The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-06

NOSLcu COOhCu IOOu anu uOut hueN Wileu
they would again.
The boy commissary at the rear knew
how the men felt at the front. He had
been there himself before. He knew just
how faint and desperate men feel under
such a terrific strain. Then, as now, he
was thoughtful of the welfare of others.
Something must be done. And he did it.
What he did, only an earnest. determined
boy who felt the need of il and did not
fully realize the difficulties in the way
would have undertaken. A man with a
mans experience in warfare would un-
doubleday have passed it by as impracti-
cable and chimerical. But Mckinley did it.
at was as good as the reinforcement of
a brigade to our WORKOUT men at that
juncture," said President Hayes, in tell
ing the story a few years before his
death.
Without orders from anybody, the
young commissary sergeant commanded
the cooks to get to work. Full rations for
the regiment were issued and cooked.
Good black coffee in abundance was pre-
pared, and all was loaded into a great
army wagon. With it Mckinley started
for the front, five miles or more away. He
meant to find and refresh the 23rd Ohio If
it was in his power.
been a little lull in the fighting. President
Hayes in narrating the story said:
Everybody was exhausted by the long
strain of the day and the terrific fighting.
What was worse. no one knew what mo-
ment we might be called upon to sustain
another desperate charge. 1t was an hour
of suspense and desperation almost. All
Mt once / heard cheering. 1t did not
seem like the rebel yell, yet as / raised
my head with difficulty above the level of
the field, moro than half expected to see
another hostile column advancing upon
us. What did see was a six-mule team,
we'll to the rear, hitched to an army
wagon. On the seat sat Mckinley driving.
The wagon was loaded with freshly-cooked
provisions and steaming with several bar
rels of hot coffee. understood then why
the boys cheered.
1t had been no easy task for the beard
less sergeant to carry out this plan and
reach his regiment with the needed REIN
forcement of food. Scarcely had he left
his station at the rear with the wagon
when an orderly dashed up and demanded
to know where he was going.
ITO the front, sir" replied the sturdy,
boysh fellow, holding the reins. Il have
provisions here for the 23d Ohio"
The orderly ripped out an oath, sharply
commanded Mckinley to remain at the
rear, and galloped off.
The resolute young sergeant waited till
the sergeant was well out of view and
then whipped up his horses and drove
forward. Possibly a mile further he be-
gan to reach the lines of battle. Sud-
denly Brigadier General NJ. rode up and
halted the wagon. A word of inquiry and
he knew the apparently QuiXotic inten-
tention of tho young commissary on the
box.
"The place for you, young man, is at
the rear" he said sterniy. "Commssary
officers are in the way up here. Get back
to the rear at once, and no more such
capers."
Mckinley saluted without word as the
general turned to ride away. The team
did not move until the general had been
hidden by some inequalities of the
ground. When it did move, however, it
went forward, on toward the post of dam
ger, where the Twenty-third had been
fighting so bravely all day long.
Twice more on his route to the regiment
the wagon with its resolute young driver
was halted by brigadier generals and
sternly ordered to the rear. Twice more
it remained motionless until the man who
had given the order had ridden away, and
then proceeded on its way as if no order
had been given. Few men would have
dared to disregard orders in such a fash
ion. None but boy would have felt that
his mission to the faint and hungry COM
rades at the front transcended even a
generals commands.
The remainder of the incident is soon
told. The wagon found n sheltered spot
and there the men in details of 80 left the
ranks and feel upon the food and coffee
which the determined and thoughtful
young commissary sergeant had brought
out to them at no little personal danger to
himself, for with the lines shifting as they
did that day it was not always easy to tell
which ground was held by the federal
troops andwhich by the rebels. Food and
coffee never tasted better than that to the
boys of the Odd, and the distinction it
gave the young commissary sergeant for
faithfulness to duty helped him to his
lieutenant's commission, which came to
i r.