New-York tribune., 1897-01-18

LIEUTENANT GEORGE w. bhCSH.
and now that Congress has awarded medal to me.
am led TO believe that so-caed heroism Is sometimes
compulsory. l could not have done anything less III
this instance and preserved my self-respect Fur
thermore whatever effort has been put forth by me
in connection with this medal award and 1t was
little was In behalf Of four soldiers who shared all
the dangers of the incident with me. l told Colonel
Alnsworth. Of the War Department. when was In
Washington the last time when the matter was
under advisement. that / didn't care particularly
whether was included among those who were to re-
ceive medals. but made earnest pea for the
recognition OF my four comrades. whose claims l al
ways considered above mine.
'It is however" said Mr. Brush. "a of
great satisfaction to me that the award was made
under Democratic Administration and when 1t
cannot be said that the getting of 1t due to
political influence.
"My four comrades, who will receive medals at
the time do mine, and for participation in
the same incident, William Downey. John Duny
and David L. Clifford. of NewBedford and Patrick
Scanlon of Unionville. Conn. al! cavalrymen and
probably all members of Company A. 4th Massa-
chusetts Cavalry. These men. so far as can
learn all In moderate circumstances. and their
medals will prove rich heritage to their children.
II at the time a lieutenant In the 34th
United States Cavalry. Colonel James Montgomery.
The colonel soon sfterward was w. W. Marple
Our command had orders to join In an expedition
at Ashepoo River. and burn the railroad trestes
across the marsh at that point The troop steamer
Boston. which was to carry us to our objective
point. Of too deep draught to get up to the
steamboat dock and the troops loaded on TO her
by using small boats. had charge of one Of these
boats, and when the men were about two-thirds
transported. orders were given to get under way
/ fastened my boat to the stern Of the steamer
and we soon were on our way up the stream. This
boat Of mine the only boat we had and 1t was
TO figure In extremely useful way. All
the others were left behind in the hurry to get off
We to have landed at Mosquito Inlet but
pilot went five miles beyond in the fog and
darkness. and the first thing knew
hard aground oyster bed with the tide at
high water. We were soon hailed by the COM
mander Of small Union gunboat. who somehow
got wind Of our predicament. We had passed him
about mile below. He told that daylight
the rebels would place battery on the enemys
shore. opposite where We were stranded, and shell
u.s. He suggested TO our colonel that he be given
twenty-five men. we'll armed who could be used
as sharpshoters and who. from his gunboat could
be used in preventing the rebels from planting their
battery. He said he could use his heavy guns. and
in this way 1t would be possible to keep the rebels
at distance until help should ccme
This struck our colonel good plan, and was
put in charge Of the twenty-five men, These men
were from the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. AS we
were about start in my boat for the gunboat four
cavalrymen. aimed with Spencer carbines vol
unteered their services. and they were accepted
partly because their repeaters and capable
of long range shooting. We started dow. the river
for the gunboat through the fog. but had hardly go,
opened on the stranded Boston This disconnected the
captain OF ; the gunboat who did not 70
nave TO abandon the plan arranged This action
down to the gunboat, and the men began to climb on
board OF her, glad. no doubt that they were out of
range of the guns up the river Just as the last man
i cd
any one would volunteer to 60 with me back to the
Da Gord and scanon mic .eSf armed sa''sfS wih
seats in the boat and each one Of them took hold Of
Bs6 n WHICH M PULLED e rse Tspdy Sa3 IS possible e
nre few of the frightened soldiers on board had
and some OF them drowned As we "c hove teie n
sight cheer was sent up and when got close
depends on you. Yours is the only boat we've GOT
! thought at first the boat would be swamped. but
mo use sd. IN hSrryns M & Then we began the work
ooR f about the P0Sn sSqv the
load and all the time rebels kept up their firing
think about fifteen were IN ether the oGa ha
or drowned The boat came near laundering several
noted As we were leaving the ship with the last
boatload flames burst out on her in different places
rebels Abou es sshS RoI nose, s wers es
s'aes sGS% said III.
rehecuvely ha and IT. seems strange enough to-day
| W IL pioukHt 80 VlNlOly TO mind I
saw those four men before that morning and
have never seen but one of them since / said
afterward that IL any men deserved medals
| for bravery. they deserved IT, Two years ago
| saw man In Albany with medal which had
been presented TO him by Congress He told mo
the story OF how he came by 1t. and II II had not
been for the fact that his experience closely re-
sembled ours the day were rescung our com
rades the idea would never have presented itsoI,
When got home sat down and wrote to the
adjutant general OF Massa chusetts asking him ~
| he could get any trace OF those four men He took
the matter at once, and the request for informa
| tion was published broadcast. Within week
Senator Cook Of New-Bedford wrote me that two
members OF his post in New-Bedford were two
| OF those who figured in the episode The third
| Bedford man. got their affldavits and the am
| davit OF my colonel. now Brevet Brigadier-Ceneral
Marpe. OF Massachusetts: also the afhdavt OF our
| chaplain. the Rev. Mr.. Moore, now living at Chau-
tauqua. Shortly afterward. curiousiy enough the
fourth man turned up In Albany one day and asked
| for me He had heard that hunt being made
| for him, and he came all the way from Union
VILE. Conn. to see me. ! made an application for
a medal for the four men,, without Including my
own name. But Colonel Marble soon discovered
that my name was not included In the application
| and he made out an application for me- That is
| the story In brief of how the medals came to be
awarded to my comrades and myself or course I
| am very proud OF the medal which I have not
| seen yet but do not consider that I was n hero
sor doing what did. What else there for me
| to do?'
| The interview was broken OF at this point and
the reporter suggested that a man with 'streak
| OF yellow" In him would have climbed to the
gunboat and kept out OF the way OF rebel shot and
shell, TO which suggestion and its obvious appli.