The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-18

whose active years had been passed in
commonplace business enterprises on the
Pacific coast and in his native Buckeye
State. Hewas one of the average promis-
ing fellows seen in every camp in those
days, a specimen go ahead Yankee.
His father had served in the 1912 war,
and his grandfather had been 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 aman
to be 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
regiment of old fogy martinets.
So some sensible colonel or governor
pinned 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 school
for commissioned officers In six months
time he was a captain putting other cap
tains, and nayhap 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-irst
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 bearers
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 a sub
stitute. In fact for round or two there
will be 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 a bullet, and the
| Forty first was without flag to rally on.
| Though on 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 SC
| 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 il to say, Here are your
colors again and here they shall remain"
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 a 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 inspira-
ton, Opdycke drummed up a corps of men
known as Squirrel Hunters the sports
men of the rural counties and the back