Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-06-06

OrS, lot, bnOuRH DOO yhTub was BOOu lOnt
range for tho muskets Of those days, W.
yet hated to be idle. But 1t was unequa
work, and VIC felt the need Of guns badly
Why even single section would have
been a godsend to us then.
II can't go much into the details Of the
next hour or half hour. How long 1t was
IN fact, shall never know, for In fight
Of that sort one has no eye for anything
except what Immediately concerns him.
But remember. as IL it had happened but
yesterday, how turned when shell burst
just over as, and / saw Whiting, my cap
tain, throw up his hands, stagger and
pitch forward upon his face. l was Mt his
side in an instant, but there was nothing
that could do to help him, for even be.
fore / got to him he was covered with
blood from "a wound that seemed to have
crushed In tho whole top OF his skull.
Poor old Whitingl / turned him gently
over upon his back, gave just ono look at
him and then went back to my company,
for was tho only officer left, our second
lieutenant being then in hospital. Mean
while there had come short pause in the
firing, and we felt that the next few min
utes would bring the rebs down upon us
in n charge. 1t was just at this moment
bIuu W. uchIu IObtb vi u bhHu Dlhy ing
in our rear, and presently the breeze
| brought them to us more clearly, and we
! recognized tho tuno that they were play
, ing. II was our own band and the colo
mel had ordered 1t to march from tho rear
up to our limo playing for all 1t was worth
In the hopo that tho Confcderates might
DO led into tho belief 6lat VIC were being
70. enforced. l cannot tell you, boys, tho
on .,pt hat ,,,,A
limo. We were all New Enganders-all
Massa mon--and although some
of us were goddess and careless lot, yet
most Of U.S. i think had been brought up
In tho good old way and knew II only by
oar, tho old psalm tunes Of our boyhood.
So perhaps you mny imagine what we
fot whom the bnnd camo toward us play
ing tho Portuguese hymn--that grand old
hymn beginning:
"How firm u foundation, yo saints OF the Lord,
Ii laid for your faith ON his excellent word
"Boys, ! novor heard n march that
sounded more Ike voritablo Enan Of
victory than that glorious hymn, and in
tho midst of tho smoke and dust and blood
Of tho fight 1t brought us both hopo and
courage and gnvo us tho feeling that no
odds could be strong enough to crush u.s.
Colonel Burleigh aftorward told us that
no had intended to give tho word to tho
regiment to set up n cheer when tho band
got well up To the line. IIe never got n
chance, though, for that ordor--for as tho
notes Of tho band oamo swelling on tho
wind tho regiment roso rs ono man and
shouted and yelled md yelled again I'M
I'll tho woods echoed with tho cheering.
And thon an inspiration came to our color
sergeant, n giant of "A fellow with voice
likoa trumpet, and springing upon tho
broastworks, holding high tho faded and
tnttorod colors, no broke into tho second
verso of tho hymn:
"Fcnr not; am with thee oh, he not dismuy
ed
], nm thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee
To stand,
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.
at was magnificent A hundred strong
voices joined In with his, and up and
down tho limo won't tho electric thrill that
comes to mon but fow times In u lifotimo
"1'veput n long preface before tho story
started to toll, but tho story itself will
tako but few words. / had joined in the
hymn with the others and was singing
away with tho bost of thcm whom heard
at my sido n weak voice trying to follow
tho mir, and looking down ! was con
founded ut seeing poor Whiting, whom
had Thought Instantly killed. leaning ON
his elbow and struggling along on tho
chorus. llo was CHASTITY sight, for his |
face was so covered with blood that his |
features woro almost unrooognizahlo and
his hair was matted with blood and dirt
around tho gaping wound in his head. AS |
lnnIl hnGIIn him, hn uu,,l hunlf WITT "a
Rronn, but he kept muttorng to himself |
aud now and again ! caught word or u
sentence that showed him to bo wander.
ing In his mind, It's suoh--suoh fair
night, littlo girl | hoard him murmur
Church was over carly tonight, Mary |
Won 40 tho long way round homo. Your
mother never will mind.
Poor old Whltingl / knew how hard
1t had boon for him to leave tho sweet
heart ON whom his thoughts were run
ming thon, and | remember wondering
vaguely IL 1t would ho my duty to break |
To her tho nows of that days work. All, |
boys, war Is cruol, aud yet this case WAS
hut ono among many, many thousand. |
But, after all, this oaso did not turn out |
so badly, for when tho old regiment |
went through Washington In tho grand |
IhNNW NHlllllR IbuN Wlln w, Nilu Oh ms |
straps tho silver bars had given place to |
tho gold leaves Of major And, by tho
way, | was host man nj his wedding soon |
nftor wo were mustered out, You 500. tho |
flying splinter uf tho shell that bowlod |
him oyor had torn n frightful cash In his
scalp, but tho skull was not fractured, |
and SO after u week or two In hospital ho |
camO back to- MS rs woll and strong and |
nearly ms handsome as over And that, |
Charley, " turning tn the adjutnnt, lis tho
case in which l know hand to call to
lifo dcnd man,
But tho fight, colonol-how did the
fight como outY' asked tho major
"Oh, forgot about that, " said tho colo
mel, pausing to rclight his cigar, "Wcll, |
suppose tho band Is entitled to tho crcnit
OF stopping tho fight, too, for tho ConI1d-
crates really woro fooled by tho music
and tho yelling, and while they wore stop
ping to figure out just what it all might
mean Woodsidc cnmo galloping back
with couple Of troops of cavalry and
Morgan battery, bringing word that tho
rcst Of tho brigade would ho up as fast ns
feet could carry them But wo didn't |
need thcm after all for the other side
mado u mastorly rotrogrado movement ms