The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-01-17
SOLDIERS BUDGET.
A War Incident.

1t happened that way sometmes-a
misunderstanding of orders-meeting
with unlooked-for charlottesville Of
ficer in command losing his head just
at the critical moment. We had
charged up the highway to find most
of the planks removed from a bridge
crossing a run. Two or three army
wagons had broken down and been
turned across the road. There we're
dead men and dead horses, and before
we reached the hill our formation was
broken, and we were driven back like
a mob. There was no fighting on our
part, and yet we lost fifteen men out of
one hundred sixty. Later on in the
war some one would have been court
martialed for ordering such a move
ment, but as we came galloping back to
reform behind the regiment the colonel
rode furiOusly down upon us and
shouted: You cowardsl You skulksl
You have disgraced the regiment, and
I'll have you drummed out of i'll Where
is Captain Starks?"
The captains cheek had been grazed
by bullet, and there was blood on his
face. A second bullet had entered his
shoulder, and his left arm hung help
less. His first lieutenant lay dead
back there, and his second fell from his
saddle with the pain of the wound in
the hip as we came back. They were
too strong for us' reported Captain
Starks as he saluted the colonel, who
rode close up to him with white face
and blazing eyes.
"Too strong for you!' Numbered the
officer. " 1t was no charge, sir! Your
men were not properly led Retire your
company and consider yourself under
arrest"
The charge of cowardice against a
private soldier meant ridicule, insult,
contempt. Only another coward would
share his blanket or eat of his ratlons.
Against commissioned officer it meant
such ostracism and degradation that
he had better have been found out
to be an escaped convict. We had been
driven back. We formed by fours, the
wounded captain rode to the head OF
the line, and with the colonel shouting
and stormiug and the regiment cheer
ing and applauding we moved forward.
The enemy has been reinforced.
! More planks have been removed from
the bridge-fence rails piled across the
road-dead horses rolled up to make
breastwork. A regiment of infantry
could not break through now. Trot-
gallop-charge! Some keep to the
road-some take to the bitches. The
fences on either side are lined with the
enemy's infantry, who show DO pity,
and from the turn in the road ahead
two pieces of artillery are belching
grape and canister. There are no or
ders. We have been called towards,
and we are pushing forward TO death.
Men shrek and curse as they throw up
their arms and fall from the saddle.
Horses scream out in pain and terror
as iron or lead enters their flesh.
Over the bridge-over the barri-
cades-over the dead and wounded we
follow our captain, who has no bride
arm and waves his saber around his
head as his horse carries him forward.
Now we lose sight of him as puff of
wind creates rift. How far is it to the
guns? How long is this wild rush to
last? No one asks him elf these ques-
tons. If it were thousand miles, and
if it would take us year, we would
reach those gunsl Forward-forward-
and now we see the gunners-now
sheet of flame leaps into our faces-now
we have reached the goal, and the guns
are oursl
A hundred men rode in the first
charge, and the dead were fifteen.
Eighty. five rode in the second, and five
returned The others were dead or
prisoners-more than half dead-every
prisoner wounded. They were left at
the bridge-in the ditches-at the bar
ricades. Across one of the guns, just
as he had fallen from his horse when
half dozen bullets pierced him at once,
was the body of our captain, and in the
dust beneath three of his followers
crippled for life with their wounds. 1t
were better to be wiped off the roster OF
the regiment than to bear the stigma OF
cowardice M. Quad, in the Detroit
Free Press.