The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-05-04
A LITTLE MICHIGAN MAN.
A Gallant Charge Led by 11O-Pound
Man.


compartment of the Pullman car on
the "Flying Yankee" train coming
down from Portland the other evening,
says the Boston Herald. Three were
drummers and the fourth was re-
porter. One of the drummers has the
reputation of being the heaviest COM
mercial traveller in Boston, weighing
in the neighborhood of three hundred
pounds. He talked with little man
who also sold goods.
Now, this little man didn't weigh
over one hundred and ten pounds, he
wasn't over five feet in height and he
had one of the most genial faces i'm
aginable, Notwithstanding a sharp,
piercing eye. The big man sported
three badges, one of which-and per-
haps the others as well-told that he
was member of the Grand Army of
the Republic. The little man wore
nothing in that line and he didn't
look like fighter.
The conversation turned on street.
car incidents and each one related a
story of trouble with drunken passen-
gers. Then the little man said: 81
don't like to fight and don't look like
fighter, but had good one once
I'll never forget it. Feel that!"
He barred his head, and, taking each
man by the hand, indicated deep in
dentation in his scalp about two and a
half inches long, just over his right
temple.
That nearly cost me my life but it
won me a majors commission" he
said. The members of the party
looked aghast as the little man went
on.
cit was when Grant was anxious to
get into Richmond. was captain of
a troop of cavalry. When the war
commenced l was a second lieutenant
in the regular army and managed to
reach captaincy during the struggle.
cat the time l speak of I had been
sent out early one morning with two
companies, comprising all told about
eighty men, to tear up few rails on
the Weldon railroad We spent the
day industrieusly and it would have
Seen hard on any train that attempted
to get over the place where we had
been at work when we finished.
at was about 5 o'clock in the after
noon when we heard the elatter of
horses hoofs, and we had just time to
get together before four companies of
cavalry were on US.
at was a trying moment, [ tell you.
There were about one hundred and
eighty men to my eighty. l surely
thought we were caught in trap, but
/ wouldn't give up without trying
once, and we went to work. There
was one point in our favor. The reb-
els were as much surprised to come
across us as we were to have them.
"Our bugler sounded the order to
charge. And charge we did. 1 doubt
if ever eighty men went to work with
more determination. We rode at the
oncoming horsemen as Sheridan rode
to Winchester and with cries that
rivaled in sound the noise of thou
sand Indians we went through the
ranks of the gray-uniformed men.
"One hundred feet beyond them the
buglers sounded the order to turn and
we turned in trice. Back we went
through their ranks and when we
reached the spot where we had first
started we turned again. Back through
those ranks, with the blood-curdling
yells, we drove, and with scarcely the
swing of a saber on the second trip ou1
victory was won.
"The rebels thought there were a
dozen companies instead of two, SOC
men instead of eighty, and they dis.
persed and fled. They could not
stand such an onslaught; and since
then, in thinking it over, 1 don't know
as [ blame them. We made dash tC
save our lives and we succeeded.
"How did think of making such q
move? Why, l had no time to think
We had 'forlorn hope, that was all
l knew that a simple charge against
such odds as were against us would
have been supine, altogether too slow
and in the excitement of the moment
/ did what came to my mind at first.
ayes, won a majors commission
by it; but 1 wouldn't take another
scratch like the one in my head OF
spend another half-hour like that one
to be general"
AS the little man stepped from the
car in the Boston depot two men on
the platform met him with, Colonel,
how are you?"
The little man won that title later.
He lives out in Michigan now, but
many Bostonians know him, and they
also know that this story is a true one.