The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-05-09


free-born blood to uphold the
flag, whose starry folds never
yet have trailed, and never will
until such men as these shall
have persisted from off the earth.
."McConville's battalion was
fighting the Insurgents from a
terribly impregnable position
when he fell, but, like Wolfe, he
died knowing that the enemy had
been repulsed and were retreat
ing, and he was proud of his men.
TEL my wife" he said. as he lay dying,
that ! fell leading as brave lot of men as ever
went on a battle field"
IF that is true, as the proud
old warrior believed, he was
worthy to lead them.
1.-THE ground over which Maj.
Higgins led his men was a level
paddy field, nude of any protec-
ton and entirely exposed to the
enemy's fire, except for an oc-
casional low embankment. The
men would dash from one en-
bankment to the other and there
lie down and volley the enemy.
A private said afterwards that
the bullets we're driving at them
so low and hard that somehow
he felt like a man hiding under "a
bed and that he was just as sure
that he could not raise his head
very high above that bank with
out humping it. But on these
occasions the Major would walk
up and down among his men Civ
ing orders and admonishing them
not to needlessly expose them
selves and all the while as cool
and erect as if he were on dress
parade.
but they came to a place
where there was no embankment
and for 500 yards there was not
even a shrub to screen them from
the deadly deluge of lead that
was pouring in upon them from
the woods ahead. Above them,
around them and through them
was always a maddening, inces-
SAINT wall of bullets. The Insur-
gents were strongly intrenched
and belched the lead into the in
coming soldiers as though they
had a Ceres horn of plenty and
had it, like the Puritan's historic
rattle snake skin, stuffed full OF
powder and lead. But there is
relied around our standard as
valiant a soldiery as that which
stood with Hancock, or that
which followed Armistead across
the Valley of Death. Flingine
off his belt and sword scabbaro
that it might not impede his pro-
gress, and in his shirt sleeves
the Major shouted encourage
ment to his men and headed fool
race toward the enemy.
General King, however, be.
lieved the men were going tc
their death and ordered them to
stop. But the command was I'm.
needed and unheard amid the
cheering and fighting. The men
resembled dashed animals, eager,
ferocious, daunted at nothing
and now that their blood was up
and the object of their hearts
desire was in sight they charged
on like a stampede of wild hors-
eS.
General King looked after
them and cried (: There goes
the American soldier /! All hell
can't stop him !" And he'll
couldn't stop them, for they
were plunging right into; Maus-
ers and men couldn't stop them
for they were doing their utmost
in their futile effort; a subpoena
of shells would not have brought
them back.
1.-The whole forests ahead Of
them popping and sputterine
like a brush fire, and a storm OF
singing steel, like SO many water
bugs, skitered and ricochetec
over the surface of the field anl
sang about their ears as inces
sanity as a swarm of beleaguer.
ing mosquitoes. But with the
mein of Jove and the front O.
Gibraltar, with faces set like
flint toward the trees and gray
embankment that were splutter-
ing and spluttering with rifle
fire, this sparse line of brave
men in blue shirts and SLOUGH
hats, headed by the wildly fyins
figure of an officer in shirr
sleeves, like a foaming breaker
running upon the beach, charged