Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-20

AXsS~~ generals death, and
.A the occasion, IL 1 re-
s.G 200 m m correctly,
was some appearance
he had to make before the Supreme Court
in the case Of the Chicago anarchists. AS
shook the old mans hand my memory trav-
eled back to a time when Buffers name
was the one I liked the least, and Buffers
hands the last into which I cared to fall
Il was rather young,a mere boy in Texas
when the war broke like storm Natural
ly, with my geography I went with the
confederacy. l was in the artillery. One
day we captured a battery of six brass
guns 1t was given to me to command, and
the day 1 got that battery was the proud
est of my life. Even as look back it still
seems to me that those six brass field guns
We're the most beautiful things have ever
seen.
"Of course I was full of ardor; I burned
to do something with my battery Such was
my anxiety to get into trouble with those
guns that l dragged a couple over to the
banks of the Mississippi-we were in Lousi
ana at the time-and pulled on fight with
a stray gunboat belonging to the Yankees
which l found prowling around. We had IL
sharp, spt-fire time of it for few mo-
ments, when lucky shot from one of my
guns tore hole in her in such fashion,
that it let the river in, and she filled and
sank l was excessively proud of the
achievement.
Branded as IL Wholesale Murderer.
Butler had New Orleans at the time,
and, among other things. was running the
papers. Later 1 read an account of my
brush with the gunboat in one of Buffers
journals. 1t could not be called an I'M
biased statement. 1t reviled me as a most
ham ND oh
declared that even after the gunboat sur
rendered l kept on pouring shot into her,
as ii my one purpose in life was wholesale
murder. OF course this was not SO. 1
wouldn't have fired on anybody after he
had hauled his flag down, and besides that
I didn't have the ammunition to waste.
After 1 rejoined the rest of my battery
following the exploit of the gunboat 1
hunted trouble with the Yankees more
zealousy than ever One day 1 was fully
gratified. We were still in Louisiana. The
sun came up one morning and found some
10000 of US facing largely superior force
of Yankees. We couldn't have crawled
out of a fight even We're we so disposed but
no one suggested any retreat The fact
was we felt quite cockey, and were full of
belief that we could whip the invader,
The fight began, and 1 soon had my hearts
wish; l was in peck of trouble with the
Yankees, l and my battery. l had sue
ceeded in attracting the attention and get
ting a hearing, as 1t were from three
Yankee batteries all at once. They were
a reasonably brisk outfit, and 1t didn't take
them minute to get my range. Then it
began to rain sorrow ard hail despair for
my battery.
2 ITO show you how hot those Yankees
made it one only need to say that they
wounded or killed forty of my SiXty-SiX
men and dismounted two of my brass beau
ties in thirty minutes. You might have
planted corn where my battery stood when
they got through, it was plowed and
narrowed by the Yankee fire.
Men Moved Down.
TT was in the thick of the battle. l was
standing near the No. l gun. A man by
the name Of Thompson was stepping for
ward with a shot in his hands to load
Without word or cry he suddenly fell
forward on the gun and then slipped to
the ground, limp a wet towel. A can
non ball had torn through his chest.
ordered a man to his place. Before he was
there moment fragment of shell from
out of the sky struck him top of his
head and he fell dead by the side of
Thompson. 1t was such a whirl of smoke
and roar that couldn't tell what was
going on at the other guns, much less in
other parts of the field. l had been ordered
to hold my position, and had made up my
mind to hold it while gun and a man of
my battery held together. 1 ordered an
other to take the place of the second lying
dead under the gun. This man got there
just in time to receive a rifle bullet in his
mouth. 1t came out under his ear. This
man, however, didn't die. 1 met him years
after the war.
Three men were all that were available
for this especial duty. They were dead and
wounded and gone; and 1 took the post
myself. l don't know how long it was
| whether one minute or ten-when, without
the slightest feeling of pain or warning,
was hurt, my legs gave way and sank to
the ground. At the same instant an ex-
plosion, like forty batteries all uniting in
one grand discharge, broke loose just to
the rear of me. A column of fire and
smoke shot toward the sky, as il volcano
| had been loosed by the general jar and
din of battle. 1t was my ammunition
wagon. 1 had 1900 rounds of ammunition
in big army wagon 1t had been placed
about fifty yards to the rear of my battery
When we opened the fight I had made up
my mind to stay, and I'd brought up all
Of my ammunition. resolved to win or lose
right there. shot from the Yankees had
exploded it; that was the volcano.
LAS 1 look back I'm not sure but the
| chance explosion of my ammunition wagon
saved what was left of me and my battery
The smoke swept down and covered us up
like a fog. The Yankees ceased firing on
| US. They probably thought we were wiped
off the face of the earth in the explosi On.
AS the smoke drifted on, while it became
clear about the battery, it hung like a
blanket between us and the enemy and
acted the part of a shield The Yankees
could see us, so they didn't shoot.
Trying to Find Wound.
Two of my men came along and dragged
me to the rear, out of the way of immedi-
ate harm.
"'Are you hurt, captain?' asked one.
ct told him 1 couldn't tell. I had fallen
and couldn't get up; that was the extent
of my information.
HE tore open my coat and vest. My
shirt was white, and save for powder stains
and the general CRIME of battle, it was
white stile Not drop of blood redeemed
it, 1 held up my left foot.
".Pull off that boot l said
1.-The boot, high cavalry sort, came off,
Not a twinge of pain; not color of blood.
cat this point I broke into perspiration.
A fear seized me- the like of which has
never overcome me since. Had l tainted
away in the midst of battle and in the
view of two armies? I felt no wound, was
torn by no pain. 1t came over me like
some dream of horror that 1 was unhurt
and had tainted. and that in the sequel of
the story I would be branded a coward
from one end of the war to the other,
wherever soldiers built campfire.
II held up the right boot to be removed.
A cupful of blood ran out. l was never so
glad to see anything in my life. I would
80 ho1-a fol eold for ainpla drop of; -