The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-11-29
emit shoot that MANI

lieutenant within five feet OF the brig
adler.
"You idiot. but why didn't you
shoot ," shouted the indignant general,
as he stepped forward.
1T is cold blood, sir-cold bloodl"
whispered Davis, who trembled in
every limb and was as p~ale-faced as a
dead man.
you poltroon-you cowafdl" ragged
the general. Here, you the
stripes from his sleeves, and you. cap
tain, see that he is reduced TO the ranks
on the company rollsl He ought to be
court-martiaIed and driven out of the
army in disgrace!"
4 soldier stepped forward, and with
his pocket-knife cut the chevroas from
the eorporaI's sleeves, and poor Davis
skunk away in disgrace. Here was a
strange thing. A soldier who did not
hesitate to put himself in position to
be killed could not be induced to fire
upon the enemy. His soldierly qualities
were such that he had been taken out
Of the ranks, and yet he refused to
carry out a soldiers first duty-to kill.
We could not call him a coward-no
man is a coward who will face death
but we called him strange and Won
dered what was back Of ii all. The men
Of the company fell away from him.
and in a few days he stood alnos.
alone. When we followed up the enemy
after Yorktown there was come heavy
diminishing with the rear guard. Am
hoo Do-se 20 z-..h HE oomror- md
upon one occasion, when the hunderd
charged and captured a gun, be led Us
all in the rush, and was tks first man TO
put a hand on it. After that we said
il was a case CT nerves. or that he
had a hereditary fear Of shedding blood,
and he was looked upon more favor
ably.
We saw nothing more of the
" strangeness" of Ambrose Davis until
the battle which drove Mcclellan to
make a change of base. For half a day
our regiment stood in battle line, wait
ing to attack or be attacked, and dur
ing this interval our company lost two
men killed and three wounded. It re-
quired all the nerve the men could work
up to stand there and be shot at with
out firing a shot in return, but Davis
showed no more nervousness than any
Of the rest. When at length VIZ moved
by the left lank for a quarter Of a mile
and then dropped down TO open fire and
hold our ground, Davis was the nan
on my left, and as I loaded my muskei
l noticed that he was firing high. Five
minutes later a lieutenant came creep
ing along in rear of US and warning
each man TO aim low. 1 heard hin
cursing Davis, and twice after that, ere
we fell back. L saw the man firing into
the tree tops.
The enemy crowded US back day by
day and mile by mile, and there wa
fighting over every foot of the high
ways. We had a fierce grapple at Fail
Oaks, and again at Savage Station, bu'
all l knew of Davis was that he wa!
! with us. 1t was only when we turned
at bay at Malvern Hill that 1 found
myself beside him again. He had beer
three times grazed by bullets, and tina
was proof that he had stood up to
soldiers work. Our regiment was sta
[ toned at the base of the hill, strung
along in the bed OF a dry creek, and tn
banks gave US protection and 4 rest 70
our muskets. AS the enemy cam
; swarming across the open every mai
: was a fair target. 1 had fred three 0
four times when my musket fouled. an
: as 1 waited to clear it I watched Davis
/ He was firing over the heads Of tn
enemy by 80 feet. Our position wa
one which could not be carried. Th
> enemy realized this at last, and til
battle began to die away. On cur from
we had only dead and wounded men, q
l far as we could see, and all firing ha
ceased, when a man suddenly rose u
= from the ground about a pistol she
away and stood staring at US. A thor
, sand men shouted at him to come an
surrender, but after a moment b
turned his back and began movin
I away. 1 do not know why any of th
. hundreds of men who had him in rang
A did not fire, but they did not. Som
: were sven cheering the man, when a
officer of artillery jumped down anon
. us and shouted:
e ''Shoot kim-shoot him-why don
some of you bring him DOWN."
His words were heard by 50 mel
but not a gun was raised. The Office
was storming at us when Davis sur
r denly lifted his musket and fired. an
the %retreaung man flung up his arm
f whirled about and sank down. Curse
and groans followed, and Davis tire
d down his gun and hid his face in b
hands and sobbed.
"A splendid shotl" cried the Office
land if were your captain you woul
I be a corporal Tomorrow"
n Davis had done q strange thing. "
looked at him and wondered over j
The heat of the battle was yet stron
# upon us, but the killing of the ma
seemed little short OF eoId-blooded mu
der.
Did l kin-kin him?" asked Davis
q a man beside him when he could co,
troll himself.
"Yes, you shot him dead, the pc,
devil. Why didn't you let him g
away?"
r "You have all been down on me b
49,. .~-.rl-s4 l-s11A0 1890. -