Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-13
INDIANA BOYS FEAT.
Daring Deed at n Critical Moment In
the War for the Union.

tne war LOT the Union.
From the Indianapolis News.
When the newspaper correspondents in
the Philippines wrote the story of Col
Funston swimming river in the face of
hot fire from the Filipinos the whole
word admired his bravery, and a grateful
government made him general There
Is man In South Bend. Ind. who when
but a lad, performed more dangerous feat
and showed greater bravery than Fun
ston did. who does not talk about 1t, and
who went unrewarded In proportion to
what his deed deserved. The man ia State
Senator A. M. Burns. who represents st.
Joseph county in the legislature.
Nhen the civil war broke out Mr. Burns
was Dit of lad, fourteen years old
living in little town in Wisconsin, ON
the call for volunteers he applied to the
nearest recruiting station, but the officer
IN charge laughed at him and told him to
go pack nome and grow some. But this did
not discourage him, and he applied to in
huent1al friends, who secured him pace
as drummer boy with the 10th Wiscon-
sin and he started out in the greatest
giee For year he sounded the drum with
this regiment, and at the end of that time
ne was discharged drummer but
Burns wanted to be a real soldier, and he
went into the ranks with q musket on his
shoulder for a three years term of service
He was in all the battles of the Army Of
the Cumberland, including Chckamauga.
close
life.
On the afternoon of September 20. 1863.
Private Burns, while in the van Of q charge.
was shot through the leg above the knee
he received his wound about 4 o'clock in
the afternoon. and all that night he lay
on the battlefield. surrounded by the dead
and dying, with shot and shell hurting
over him. About o'clock In the morning
he was taken to the field hospital and his
wound dressed. After weeks of pain he
recovered and returned to his regiment,
and took part in the Atlanta campaign.
Private Burns performed the deed alluded
to. The bridge had been destroyed. and
the confederates had pontoon bridge. but
1t was on their side of the river The
troops of the two armies fired at each
other from opposite sides of the stream
and it looked for a while as If the march
Of the federal forces would be stopped.
wise means for the crossing Of the troops.
and the colonel suggested that the pom
toon bridge be captured. and called for
volunteers to swim the river with rope.
to be fastened to the end Of the bridge
Private Burns was the first man to step
three PAGES to the front. Some of the older
soldiers thought it would be shame to
send such bit of boy to almost certain
death. and tried to get him to stand aside
and let an older man take his place. But
Burns insisted that he was the first to
volunteer and was entitled to the commits.
sion OF the task, and the colonel, with
tears in his eyes, told him to go ahead
AS soon as it was dusk Private Burns
slipped down to the river, but not until
he had written a farewell letter to his
home. and Entrusted 1t to his captain, to
be sent If he did not come back The rope
was tied about his body under the arms
and he plunged into the Deep swift river
The swimmer was soon lost sight of In the
darkness, and it was three-Quarters of an
hour before he returned to the shore, as
silently as he had left 1t.
His comrades had gathered about the
bank and were waiting In great suspense,
and as ne climbed up the bank the men
picked up the boy and Rugged him: He
had tied the rope to the end Of the bridge
and cut the ropes with which the confed-
crates had fastened 1t to the south side Of
the river. and the soldiers began hauling 1t
around. 1t was not long until the pontoon
was in position, and the Wisconsin boys,
with Private Burns in the front rank,
charged across the bridge. drove the con-
federates back, and what happened after
that is a matter of history.
Private Burns was the hero OF the regi-
ment. and he won his spurs over again in
the Atlanta campaign, and was mentioned
several times in the dispatches for bravery
on the field. When his term of service had
expired Burns went home, but the sound
again volunt eered. expecting to go as a pri-
vate. but his old colonel insisted with the
authorities at Washington that Burns de-
served recognition for his services at the
Chattahoochie river. and he was given q
commission as captain In the 44th Wiscon-
sin and served nine months, returning
home when there was no more fighting to
do Since the close Of the war Burns has
stopped fighting the war over again, and,
like the modest hero he Is. has nothing to
OF the rebellion.
The grand jury at Marysville. Ohio re-
turned an indictment of first degree murder
a. III,