The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-07-14

was frightfully hot, and our poor fel-
 lows soon began to drop from heat and
 exhaustion as well as from Yankee bull
 lets. The guns on Graveyard Hill were abreast of us, and poured their shots
 among our scattered men. It was with
 relief that we saw Price's line march 10
 the assault of that battery, and as they
 did so we rallied for one more charge
 on the last remaining rifle pits on
 Hindman Hill, That we carried and the enemy fled to the shelter of Fort
 Curtis. On abandoning the guns to us. the Missouri novices had the cunning
 to spike the pieces, or we would have turned them upon the walls of Fort Curtis. It was while attempting to drill out one of the guns for shot at
 the old flag that I lost my arms by a
 shell from the gunboat. My hands
 were together in a line, and all at once
 l wondered why I could not twist the
 worm I had held second before Men
 who saw me said stared and grinned
 like madman, not knowing what had
 happened. When at last I realized
 what had happened I ran forward in
 the charge with our men toward the
 ditch Of the fort. Not only the gun
 boat fire, but that of the fort itself,
 which was Gastioned, raked the walls,
 and our men were terribly repulsed.
 There was no hope but surrender, and
 our sharp shooters back in the rear
 shot down every man who attempted
 to go into the eneny's lines So we
 were between two fires. We might
 have been saved yet had not Prices
 men made terrible blunder. They
 were ordered to carry Graveyard Hill,
 which they did most gallantly, and in-
 stead of pressing on in our flank and
 rear to support us in the assault of
 Fort Curtis, they passed on to the
 town itself. Seeing no way of escape
 to the rear of our column joined them,
 and lay for three hours in house by
 the wayside, where my wounds were
 dressed by a surgeon.
 Meantime the gunboat firing and
 the fusillade from Fort Curtis sweep
 ing the ground over which we had
 charged, retreat over the same line was
 out of the question. made my way
 toward the outposts on the north and
 had the good luck to fall in with Mar
 maduke's cavalry, which had charged
 upon the battery north of the town. I
 struck Shelby's brigade, and that end- ed my adventures that terrible Fourth of July; but as l have talked chiefly of my deeds and those of my own com
 mand, wish to add little incident to show that heroes were all over the field that day. Shelby had with him that famous battery of flying artillery, manned by Dick Collins, and known on all the border for the spirit with
 which it entered fight Collins guns
 always went in on a charge with the squadrons.
 "On moving out that day toward the battery assigned him to capture Bat
 teary A, Shelby found the road barrica-
 ded, and Collins quickly cut loose the teams and his gunners hauled the pieces around the Instructions by hand, letting the horses pick their way. Shelby advanced too far without sup port, and the guns of a field battery, as l we'll as those of Fort Curtis and the gunboat Tyler, opened on his brigade. 1 A counter charge followed; Shelby was I wounded, and the slaughter around | Collins guns was awful General off, cers and aides helped to work the | pieces. Finally the horses were all 1 shot down, and the line was compelled 1 to retreat under the whitening fire. Shelby, reeling in his saddle from the 1 loss of blood, through an artery severed l at the wrist, called for volunteers to save Collins guns. At the cry The 1 battery is in danger hundreds of the 1 troopers turned back. Shelby said: | Fifty, only fifty! Bring the battery I back or remain yourselves Collins and his lieutenants were still fighting I bravely but hopelessly. The dead
 horses were cut away, ropes attached, and the guns dragged back safely to
 the lines. Fifteen only of those fifty l volunteers got out unscathed and l twenty remained where they fell
 | "Since that day at Helena I tell the
 boys I would rather buck against a | hoodoo than try to down Old Glory on l the Fourth of July. That is the day I the Goddess of Liberty tackled the Red, l White and Blue high up on the Union I mast. and don't let people forget 1t or 1 they may get hurt. Just think of it., l while we were charging through fire l and birthstone at Helena only to figure l in the list of casualties like the Fourth l of July idiots who don't know the guns 1 and pistols are loaded. Grants men | were in Vicksburg hurrahing them | selves hoarse, and Lees battalions, ! thrashed into frazzles were unlocking | horns with Meade at Gettysburg, nigh
 ty glad to be let off so easily. Yes, the l Union is good enough for me on the I Fourth of July and every other day in l the year, and don't regret the price l | paid for finding it out"