The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-08-04
emo OF THE CENTURY RGvl
DEEDs OF AMERICAN VALoR.
TaE RECORD OF 1861 WNBRoKEN.

work Of forlorn hope. Alger was or
dered to ride around the flank of the
Confederates and charge whatever he
came upon, bringing up on Sheridan's
front on the main battlefield. If he
could not get through, he was to go as
far as he could, even at the sacrifice
of his command. At the end of an hour
Sheridan charged with his main line,
and the enemy broke and ran from the
field. This PERCEPTIONS retreat was due
to Ayers fierce attack in the Confed-
crate rear. Sheridan says so himself
in his memoirs and admits that the
battle which won for him a star was
decided by the hcroism of Volunteer
Captain Alger of the Second Michigan.
Alger. at Rlenzi, cut his way In, saber
in hand. There were exploits of cut
ting out during the war, but one Of the
most daring and successful deeds Of
the kind was the ride of "Grimes" Ia
Wis cavalry out of Harper's Ferry
when II was surrounded by Stonewall
Jackson in September, 1862. The in
fantry surrendered to Jackson at that
time considered 1t useless sacrifice
and the cavalry being of the same way
of thinking put spurs to their thoughts
standing the fact that Lees army lay
across the pathway of flight
Colonel Davis pushed on at tie head
of the cavalcadc and after riding
through LongStroCt'S corps charged
and captured Il wagon train guarded
by more men than he commanded and
took the prize north to Pennsylvania.
This was no chance exploit of Davis,
the desperation of n man In corner.
He was shot down at arms length in n
personal combat with Confederate Of
ficer when far ahead of his regiment in
a desperate cavalry charge mt Beverly
Ford. Va, the first great sabcr battle.
Both Dahlgrcn and Farnsworth be-
long to the galaxy of cavalry heroes
who did things in the fashion followed
by Funston. Both met the romantic
fates of heroic souls. Young Dahlgrcn
Mt Hngerstown. Md. charged the enc
my with a handful of troopers. getting
wound which put him on a wooden
leg for the rest of his career. With his
wooden leg he rode at the head of one
Of Kilpatrick's detachments on the raid
to Richmond and was killed while try
ing to cross the enemy's country to a
junction with the main force.
Farnsworth was truly hero Of the
meteoric stamp. Unknown to the army
In general. he received his brigadiers
star and command on the field of Get.
tysburg. on the morning of July 3
General Fitzpatrick ordered Farms
worth to charge with his troopers into
the lines of the enemy near Round Tor
as Il feint to cripple Longstreet in his
| attack upon Cemetery ridge. Farms
worth had 300 men, and his course lay
| over rough ground strewn with bowl
ders and swept with artillery, besides
being hedged in with rows of infantry
| bayonets. The bold troopers made q
circuit, stampeding the Confederate in
| fantry and riding so close to the bat
teries as to pass unframed under the
range where the guns bore. After set
| ting the whole Confederate army in an
uproar Farnsworth led the ride out, anC
in so doing struck deeper into the enc
my's meshes. Bursting through two
| lines of infantry, with 30 sabers ut his
heels, he fell dead full stretched on the
ground, having seven bullet wounds il
his body.
The south developed its meteoric
hero in front of Richmond in 1862
when Captain Willie Pegram, the boy
artillerlst, astonished both armies by
his gallantIy with the guns. He be
came the toast at theaters and all pa