Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-03-10
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
THREE HEROES.
A White hoy, II White Man. ana q
Elack SERVANT In the Mnr.


A White hoy, II White Man. ana q
Elack servant In the War.
During our advance on Atlanta"
said veteran colonel OF the union
army. who now lives in Bensonhurst,
"tbe cavalry operating on the right
I wing Of Sherman's arm, had early one
morning brisk little fight with Arm
strorg's brigade Of confederate cavalry
10 the scrub oak bushes near Dallas.
Seven or eight union soldiers were
killed and as many wounded. After the
enemy had retired the wounded were
collected in Il log shop beside the road,
where the surgeon attended to their
injuries. Among those hurt was boy
belonging to the Fourth Michigan. He
was not more than 10 years old and rath-
er small for his years. His wound was
serious, being body wound, Which
bled internally. The brigade surgeon
in charge was the surgeon Of the
Fourth and knew the boy well. When
he came to him. as he lay on bed Of
ghavings. the boy asked:
"'Doctor. am going TO die?'
"My poor boy. replied the surgeon,
you are badly. very badly wounded
and ain afraid we can't snve you
The tears stood in the doctors eyes as
he spoke.
"'Well. II I must 20. ! must, and
there's no use fretting about it. said
the little fellow.
"Just then he looked toward the open
doorway. and there stood his soldier
friend, boy like himself who had
heard Of the critical condition Of his
comrades. and now stood near him,
weeping his heart ont In sorrow.
"'Hcllo, Billy feebly called the
wounded lad. Don't cry. Come and
bid me good-by; I'm dying like SOL
der Then, holding his comrades hand
and looking up into the faces around
him, he exclaimed: 1Iurrah for the
I'D fae' A smile was on his face when
the light went out Of his blue eyes.
"Previous to the slirmish mentioned,
and while the union cavalry were IL
position guarding Sherman's right. sen.
tinels were placed at various points to
prevent surprise. The country was al
most an unbroken forest. with dense
underground After the fight the po-
stion Of the cavalry was changed, and
the sentinels, it was thought, were all
called in. But one. whose post was
somewhat remote in the thick woods.
was overlooked. He had been posted
IN the early morning. and all that day
and the following night he remained in
the wilderness without water or food.
H. heard the noise of the combat; he no.
ticcd the silence that followed it, and
rightly imagined that his comrades
were gone. On the following morning
at roll-call he was missing. and then
II was remembered where and when he
had been placed OH duty, and de-
tachment was sent in search of him. He
was found, weary and almost hopeless
Of relief, but in all the long hours of
solitude, darkness. thirst and hunger,
he had not even thought OF deserving his
post. His duty held him there. and life
was not to be weighed against duty.
Sometimes this fearlessness was
shown by other than the regular SOL
diers. In the early summer of 1862
Morgan and his band made their ap-
pcarance in Middle Tennessee, and Gen.
Dumont with bis cavalry left Nash
vile in pursuit of him. He came up
with him at Lebanon. and at dawn
dashed into the town where Morgan
had passed the night. The fight that
followed didn't amount to much, for