The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-11-15
THE BATTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES
The Blue aud the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March aud Battle.

| Major. hut the one that stands out
like Il picture in memory has for its
central figure Il Confederate artillery
man. Our regiment was charging Il
Confederate battery. We We're not
more than 100 yards from the guns.
when all but one We're whirled away.
AS we were climbing n stone fence. and
getting ready for rush, there came
sweeping up from the Confederate rear
a full team of artillery horses. the pos
tilion having them under perfect con
troll.
He swept i'll a circle ~ where the
one gun of the battery had been left,
two or three men crept out from the
low breastworks near. in two minutes
the horses were hitched to the gun car
riage. and the driver turned them to-
ward us. and came down upon lis at n
sweeping gallop. Then he made mag
nificent turn 10 the left, veered around
toward the Confederate rear, and went
at a gallop away from us. As he turn
ed he raised his hat, and waved it as
us in defiance. The queer thing abOnt
ii was that not man in our own COM
pany fired at him. ! asked an old deer
hunter. one of the best shots in the COM
pany. who stood at my side: Why don't
you shootT Looking up in a dazed sort
of way, he said: 'He-he was too dog
goned brave couldn't pull trigger
on a man like him.
Telling this story six years ago to
Col. James Ii. Birch, then living at
Plattsburg, Mo, he said, quietly: i can
do better than that was in the Mex
lean war. you know. Oh the 18th day of
June, 1S4S. our company was camped
in the valley of the Arkansas River.
near the mouth of Coon Greek, and
close to where the town of Kinsley is
now located. At daybreak on that
morning our guards were driven i'll by
band of Comanche and Apache In
dians The Indians were about 500
strong. and were armed with bows, ar
rows and lances, while we had the only
breech-loading carbines that We're used
in the Mexican war.
"'Our company of cavalry was on de-
tached service. and our horses had been
well cared for. They were also under
good discipline. When the Indians
tried to drive a herd of buffalo through
our camp with the purpose of stamped
ing our horses they failed. Then they
made Il furious charge, intending to run
us downafter our first volley, and before
we could reload, but they had never be-
fore met with such an experience as
awaited them. Our first volley was
followed quickly by another and an
other, and the Indians retreated in
panic.
They rallied for consultation on q
little hill about a half-mile away. Then
they formed in solid phalanx about six
deep. representing Il front of over 100
yards. and they swept down upon u.s.
shaking their shields and lances, and
yelling as only Comanches can yell
They rode the half mile in an Incredibly
second volleys seemed TO have no effect
upon them. \ third volley. delivered
almost i'm the eyes of the front rank,
brought them TO a halt, and they swept
away again. leaving their dead behind.
Among the dead was Il chief, who
had fallen from a agniticently capar-
isoned horse. While our men stood
with eyes fixed on the havoc they had
made, single Indian left the retreat
ing column, and rode like the wind
straight toward us. As he neared the
dead chief the rider stopped his horse,
turned somersault over the horses
head. and, reaching the ground, ran
hastily with lariat in hand TO the body
of the chief, put the lariat around the
body under the arms. then remouuted
his horse. and started for the column of
retreating Indians, drawing the dead
chief after him.
The rider was a boy not more than
II or Is years old, and the plain infer
ence was that he had at the risk of his
life come back TO carry off the body of
his father The Whole scene was played
within less than fifty yards of score
of men who had Il few minutes before
fired the shot that killed the old chief,
and vet not a single shot was fired at
the boy Whether it was amazement at
his audacity or admiration of his cour-
age or sympathy for him in his effort
10 save the body of his father from the
enemy, not man pressed a trigger.
saw good many brave things done in
the Civil War. but | saw 70 act of an
individual that had as many elements
of heroism in it as that of this Co
manche boy.
Telling this story" continued the |
Majo Ito a company of old soldiers.
Il member of the Fourth Texas Infan- |
try. c. S. A.. said: There was Captain
Carter of Company r of our regiment |
who sat ovcrseer fashion upon the top |
of post and rail fence on the west |
side of the Hagerstown road at Sharps- |
burg when hundreds of men in the |
Federal army within $50 yards in front |
We're blazing away at him, and howit- |
ger was entilading the line from the |
left. Scores of men were killed within |
a few yards of Carter, and he didn't re- |
ceive a scratch.
Gen. Hood a few minutes later. when |
we had been driven across the Hagers-
town road and were holding the line of |.
fence on the east side, rode qui >tly the
length of his brigade, and spoke TO
many of the men by name. All this
time, remember, shot and shell from
the Federal batteries and bullets from
the rifles of the Federals Just across
the road were making the regimental
line almost like slaughter pen. My
own idea is that Gen. Hood and Capt.
Carter We're as daring as that Co
Indian boy.
1 remember, too, the exploit of
courier in August, 1864. This was near
Whites tavern, on the north side of
James River, when Hancock's corps
had broken the Confederate lines.
Thomas Seargeant. one of the Fourth
Texas, then the division courier, rode
across the head of the Fed
eral column to carry orders to Gen.
'Tige" Anderson. The Seventeenth
New Hampshire Regiment, at the head