The National tribune., 1900-02-08
A TIN SOLDIER.
His Encounter with Boy Who Itched to Put
Down the Rebellion.

| Corporal of the Guard, Post 4--11--44"
| This was the agoniZing cry from the post
| held by one OF our newest and freshest
recruits. This cry was followed by the
recruit emptying his carbine, one shot
after another, in quick succession, holding
the advancing enemy i'll check for a mo-
| ment'S time.
But am a little ahead of my story, and
| will go back and begin at the beginning.
We were in Winter quarters at Harrods-
burg, KY, with not a known enemy within
| 20 miles of our camp. A bunch Of recruits
speak about. One of these recruits was
a clean-cut, deep-grained boy of about 1s
Summers, whose anxiety to get right into
harness and put down the rebellion was
absolutely painful to the older soldiers.
This recruit was assigned to Capt. Mart
Schuler'S company. Capt. Schuler was
the life of the regiment. There was never
a practical joke found wandering around
the camp that it was not entirely safe to
say Mart Schuler had a string tied to it.
The newest recruit, by good chance, fell
into Schulers hands, and was duly in
structed in the game of war.
A few days before, Capt. Schuler had got
possession of a tin soldier, which had done
duty as sign at a hardware store in Har-
rodsburg. This tin soldier was some
what battered, but being life-siZe, seemed
to suggest a practical joke of some kind
to the fertile mind of Capt. Schuler and he
rugged this figure up among the cedars at
the edge of our camp, and laid a series of
cords and ropes from the tin soldier to a
point far inside the camp. Nearly every
body in the regiment had noticed beforehand
that there would be some fun at nightfall.
Just at dark the clean-cut, deep-grained
boy, just from his home, chafing with
anxiety to go to work, was posted as senti-
mel on path leading to the tin soldier,
which rested peacefully only so feet away.
When going on duty the recruit had
been cautioned to exercise the greatest
alertness and to keep his ears pricked"
for any sign Of an advancing enemy. 1t is
even suspected the Corporal of the Guard
told him that an attack was expected at
any moment. To encourage the recruit to
d supreme effort, and to raise his courage
to the highest point, Capt Schuler men
toned the fact that in war it was the SOL
dier's supreme duty to die in his tracks
rather than desert his post. AS a final
word the Captain said: Il have your moth
er's address, and will write her that you
met the death of hero, and if you have
any last message you can give it to me
now" This sort of talk was not calculated
to inspire new recruit with courage, but
the boy drank it all in, and went forth
to his almost certain death.
After being on post for little while some
unseen hands began to pull the ropes con-
Meeting with the tin soldier. The senti-
mel was instantly keenly alert. peering
into darkness as black as ink. The
more he looked the less he could see, but
his hearing was in no ways fnterfered
with Buckets of sweat were rolling from
him, but he held to his post, while alarming
noises seemed to approach.
Soon rift in the clouds permitted the
half-moon to throw a stream of light in
broken stretches through the snow-clad
cedars, and with bulging eyes he saw the
form of a man, the advance-guard, he
thought, of the rebel army. 1t was at this
supreme moment we heard the agonizing
call of Corporal of the Guard! Post d.
the carbne as he plugged that tin soldier
full of holes, and was only restrained from
emptying the six shots from his revolver
into the enemy by the timely arrival of
Capt. Schuler, who objected to having
his tin man mutilated any further
ERODOEHT F. NELLA, Co. ID, 7th Ohio
Cav.