The times., 1897-06-06
The COWardly Seventeenth.

whose rnusket was trembling in his grasp,
and whose chin was a-quiver, they laid a
hand on mis- shoulder and whispered ia his
ear:
Come, Tom; but you want to brace up
That's hell of racket up there, but IT'S
mostly all noise. Wen have the enemy
in front OF us pretty soon, and wen go for
him heavy Can't scare US with theIs
bluffins, cid man I'll bet dollars to cents
you'll win the stripes of a corporal in this
fight
Those few words braced Tom and the
other men up like a drink OF brandy,
and pretty soon they began joking aad
we're all right. over in the Seventeenth it
was different, however The officers were
at the regulation distance in the rear of the
lines, and the men had nobody 10 brace
chem up To talk to each other made
IN alters worse We were quite pre-
pared for what happened OF sudden
the enemy opened fire on cur front with
artillery, and as the first smell exploded
in the ranks of the Seventeenth the saiI
thousand men broke back like flock of
frightened sheep.
A second shell completed the business. and
there was a stampede which carried them
a mile To the rear. A few OF the Officers
tried To stop the rush, but most of thcIr
went with the men. We heightened oW
lines to fill the gap until another regiment
was brought up, and we saw no more OF
the Seventeenth until ne xt day. Then th@
officers of the regiment were paradeti. ana
the major general said To them:
II know tile history of the Seventeenth
since its first skirmish- You are a disgrace.
to your State, TO the army and to yOuf-
selves. I shall recommend that the regi-
ment be wiped out OF existence
On the morning that the order of dis
bandment arrived the officers were Or
dered 10 report TO headquarters for in
structions The Seventeenth was in charge
of 2 senior captain, and some of the COM
panics had no higher officer than sec
ond lieutenant. All except two or three
were at headquarters, ten miles away.
when Confederate column which h1d
cut loose and marched by night through
field and forest, burst out of the WOO Is
upon the camps Of the detachmentS along
the river The surprise was couipIete md
without check the enemy swept along
down the stream. At the first sounds Of
battle the men Of the Seventeenth termed
out 9f their tents. There were no officers
20 give them orders. They had al ways run
away They were pack of towards.
= few had already started to move off
when there came the thunder OF boots FROM
the west, and a woman rode into camp
NO man of the Seventeenth had ever seen
her before, and to this day her identity
has not been established She must have
In. rrrffo nf
above, but what his rank or NAME was
never been made known. she was hardly
above twenty years old, fair-haired and
handsome, and every man thrilled as she
pulled up her horse and cried Out-
They are making a stand up there by
the creek. and If you VIII join them the
enemy can be checked Where is yow
cOlonel9"
We have none"
What regiment is this?"
The eowardly Seventeenth"
Then God help them up there! I had
hoped to find men here Don't You d .ar
theml They are fighting for life. Dbl
if they had but another regimentl''
wen go! Wen goi FAN in fall .nr'
was shouted and echoed all over camp. and
five minutes later every man had his
musket aud cartridge box and every com
pany was formed.
This way-this way-eome oni' called
the woman. and q she turned her horss
the companies fell into column and fol
lowed after, swim ging their caps and cheer.
ingas they marched.
Up the road crowded with whitt-faced
fugitives, and yet never a man Of the Sev-
enteenth fell cut The guns Doomed anJ
tnun dered and the mHsketry yoleyed, bur
never a man of the Seventeenth. Jagged A.,
Presently they met wounded men crawling
behind trees and logs, and dead men with
eyes looking up at the hot sun. but the or
derly sergeants shouted Forward. For
wardr' and the men smut their teeth hard
and smiled grimIy. Ahead OF them, but
turning every moment 70 look back and
smile and beckon, rode the unknown woIn-
an. 4 ronnd shot piopSed up the dirt near
by. but she gave no heed
4 shel! burst against a tree few wards
away and filled the air with spIinters,
but she did not turn her head. The bullets
came thicker and thicker, but she held her
way till line of blue suddenly came
into view and then waved her hand and
said:
hsEHl uO@u ltEIts GtfElllGEtSe Is where
they need you, and after today no nan
will call the Seventeenth a regiment OF
co waTdSi''
Hip -hip-hurrah." and a swinging Of
caps and a dash forward, and the line was
strengthened not moment too soon The
enemy hurled shell and grape-he poured
in volley after volley he charged again and
again, but the line stood firm and cheered
as itstood. Itwas d fight Of an hour before
re-enforcements came up. Men looked for
the cowardly Seventeenth in its camp, but
only a few daZed officers were there.
They looked for the cravens down on the
line defending the creek, but they found
none there. Behind the log hreastwork
were few hundred living men, their eyes
still aflame and their faces black with
powder stains, and on their right and
left and behind them more dead and
wounded than the whole brigade had yet
lost. Not coward had died not coward
had lived on Led ny a woman. all had
become heroes CHAS B. LEWIS.
Hidden Rcceptacles.
1t is not alone in stories that secret