West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1898-08-15

American soldiers are just the men to
fight on their Town hook" as the say
ing is. They are self reliant, independ-
ent and COOL The Germans make the
boast that in their army if every officer
falls there are soldiers in the ranks ca
pable of taking the vacant places to di-
rect the fighting. Americans can go
further and say that they will fight
ahead and fight we'll without direction.
Many battles Of the civil war were de-
cided one way or the other by the SOL
diers making it their own fight. Chat
tanooga was won in that way, but the
most conspicuous example was at Get
tysburg, where the Federal army had
three different commanders within "a
hours and but a small portion Of the
troops knew during the whole fight who
was actually in command Every point
won was gained by q sort of martial in
stinct without the aid of genius Here
a battery defended ground which proved
to be a key position, there a band of
sharpshooters or cavalrymen or infantry
charged and scored q little victory
which counted in making up the grand
result.
Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson bled to
death alone after sacrificing his battery
on Barlow knoll to save an army corps
from destruction. Warren, scouting
alone, saw the long gray line pushing
its trailed bayonets toward Little Round
Top. Hazlitt dragged his guns up the
rugged mountain to head off the Con-
fedora roc and Waal l. -, IL
from the line without orders to 90 on
the same Grand Either of these gallant
fellows would have cut down the man
who should have dared to insinuate ten
minutes before the crisis came that he
would SO far forget himself as to reck-
lessly anticipate or willfully disobey
orders. But the hour arrived when it
would have been baSeness to stand upon
ceremony. Hazlitt fell and Weed fell,
but Little Round Top, which the COM
mander Of the Federal army had totally
ignored in his plans and orders, was
saved.
There is q process Of selection at work
IN bringing to the front the successful
free agent in war. Gushing was q free
rover in the waters of North Carolina
long before he destroyed the Albemarle.
He had engaged III enough thrilling adj
ventures to make book, but neverthe-
less would have died in obscurity but
for his grand stroke at Plymouth Even
that triumph didn't turn his head, for
he led battalion of marines afterward
in the land attack on Fort Fisher, sim
Dly one Of n score Of lientapap+e ordarod
into line with the ships crews.
Had Gushing been burning for dis
tinction in the regulation way for liter
airy and stage heroes he would have
chafed over being shelved in the isolated
field Of Albemarle sound while the navy
was winning glory in Charleston harbor
and on the Mississippi. When the time
came to choose a man to blow up the
Albemarle at her docks, his superiors
knew by experience that in him were
combined the fearless courage and sound
Judgment necessary for the desperate
work
In the same way Captain Dorst and
Lieutenant Rowan, also Lieutenant
Hobson, had past records to warrant
their election for brilliant UNDERTAKINGS
The most noted free agent Of me civil
war was the Confederate cavalryman
Forrest. lie arose from colonclcy to
the rank Of lieutenant general, but he
did nothing as general that he had not
on L.. col,