Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-12-25
A GOOD STORY.
But the Author would he Poor Man
60 Write HIstorr.

But the Author would BE a Poor Man
60 Write History.
1.-THE most desperate personal act I
witnessed during the war was perform
ed lsy Wisconsin cayalryman, said
g. J. Hilton Of Madison. 1T was at
Fleetwood Hill, and the man discounted
the capture made at Ciudad Rodrigo by
Charles 0'Malley's man, Mickey Free.
The Wisconsin man rode cut between
two great cavalry forces--Union and
Confederate-anda attacked lieutenant
and two men belonging to Jeb Stuart
force, and after hand to hand saher
fight, lasting fully ten minutes, cap
tured the three and brought them in. 1t
was the prettiest fight of the kind ever
saw, and the Wisconsin trooper was
cheered by every man ON our side who
witnessed his act and by some Of Stu
arts riders. | don't know who the man
was. hQt my recollection is that he be-
longed to the Second Wisconsin. F"
A man who wore the Loyal Legion
button said he did not think the Second
Wisconsin was in the fight with Stuart
at Brandy Station and Fleetwood Hill.
He asked for the story, however;
81 was member of the Eighth New
York, . said Mr.. Hilton, land our regi-
ment was part of the cavalry command
sent under Pleasonton to look up Jeb
Stuart just before Gettysburg. We
found Stuart-yellow sash, black hat
plumes, gold spurs and all that--at
Brandy Station, and with him We're all
his riders. The fight was hot one, and
we came very near being beautifully
whipped, although we claimed the vic
tory on the ground that we learned
what we wanted to know-where Stu
art was and what Lee was about Some
of the heaviest fighting of the day was
at spot called Fleetwood Hill, and it
was there that the Wisconsin trooper
captured his three men.
eve had been at it hammer and
tongs for two or three hours, when
there came ono of those let ups you all
have seen--for all the world like two
bulldogs looking for fresh hold. While
both sides were waiting for the order to
advance a Confederate lieutenant and
two men rode out from their tents,
moving toward us as if searching for
something on the field. Everybody on
our side watched them and wondered
what they were looking for. The two
lines were fully two-thirds of milo
apart, and the three had got about a
third of the way across toward Us.
Then over on the right of our line was
stir and connection, and the excite
ment spread along until it reached us.
The right of our line was concealed
from us by little grove of oak trees.
A trooper in blue, mounted on big bay
that looked and carried himself like a
Thoroughbred, was riding out to meet
those three men in gray. He sat on his
horse like riding school master. When
within 100 yards of Stuart's three men
he halted, saluted with his saber and
dropped his carbine and revolver. The
three men from the other side had been
watching him, and, understanding the
challenge, dropped their arms.
"Then came the fight. 1t was saber
contest, with three against one That
Wisconsin man disarmed that lieuten-
ant in two passes, hamstrung the horse
of another and put his blade through
the shoulder of the third. He brought
the three into our lines.
"What do you think of that?" he con-
cluded.
1.-THE story is all right, said one of
the listeners, "but l don't think you
would do to write history. '-Milwau-
kee Sentinel