Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-04

y young man bare
ly 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 lieutenant's straps upon him and
gave him standing on a par with his voca-
tion. To tell the truth the recruit was
soon proficient enough to give points on
soldering tosuperiors; 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 10
do in the way of handling troops until the
chaps of higher rank step down and ont.
At Shiloh, in April, 1862, the Forty-flrst
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 be a rush of candidates for the place
of honor. And il 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 a 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-frst was without a flag to rally on.
Though on a charge the Ohioans hestated;
they looked into each others faces; their
eyes besought from colonies and captains
an explanation. Was the god of battles
fighting on the other slider 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 hating 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 remainP'
shouted to the men to follow and leaped
into the smoke and flame 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
and the men took heart. The old barrack
drill master was for the hour man OF
destiny. Bullets couldn't kill him, and
if it was not his to command it was his to
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 a new
regiment. He was securing the state for
recruits when Bragg's Confederates
reached her borders in the fall OF 1862.
Troops for home defense were scarce;
towns on the Ohio river were in panic;
Cincinnati was threatened by KIRBY
Smiths Tennesseeans and Morgan's raid
ing cavalry. Acting on happy insplra-
ton. Opdycke drummed up corps OF men
known as Squirrel Hunters" the sports
men of the rural counties and the back