Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-08-17

the repetition of an old story. Yet now
and again, in some corner Of the coun-
try, one comes upon the record of a
striking incident of those times that
has escaped notice, and is as fresh as
the day after it had happened.
Such story has waited all these
years ia San Francisco. It's hero is
Major l.. Il. Smith, beaten and scar
red veteran of the Mexican and Civil
Wars, who saved the life of President
Lincoln at the risk of his own when
the martyr President was in danger
from the proximity of a chance shell,
and who failed, through the assasina-
ton Of Lincoln a few months later, to
gain the reward of his act. 1t is story
that, owing to the caution observed by
those around the President at the time,
was never mentioned in the contem-
porary newspapers, and which now
creeps into press for the first time
Major Smith gained his title in the
Mexican War. He enlisted from Mary
land and, owing to former army expert
ence, was appointed a captain in the
First Maryland Regiment. He fought
on the border during the first year of
the war, and marched with the army
of invasion that swept on into the capt.
tai city of the Southern republic. At
Buena Vista his regiment lost most of
the officers in the fighting, and the va
cancies, together with his conspicuous
bravery on the field, advanced Smith
to the grade of Major. In that rank he
served for time on the staff of Gen.
Scott, but joined his command in time
to take part in the capture of Tehaun-
tepec.
The war over, he came up the coast
to San Francisco. Those were the days
when Pico was Governor, before the
discovery of gold. When the find that
startled the world was made, he hur-
ried to the mines and cleared up mod
est pile, which he took back with him
to Iowa in 1850. The following year he
came back to this State again, driving
bull team across the plains, and for
the next ten years he mined or followed
his trade of engineer all over the State.
Then came the dark days of 1862,
when the hopes for the Union looked
slender, and when the Government was
straining every nerve to raise forces.
Captain Reid began the recruiting of
the famous old California Hundred,
the Rough Riders of the time, and
Smith was one of the first to sign the
muster roll. The company went via
Panama to Massachusetts, where they
were enrolled in the Second Massachu-
sets Cavalry for the war. Their record
and that of every man in the ranks
from that time forth in a long string of
battles, from the actions against Mosby
to the Battle of the Wilderness.
In spite of his rank in the Mexican
War, Smith entered the Civil War as a
private.
II never got to be anything but a SER
geant," he says, in telling the story of
the war. Il got wounded too often"
His first wound was received in a
skirmish against Mosby He was hit in
the elbow, but was in the hospital only
a short time, when he got back in the
losing part of the bone. When he got
into action again the regiment had been
ordered into the fighting along the At
lantic coast that ended only with the
war In the summer of 1864, together
with two or three other members of
his troop, who had had experience
with artillery, he was detached and or
dered into the defense of Fort Wash
ington. outside the city, then in danger
from Early's raid. This was the dem
onstration toward Washington which
came the nearest to success, and 1t
was during that time that Lincoln,
following his custom, came down for
day with the troops. Early's advance
was near-how near those in the bas-
lions did not realize until fire was
opened on them from the heavy guns
Of one of the Confederate Generals
advance batteries.
The rest of the story can be best told
In Major Smiths own words. He is an
old man now, rounding the eighty
mark, but his back Strengthens and his
eve flashes when he tells it:
Lincoln had been passing along the
lines, laughing and joking with the
boys. Just for fun, he turned in and
helped some of us load by passing up
the balls to us. We thought that the
enemy were getting rather close and
expected trouble before long, but we
were more than little surprised when
they began to open at us from long
range with their cannon. Lincoln was
standing close in by our gun when the
fun began, and some of the officers
wanted him to get out, but he wouldn't
Then the order was given to fire,
and we opened on them. We had fired
a shot or two, when, plump! couple
of shells fell into the bastion close by
the gun. The first thing to do when a
shell is close to you is to fall on your
face. because the safest place is close