threatened by Kirby
Smiths Tennesseeans and Morgan's raid
ing cavalry Acting on happy inspira
tion, Opdycke drummed up corps of mer
known as Squirrel Hunters" the sports
men of the rural counties and the back
~
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