Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17
A BRAVE SOLDIER.
His Modest Description of Seen
Where His Gnllnntry WINS COnspicuOu

His Modest Description of n Scene
Where His Gnllnntry Was Conspicuous
I'm view of the fact that you have
smelled the smoke of battle" said a Star
writer to a retired army officer profering
him a cigar, you won't be afraid of this
killing you"
"Oh.' he said. as he took 1t, $50 long as it
isn't cigarette can stand it. But, as I
was saying" he went on, "the oldest speci-
men of a soldier 1 ever knew was Private
Jack Scudder, member of my company
when I was lieutenant during the first
year Of the war. Jack was a stubby little
chap, illiterate and satisfied with 1t, and
slouchy and lazy and glad Of it. We were
doing Virginia in those days and fighting
was frequent, and noticed that whenever
there was a skirmish anywhere in sight
Jack was likely to be there. One day after
we had been at it for several months about
twenty of our men were caught on a rocky
knoll by battalion of cavalry from the
other side and there was shooting at once.
but our men couldn't stand the odds. and
out of their hiding place they came and
away they went, all except Jack; he re-
manned hid up among the boulders and
kept right on with his fireworks. The cav
alrymen couldn't get up to him without dis
mounting, and he banged away with such
fatal results at one or two who tried it
that they backed away to get new start,
Jack in the meantime dropping one or two
mere of them and firing so fast that they
couldn't tell just how many men might be
up there to meet them in case they made
an assault. While they were dallying about
it q regiment of bluecOatS hove in sight and
the battalion of grays skedaddled, and Jack
came down to meet his reScuers. Every
body had seen the fight, and when Jack got
back to camp be was the hero of the hour,
and I was for making corporal of him.
called him up to have little private talk
with him before taking active measures in
his behalf and he routed me worse than he
had routed the enemy.
care you aware Jack said I, that you
did very brave thing in that fight this
afternoon?
"'What fight, lieut'nant he responded.
Don't be so modest said 1; you know
"'You mean the half fight, don't you.
Heutnant? Them rebs didn't fight. Only
the blueccats fit
"'Well, none Of them did, but YOU
lis that so? I wuzn't noticin'.'
Didn't you know they all ran away and
left you there alone?
well, 1 noticed I felt kinder lonesome
That's all right, jack said I, getting
to the point. You did as brave an act as a
soldier could do, and I want you to be re-
warded for it,
"'What did do lieut'nant?
You didn't run away. as the others did.
when you would have been perfectly justi-
fled in doing exactly as they did
Jack chuckled as though something
funny bad occurred to him.
why, leut'nant,' he said, that wasn't
bravery. There wuz lot of huckleberries
up there jist in reach of where 1 wuz layin'
among the rocks in the sunshine, and 1
wuz jist too dern lazy to rum
~ knew there wasn't much chance after
that to do anything with Jack" said the
officer in conclusion, but 1 proposed cor
poralship to him slight token Of es-
n a nd
hurt his feelings so that I gave H. up as a
had ioh"