The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-08-05
STRiC IN UNUaEoS.
Corporal Rudoiph's Appearance Befor
General Mcclellan With a Message.

Uorpofat appearance BcfOrG
General Mcclellan with Message.
William X. Rudolph, engineer at the
Spring Garden waierworks, was corpor.
al in the Eighth Pennsylvania cavalry
and is past commander II Post 35. He
was Colonel keenan's orderly in the ia
nous charge at Charlottesville and fell
desperately wounded by the same volley
chat killed his colonel Essentially mod.
est, Rudolph 3 recollection of an interview
with Mcclellan was told in the plainest
way, without decoration of any kind, yet
DC is probably the onlv living soldier who
EVER appeared before his commanding gen.
eral without any clothing whatever and
bearing an official dispatch in his mouth.
The night of the battle of Malvern Hill,
June /, 1862, was very dark and rainy
one. The command to which Rudolph be.
longed went into camp near White Oak
swamp. Late in the night he was aroused
from sleep and ordered to report at once
to Captain keenan,.
Corporal, y said he, II am off on i'm
portant duty, and l want you and Privates
Marks, Jobson and Cox to go with me-
Leave your horses and arms, except your
pistols, in charge of the orderly sergeant. 1"
In a few minutes all were ready for the
start. Captain Keenan, told the men that
they were about to take great chances,
and there was considerable doubt whether
they would return alive. He had dis
patch for General Mcclellan which must
be delivered as soon as possible on board
the gunboat Galena, lying in the James
river just below Turkey bend He said:
'We have the advantage of knowing the
country and just where the gunboat lies,
but since we picketed there this morning
the Confederate lines have closed in, and
we must go through them in order to de
liver the Dispatch Then, after urging
the utmost caution, he led the way into
the woods.
After tramping about " miles they
came upon the pickets, but so quietly that
their presence was not discovered. Max
ing a circuit, they passed around the pick
cts as well as the reserve, who were seen
standing about n fire. Reaching the brink
of the river, they found themselves direct
ly opposite the gunboat, whose lights were
discernible about 200 yards away. AS it
was too far to call, and there were no
means of signaling, Rudolph volunteered
to swim out to the vessel. He stripped off
his clothing, took the dispatch in his teeth
and waded out about 80 yards before the
fore he swan 10 yards he was challenged
and almost Immediately fired upon. He
held up the dispatch and shouted, "a
friendP The picket boat of the Galena
came at once alongside, and he was pulled
in. He showed the dispatch, and the boat
men rowed over to the gunboat, where he
delivered the dispatch to General McClel
Ian in person.
~ told him, " said Rudolph, "where our
captain was and how he had got down to
the river. lie thanked me warmly and
told me TO give his compliments to the
captain, and then inquired if we could get
back the same way we came and take an
answer to the dispatch. replied thought
we could. He then went away to write
the answer, ard while he was gone one of
the officers gave me dram to take off the
night chill. In less than five minutes the
general returned to the deck and gave me
a dispatch md Il note for the captain, say
ing, BE as careful as you possibly can,
for wouldn't have that dispatch fall into
the hands of the enemy for all the world.
81 was rowed to within 90 yards of the
shore and soon found my companions.
The captain almost Rugged me when we
met and he found out that everything was
all right. We returned by the same route
to our camp, which we reached within
three hours from the time we left It.
Here the captain mounted his horse and
galloped. away to deliver the dispatch-to
whom never know. "-Philadephia Rec.
ord.