Arizona republican., 1898-06-02
GEN. M'LEER AT BULL RUN.
Relates the Story of His First Rea
Taste of War

One man lay in the rough, canvas-cov-
cred ambulance. He was a private of
the Fourteenth of Brooklyn, a slender.
boyish fellow nth a ragged red streak
across his forehead and blood-Soaked
spot on the breast of his blouse. There
was a hole in the canvas side of the wag-
on, and the wounded soldier could see a
queer weird panoramic movement of uni
formed figures outside. The rattle of
small arms and the heavier roar of ar
tillery came to his ears. The dry smoke
of battle drifted in under the roof of the
vehicle and tortured his parched throat
1t was the day of Bull Run
The noise of the fighting sounded loud
er. A shell screamed over his head. Sew
eral bullets tore through the canvas
walls beside him.
This is getting warm" thought the
private.
Then there was thunder of hoofs on
the turf and a troop of cavalrymen halt
ed at the side of the wagon. The officer
in command and several others whose
uniforms showed them to be regulars
lifted into the wagon and laid on the floor
beside the private of the Fourteenth an
other wounded man.
Major Tiilinghast of Gen. Mcdowell s
staff is in that ambulance" said the
commander of the troopers to the driver
of the wagon. Get him out of this hell
and answer for his safety to me-
The wagon began to jolt from side to
side, and its two passengers knew that
it was in motion. Each step the horse
took caused intense pain to the wound d.
The man of the Fourteenth turned to
look at his fellow in misery. The left
arm of the officer had been torn away at
the shoulder. and his white face was
drawn and haggard. The ambulance
was being drawn along at great speed
1t was in the midst of the rout. Several
times it had to be pulled suddenly to the
81 l. II. IA.
ment of regular cavalry dashing to the
front to cover the retreat. The driver
was cursing and lashing his horse.
The private lost consciousness. When
he opened his eyes again he could hear
nothing. He thought his hearing must
be gone and turned to look at Tiliinghast
The Major was still conscious and the
lines were deepening in his face. He
slowly reached for his pistol in his hol-
ster and painfully lifted it. In an in
slant the private soldier grasped the sig
nificance of the movement-the agony
was too much for Tillinghast and he was
going to end it.
For Gods sake man, don't do thatr'
exclaimed the soldier, grasping the wrist
of the Major. The latter said nothing,
but tried to free his hand. Then began
the fight between the two wounded men,
one struggling for death, the other try
ing to prevent a suicide. Neither man
had strength enough to rise. and they
lying on their sides. Presently the Off
GERS hold on the weapon relaxed and he
fell back with a groan. The private
gathered his strength for last effort
and threw the revolver from him. Then
everything danced in red mist and I'M
followed.
When reason returned to the soldier it
was evening. tiny bird was sitting on
the tailpiece of the wagon singing, me
private gazed at the figure beside him. 1t
was still He reached forward and touch
ed the officers face. 1t was cold. Then
with SILVER he lifted himself and
clambered out of the wagon The horses
and the driver We're gone. The vehicle
stood beside clump of trees. The pri-
vate staggered through the trees and
made his way forward. How long he
tramped he never knew, but he finally
fell fainting into the arms of a Union
picket. He was taken TO hospital, where
ne spent several months. What became
of the deserted ambulance and its dead
was never known, but the private who
received his baptism of fire on the field
Of Bull Run recovered to fight again and
be wounded, not once, but often, for the
flag of the Union. He still lives, al
though his body is Scared and scanned
and one of his coat sleeves is empty. He
IS Gen. James McLeer, the Brigadier in
of the Second Brigade of the
National Guard, and he is as willing to-
lay to fight the Spainard as he was in
the, days of his youth to battle for the
Union The other day he told for the
irst time the story of his first real taste
Of war.