Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-07-27

cdValfy meet cavalry, eltner party Standing
at bay they must have it out then and
there. In the same way battery of horse
artillery comes in for hard knocks if it gets
any at all. Long range cavalry fighting
may be done without cannon, and nobody
suffers much in the encounter, but in close
setto between troopers the brunt of it falls
on the artillery. That is what horse bat
teries are for-to keep pace with their swift
moving cavalry companies and interpose a
fiery breastwork against the onrushing
hosts of the enemy when they come too
strong. To play that role in the company
of a raiding and fighting band like General
Joe Shelby's was no trifling task as may
easily be imagined
Shelby was the John Morgan of the trans
Mississippi region. Daring work was cut
out for him, or he cut it out for himself
rather than be second fiddle in the piece,
and his battery was his strong right arm in
raid and battle and skirmish. His favorite
battery leader was Captain Dick Collins,
and the tradition comes down from Shelby's
followers that whenever the command was
afield and word was brought to the general
that the enemy was advancing he invaria-
bly, exclaimed: "Well fight them, by heav-
enl Order the brigade into line and Col
Inns to prepare for action front" "Charge
when l charger was another stereotyped
order to his cannoneers. Collins was a
young soldier who stuck to Shelby through
out his thrilling career. Shelby won his
spurs as captain of company of troopers
that served in General Sterling Prices
Missouri army the first year of the war
that is, until after Shiloh. He then went
home to Missouri to recruit and drummed
up stalwart thousand in two days. Col
1it1u Of ,.l i
company with Captain Joseph Bledsoe
raised battery of artillery to go with Shell
by's troopers. Bledsoe was the brother of
that famous Missouri artillerist Captain
Hi Bledsoe, who brought fame away from
Mexico and kept it bright on score of west
ern battlefields. Possibly Joseph fought
to maintain the soldier reputation of the
family, and perhaps the martial spirit was
born in him. Anyway he taught Shelby's
artillery some good lessons, then gave way
to Collins, who stamped his name on the
battery for all time.
Bledsoe's first exploit with the new ma
chine was splendid bid for fame. AS soon
as Shelby got his young brigade in fighting
trim he pitched his caInp in southern Mis-
souri, around Newtonia. There he became
the advance guard of Confederate army
of invasion, led by General Hindman, which
crossed the border from Arkansas in Sep
tember, 1862 A Union army under General
Frederick Solomon, lying in southern Mis-
souri,, attempted to drive Hindman back to
Arkansas. Shelby's advance posts were
called in at all points except Newtonia, and
in order to hold that place he sent Bledsoe
with two guns to stiffen the cavalry detach-
ment stationed there. The Ninth Wiscon-
sin infantry attacked the town on the emorn-
ing of Sept. 80 and pushed Shelby's horse
men back onto Bledsoe's guns Bledsoe
dosed the charging ranks of Wisconsin boys
with canister until he had used the last
cartridge. He then slowly retired the pieces
$50 yards to a ridge and placed them in bat
terry as If ready to repeat the bloody fusil-
lade if the Yankees were foolhardy enough
to give him a chance. They were not. They
took it for granted that his bold front
meant that the artillery chests were packed
with canister. BY hesitation all was lost.
Shelby hurried re-enforcementst to the spot,
the tables were turned, and Salomon's army
was routed.
Collins handled the battery in its next
fight which was at Prairie Grove, Ark, in
December, 1862. General Marmaduke's