Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-11-27
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
THREE HEROES.
a white hoy. White Man. and n
Black Servant in the War.

Black Servant in the War.
"DhFing our advance on Atlanta"
said veteran colonel of the union
army, who now lives in Bensonhurst,
"the cavalry operating on the right
wing of Sherman's army had early one
morning a brisk little fight with Arm
strong's brigade of confederate cavalry
in the scrub oak bushes near Dallas.
Seven or eight union soldiers were
killed and as many wounded. After the
enemy had retired the wounded were
collected in a log shop beside the road,
where the surgeon attended TO their
injuries. Among those hurt was boy
belonging to the Fourth Michigan. He
was not more than 16 years old and rath
er small for his years. His wound was
serious, being n body wound, which
bled internally. The brigade surgeon
in charge was the surgeon of the
Fourth and knew the boy we'll When
he came to him, as he lay on n bed of
shaviugs, the boy asked:
doctor. am going to die?'
"'My poor boy replied the surgeon,
you are badly, very badly wounded,
and am afraid we can't save you.
The tears stood in the Doctors eyes as
he spoke.
"'Well, if I must go, I must, and
there's no use fretting about it, said
the little fellow.
"Just then he looked toward the open
doorway, AND there stood his soldier
friend, boy like himself who had
heard of the critical condition of his
comrades. and now stood near him,
weeping his heart out in sorrow
"'Hello, Billy feebly called the
wounded lad. Don't cry. Come and
bid me good-by; I'm dying like n SOL
der Then, holding his comrades hand
and looking up into the faces around
him. he eHcaimed: 'Hurrah for the
old flag!' A smile was on his face when
the light went out of his blue eyes.
"Previous to the skirmish mentioned,
and while the union cavalry were III
position guarding Sherman's right, SEN
tinels were placed at various points to
prevent surprise. The country was al
most an unbroken forest, with dense
undergrowth. After the fight the po-
sition of the cavalry was changed. and
the sentinels. it was thought, were all
called in. But one, whose post was
somewhat remote in the thick woods.
was overlooked. lie had been posted
iIt the early morning, and all that day
and the following night he remained in
the wilderness without water or food.
Flo heard the noise of the combat; he no.
ticed the silence that followed it, and
rightly imagined that his comrades
were gone. On the following morning
ut roll-call he was missing. and then
1t was remembered where and when he
had beenEplaced on duty, and de-
tachment was sent in search of him. He
was found. weary and almost hopeless
of relief, but in all the long hours of
solitude, darkness, thirst and hunger
he had not even thought of deserving his
post. His duty held hNn there. and life
was not TO be weighed against duty.
Sometimes this fearlessness was
shown by other than the regular sol
diers. In the early summer of 1862
Morgan and his band made their ap-
pearance in Middle Tennessee. and Gen.
Dumont with his cavalry left Nash
vile in pursuit of him. He came uI
with him at Lebanon, and at dawn
dashed into the town where Morgan
had passed the night. The fight that
followed didn't amount to much, for