The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-09

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rsssS tions, and if hero
SS2s7s blood would take
fire anywhere it
would on that field. Winthrop was act
ing as military secretary ON the staff OF
the commander, Gen. Butler, and was en-
thusiastic over the first battle of the little
army. Butler did not go to the battle
ground in person and Winthrop rode out
DIT the head of Col. Duryea's column of
Fire Zouaves to meet the enemy.
a surprise that had been planned was
forestalled by an accident, and on arriving
at the field the enemy was seen in position,
with earthworks sheltering his batteries
The fire from those batteries was too severe
for the raw troops that faced them and the
attack was suspended all along the lire.
At the critical moment Winthrop resolved
to inspire the men with valor equal to the
emergency. His face had a glow of ro-
nance in it, and when he called for volun-
teers in Il forlorn hope, detachments from
different regiments responded. On APP
preaching the battery there was indecislon
in the little phalanx as to the best route to
advance and the column halted under the
fire of Confederate rifiemen who supported
the battery. Winthrop went ahead, fol-
lowed by one or two men, swinging his
sword and pointing out the way. The
enemy looked on with admiration, but the
temptation for crack shots to make target
of the conspicuous figure oyercame their
chivalry. II think can bring him." was
the challenge several times repeated as the
sharpshooters craved permission to draw
bead on the hero. Finally Winthrop
stepped upon log and waved his sword
as signal to the column, tagging some
distance behind, to follow. At that instant
a bullet pierced his left side and he fell.
His followers retired and the Confederates
rushed to the spot to find the gallant fell
low dead
A deplorahle tragedy on the Confederate
side was the fall of Gen. Felix K. Zolli-
Golfer, at Mill Springs, KY, Feb. 49, 1852.
This engagement, known at the time as
the Confederate "BGll Run of the West"
was fight for the possession of east Ten
nessee Zollcoffer led Il brigade and open
ed the battle On approaching the Union
lines at an early morning hour some confu-
sion and uncertainty arose as to the identity
of opposing troops. Soon after the action
commenced Zollicoffer ordered the Nine
teenth Tennessee, of his brigade, to cease
firing, rs they appeared to be shooting into
friends. Then riding forward to COM
mand in front, which proved to, be the
Fourth Kentucky (Union), under Col. S. S.
Fry, he repeated the caution, saying to
Fry, 1--WE must not fire on our own men,"
and nodding toward the Nineteenth Ten
nessee. At the moment of addressing Col.
Fry the general became aware of the mis-
take, but his Confederate garb was we'll
hidden under a gum coat that shrouded
his figure, and he quickly decided to brave
it out, and coolly added, pointing to the
Confederate line, 'sThose are our men,"
Col. Fry rode back to tell his Kentuckians
that the strange regiment in front were
friends when an officer on Zollicoffer's
staff sent shot from his revolver into the
Union ranks This opened the eyes of all.
Fry turned and shot at the rider in the
gum coat and some of his men fired at
the same time, and Zollicoffer fell with
fatal musket ball wound and also severe
pistol shot wound. Similar presence of
again and again in the course Of the war,
and would have saved Zollicoffer but for
the reclSlessness of his subordinate.
Naval battles under the long range sys-
TEN of fighting do not offer the same
chances for individual daring that were OBJ
tanned in the days of boarding and hand to
hand struggles on deck, but the war
brought out some heroes of the sea for all.
There was Commander Tunis A. M. Crar
ven, who went down in the i'll fated mont
tor Tecumseh in Farragnt's battle in Mo
bile BAY, Aug. g. 1864. The Tecumseh was
one of four highly priced monitors belong
ing to the fleet and had been delayed in tho
sail to the rendezvous at Mobile. only ar
r,ying at sunset on the 4th.- It's absence
lxoJ 4 r o oft cI- dqVS hIIf
ders were promptly issued to move early
on the 5th against Fort Morgan, at the en-
trance to the bay. The famous Confeder-
ate ram Tennessee lay under the guns OF
the fort, a saucy foe indeed for fleet com
posed principally of wooden ships. Abreast
of Fort Morgan Il line of torpedoes
stretched nearly across the channel, and
the course remaining free from obstruc-
tions was marked by signal buoys, under
stood by the Union commodore. His or
ders to the captains Of vessels were not to
pass west of a certain dead line" of buoys
The Tecumseh led the monitors. which
moved in single file, and was detailed at
the request of Commander Craven special
ly to take care of the monster tennessee.
Her guns opened the fight and when she
was in the middle Of the channel under the
c,,us of the fort the Tennessee advanced to
strike her amidship with her powerful
ram The wooden vessels, however, out
sailed the monitors, the flagship Hartford
running up between the Tecumseh and the
Tennessee.
The latter was inside the dead line'' OF
buoys, but Craven seeing an opportunity,
as he believed, to strike her at a dis
advantage, ordered the pilot to change the
Tecumseh's course across the dead line"
Before the enemy or her companion vessels
had time to Eote the circumstance, she
struck /, torpedo, careened, and sank in
gtantly, carrying down 90 officers and men
nut of ia on board. Craven and the pilot
stood by the wheel, and as the vessel was
sinking both stepped to the narrow stair
gay leading to the turrct above their only
hope OF escape. Craven waved his hand to
the other to mount first, saying calmly,
after yoa. pilot" The pilot assembled,