The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-02-12
A MYTHICAL STORY.

A MYTHICAL STORY.
From time to time we have read in
the papers the story about the Arch
bishop of st. Paul carrying powder On
his shoulders to the boys OF the Fifth
Minnesota regiment. of which lie was
chaplain for brief period during the
war of the rebellion. The story has
been told again and again, and like old
wine 1t is improving with age. The
latest writer to relate the yarn is Frank
q. Carpenter, whose version, with cut
representing the noted prelate, appears
in recent issue of the Dublin Free
mans journal. This is how he tells
it:
1T was in the midst of the, battle OF
Corinth. The famous Texas brigade had
made their desperate charge The Con-
federates had succeeded in penetrating
the Union lines. They had captured
some of the batteries, and were pouring
into the streets OF Corinth. The gap
in the lines was widening. More sol
diers were rushing through. 1t looked
as though the Confelerates would soon
attack Rcsecrans' army in the rear
when the Fifth Minnesota regiment
was ordered to the rescue to close the
gap. They attempted to do so. They
threw themselves like whirlwind upon
the enemy. With shot and bavonct
they rushed upon The advancing mass:
pressing it back inch by inch until al
| las hf lntF i,1,
had been lost and almost succeeded in
re-establishing the line at the point
whcre it had been broken. Just al
this time, when the enemy were still
crowding the fighting for the gap, che
cry went out from the. Union soldiers
fer more ammunition. Many of the
boys had used up their 40 rounds ana
were replenishing their cartridge
boxes from those of their dead COM
rades. 1t was then that, walking amid
shot and SHE'LL came smooth shaven.
tall, angular young man in the dress OF
a chaplain. Upon his shoulder he car
ried heavy box. and as he walked
along just back of The soldiers he yelled
out from time to time: Here are more
cartridges for YOU, boys. Here are more
cartridges for yo,,' And SO he went
along the line. the, soldiers reaching
back and grabbing the cartridges by the
handtuls and then turning again with
now ammunition upon the struggling
enemy. And so through all that hgu-
this smooth-shaven chaplain moved
back and forth carrying ammunition to
the men to whom he had preached only
few nights before. He kept 1t up until
at last when the evening shades began
to fall, the battle closed with victory
for the Union forces Then it was dis
covered that the brave chaplain was
missing. FIR. Ireland. for it was he
who carried the cartridges to the men,
could nowhere be found. The greatest
thought that his bravery had cost him
his life. There was an anxious search
among the wounded, when In an i'm
provised hospital on the outer edge Of
Corinth the young priest was found un
hurt, but still at work speaking words
of comfort and cheer to the wounded
and the dying"
The Irish Standard dislkes to act
the part of an iconoclast, but truth
cOmpes it to state that after diligent
investigation 1t has discovered that the
bravery of Chaplain John Ireland. as
related in the story, rests upon very
tlimsy foundation. We know that men,
bers Of the Grand Army of the Repnh-
lie are willing to testify that they saw
him with their own eyes carrying boxes
of cartridges on his shoulders on the
day at Corinth, and that they heard
him say in stentorian tones: Here
arc more cartridges for, you boys; give
it to them" We know. of course, that
whatever we may say will not prevent
the story from going the rounds Of the
press in America and Europe. We
know that the boys in blue" will re-
peat it with g,lsto at their annual ell
campments for many years to como:
but for all that, the young chaplain was
not SO sanguinary and war.like as to
carry the cartrhlges1and spur the Union
soldiers to victory He was there In
the capacity of Il soldier OF the cross to
render consolation to the dying and pre-
pare their souls fot a happy eternity
and not to participate in the bloody
strife b i
The story is; based ON the following
incident: During the battle of Corintn
it was supposed that the Union forces
were running out of ammunition at
critical moments Hearing one of the
officers refer tdtthe lack Of cartridges,
the chaplain informed him that some
boxes had just,larrired and he pointed
them out to hins9at Il distance That Is
exactly the foundation there is for the
widely-circulated story.
When the archbishop first saw the
exaggerated story in print he was
highly amused and laughed heartily.
He does so no more. OF late years it
has been repeated SO frequently will
such sensational embellishments that
the great metropolitan of the Saintl.
City cannot smile when his attention
is drawn to it. In fact, it annoys him