The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-07
THE BRAVEST DEED.

group of soldiers, both confederate and
federal, were recently swapping stories of the
civil war. says The Youths Companion At
last they fell TO comparing the greatest acts
of bravery that each had known, and south.
erner told the following story:
1T was a hot July day in 1864 and General
Grant was after us. Our men had hurredly
dug rifle pits TO protect themselves from the
federal sharpshooters, and dead and dying
feds were lying up 10 the very edge of those
pits.
I'm one OF the pits was an ungainly raw.
Ted-headed boy. He was n retiring lad,
green as grass. but reliable fighter. We
never paid much attention TO him one way or
tho other.
THE wounded had been lying for hours
unattended before the pits and the sun was
getting hotter and hotter. They were suffer
ing horribly from pain and thirst. Not Is
feet away, outside the rifle pit lay mortally
wounded officer who was our enemy.
''As the heat grew more lntolerable this
officer's cries for water increased. He was
evidently dying hard, ana his appeals were
OF the most pteous nature. The red headed
boy found il hard 10 bear them. Hs had just
joined the regiment and was not yet callous
TO uffering At last with tears flooding his
grimy face, he cried out:
4 can't stand it no longer, boys! I'm
goin' to take that poor felor my canteen.'
For answer TO this foolhardy speech one of
US stuck cap on ramrod and hoistcd 10
above the PIT. Instantly il was pierced by "A
dozen bullets. TO venture outside step was
the maddest suicide And all the while we
could hear the officers moans
Water! water! Just ono drop, for Gods
sake, somebody Only ono drop!'
Tho tendor.heartod boy could stand the
appeal no longer. Once, twice, three times
in spite Of our utmost romonstrancc he tried
unsuccessfully To clear the pit. At last he
gave desperate leap over tho embanlsmcnt.
and once on the other side, threw himself
fiat on tho ground and crawled toward his
dying foe. He could not get close to him be-
cause of the terrible fire. but he broke su
mae bush, tied to the stick his precious can.
teen, and landed IL in the sufferers trembling
hand
You never heard such gratitude in your
life. Perhaps there was never anything like
IL before The officer was for tying his gold
watch on the stick and sending il back as n
slight return for the disnterested act. But
this the boy would not allow. He only smiled
happily, and returned as he had gone, crawl
ing annie "a halstorm of bullets. When he
reached the edge of the pit he called out to
his comrades To clear the way for him, and
with mighty leap he was among us once
more. He was not even scratched. .--
He took our congratulations calmly. We
said IL was ths bravcst deed we had seen dur
ing the war He did not answer. Ais eyes
had n soft, musing look.
:" How could you do itY / asked in whis-
per later, when the crack of the rifles ceased
for moment
" It was something thought Of, he said.
simply. Something my mother used To sly
10 me. II was thirsty and ye gave me drink" "
she said. she read il to me out of the Bible.
and she taught it 10 me until | could never
forget 1t. When | heard that man crying for
water remembered II. The words stood
still in my head. ! couldn't get rid Of 'em.
So thought they meant mc-and / went
That's all.
This was the reason why the boy was
ready TO sacrifice his life for an enemy. And
IL was reason enough" added the soldier,
with n duavering voice.