The National tribune., 1899-08-10
my TINE Is FIXED, AND No ONE CAN ALTER IT.

hole into which the hind wheels had sunk
to their hubs, Loney said if they would
throw rails across the soft spot, make a
place for him to stand, he would lift it out
alone; and he did. He was proud of his
strength, but think of nothing else.
A GOOD SOLDIER
He was gooi soldier; a faithful, vigilani
picket He never fiinched under fire. He
never shrank from any duty he was de.
tailed for He would calmly face any
| danger, do any specially hazardous thing
! his officers told him to do; but there was nc
dash to hlm-nO ambition To distinguish
himself except in feats Of strength. He
never volunteered as a skirmiSher nor to dc
any special duty, but fear, nor anything OF
that kind, did not hold him back. He was
the best example of Il willing, obedient, re-
! liable machine-sold:cr ever saw. But he
| hal no, OF at least never gave any evidence
of having any. Judgment of his own. If
| CD hi select the me- for regiment of in
J IA Itry for active Se-vice in the field, could
oJt ii Just such men as | wanted. ninety
niae hundredths Of the privates would be
| his exact coIntarpartS; the remainder of the
CO nmlnd would have more DASH more am
iisiol and better Judgment; such regi-
ment would Withstand any assault; il
III :ght be outnumbered. killed tO the last
ma. but it would never run, surrender, or
stop fighting until ordered so To do.
I AS an instance Of what most men would
cal courage or bravery: At Shiloh his gun
! betLne foul from repeated firing; it hung
| fire in the very midst of a sharp engage
ms It where we We're greatly outnumbered.
! Ii was during special movement and a
specially hazardous one too The first four
co npa1ieS Of the regiment were ordered to
advance in line. through Il wood that
| Skirted one side Of an opei field, until mid
WAY betwee tie two regular lines Of battle,
! both Of these lines being in WOODS, within
easr range. yet not III sight OF each other.
| When We hal re iched this middle posi-
| ton. we were to change direction by the
! right flank. and dash part way across the
open ground. hrIng rs we ran; then, by
another flank movement. retreat in dis
; orler IN the direction Of our main line We
were not To charge the euecly merely 10
expose ourselves. fire n few rounds, draw
the e.iemy's fire, and then run like scared
sheep.
! T:ie object of our General was to i'm
press the enemy with the idea that the
movement was q ruse OH orr part To
draw them into 4 trap They really
! thought that we were sent ont to lure them
| on To a greatly superior force, and To sure
! destruction. They poured yoIey after
yo!ley into US. but refused TO follow II
really was plot, and they fully fell into it,
/ for our line right there was welSer than any-
where else, and If they had followed us, they
would surely have pierced it. The ma
nuver was repeated four times during the
day; the first having been made by the
three right companies, A, b, and G; the
| second by what was left of them, and by
volunteers from the other companies; the
third, by what Was left and Co. ID; the
f, fourth by that remnant and Co. T., and the
last with Co. + added.
| The last time, as we emerged from the
woods by the right flank, on a double.
quick, we found the Confederate line ad.
| vancing. Under such circumstances we
lost no time in retreating; we didn't even
stop to fire after the first voley was de.
liyered, but made for our own lines few
hot-headed men on both sides fired without
orders. but luckily for us both lines reserved
their fire until the two were in close quarters
This enabled us 10 get to our own side of the
field without catching the full force of both
fires, as every man of us would have been
shot.
| FATALISM OR COURAGE?
During the third Of these manuvers
Loney's rifle, as said, became foul. He
picked up another, examined it, and as he
thought it better than his own, he used it
but during the next of the raids it hung fire
and he made another change. momen,
later he saw and recognized a wounded
member Of the company, a man who had
been hit early in the morning. Loney knew
that that mans gun had been fired but a
lew tlmes, and that therefore it was prob.
ably in good condition. He stopped down
and asked the man to lend it to him, and he
gave the poor fellow a drink. During all
TINS tlme bullets were dropping around and
| whistling past him, moreover he made n
| specially good target, and he knew it /
then thought it as good ali example of cour-
| age as ever saw or had heard of, but after
wards found that there was nothing brave
III the act at all.