Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-03-16

court were glad to get him out of such
| a mire as that. Ever since June. there
! fore, Close had been alone with the men
and they with him, and no one in au-
thority had the faintest idea how things
were going. Inspectors were also un-
known in those days, and so long as re-
! ports and returns were regularly re-
| ceived at headquarters, and no COM
| plants came in from the civil author
tiles of negligence or Indifference on
| the part Of their military hackers, all
| went smoothly. Now, there had not
been few instances where civil and
military officials had clasbed, but "Capt.
Close and his splendid company" had
been the theme of more than one laud..
atory report from the marshal on the
score of what he heard from his depu-
ties. The general commanding, indeed,
had been much elated by high COM
mendation from the highest power in
Washington. all due to services rem
dered in running down Ku Klux and
breaking up moonshiners by Capt.
Close, OF company G, --th infantry.
Its just exactly what tie old buffers
cut out ior," said the adjutant general
of the department.; "but I'm sorry to
have to see young Lambert sent into
such exile"
He could hardly have been sorrier
than Lambert was himself, as that
young officer went briskly up the des-
olate road along the "branch." He had
never seen landscape So dismal in all
his life. How on earth was he to en-
ploy his time? No drills, no roll calls,
no duties except the sending forth of
detachmcnts at the call of this fellow
Parmelee; no books except the few in
bis trunk; no companions except this
heavy. ;!literate, money grabbing lout
who did not know enough to offer him
night ride; not soul worth knowing
nearer than Quitman-and only the in
cbriate Potts there! Certainly Mr..
Newton Lambert felt at odds with fate
this sunny December afternoon. He
had tried to persuade himself that the
laughab1e stories about Close were
grossly exaggerated; but now that he
had met that officer tn: indications
were in favor of their entire truth.
It seems that Close had been on some
detached service in connection with the
freedmer's bureau, and had only joined
his regiment late in the autumn of the
memorable yellow fever year, when,
had he SO desired, he could have re-
manned away. His appearance at the
stricken garrison when the death rate
averaged 20 day, when the post was
commanded by a lieutenant, and some
of the companies by corporals, every
body else being either dead, down or
convalescent-added to the halo which
hung about his hitherto Invisible head.
There was no question as to his con-
summate bravery. Grant himself had
stopped in the rear of his regiment and
asked his name after it's dash on the
works at Donelson, and the unknown
private was decorated with sergeant's
Chevrons on the spot. Before he had
opportunity to learn much of his new
| duties, "the Johnnies jumped the
picket one light and stanpeded every
body but Close, who was given up for
lost until he came in two days later
full of buckshot and information. His
colonel acted on the latter while the
doctors were digging out the former,
and Close got commission as first lieu
tenant in a new regiment for his share
Of the resultant benefits. One bloody
afternoon as they werc scrambling
back. unsuccessful, and under an awful
fire, from the works at Nicksburg, the
colonel was left writing on the lead
swept glacis with no shelter but the
dead anil dying around MIN, and Close
headed the squad that rushed out and
fetched him in. Everybody at McPher-
sons side could see that the rebs were
firing high, when once the daring sur
vivors of the six who started reached
their PROSTATE colonel, but the bull
let's sounded just as deadly to the four
who got back alive, and Mcpherson sent
for Close and wrung his hard brown
hand and looked admiringly into the
scmber, impressive face with it's deep
brown, almost dog-like eyes. Some of
The Thirteenth regulars were the next
to report on Close. And these fellows,
being at Sherman's headquarters, had
Influence. In the midst of so rough
campaign, Close looked but little worse
for wear than did his associates, and
when he brought in ten prisoners with
only two men at his back, turned them
over to the Thirteenth, and went in for
more before anybody could thank him,
''Uncle Billy" swore that man was one
of the right sort, and asked him what
lie could do for him that very night.
And then-so the story ran-Close said
he guessed he'd like to be either suit
Ter or luartermaster-he didn't know
which-:nd for once in his life the pop
ular general looked bewildered.
After Mission Ridge, where he got al
other bullet through him, and one that
would have killed an OK, they simply
had to put Close on quartermaster duty,
he wanted it so much and had done such
splendid fighting and SO little talking
for it. That was the end of him until
near the end of the war. His train was
captured by a-dash of Forests cav.
airy, and, though most of the guards
got away, Close went with his wagons.
Andersonville was then his abiding
place for time, but in some way he
turned uD again during the march II,