Sunday morning globe., 1901-09-22
THE BRAVEST deed.
A Feat of Arms Witnessed by a
Confederate Captain.
BATTLE OF THE FLAG
Al yellow Tavern In Which a Gallant Federal
Officer Performs an Unparalleled Deed OIL
vaIor - Judge T. J, MaCkeys Tell ths
Story for The Sunday Morning GIObe-An
Interesting Narrative.

| closing around Petersburg like a
shroud Of iron, when General Lee re-
solved to break and drive them back,
! if possible TO that end he ordered an
attack I'm force to be made on General
Grants line Of decentralization on Au-
gust 2l 1854.
The point selected for assault was in
/ the vicinity of an old country inn call
| ed The Yellow Tavern
The order was that the attack should
| be made just before the dawn Of day,
| the time most favorable for a surprise,
when deep sleep falleth on man." It
was the experience however, Of many
! Confederate officers charged with the
duty Of attacking in the gray of the
morning that 10 was difficult to bring
their troops into line at that early
hour Although they were generally
"but I'm the gristle, and not yet hard.
ened into the bone Of manhood. they
we're I'm one sense, at least not of the
rising generation
Hence it was that General Johnson
| Hagood. whose brigade OF South Caro-.
linians was assigned to the right Of the
attacking force found that daylight
| had broken before he could align his
command General Hagood was as true
a soldier as ever drew sword i'm battle;
to him the path of duty was the path
Of honor; and although he saw that
! his brigade was i'm plain view of the
Union troops. who had already manned
their intrenchments he ordered it to
advance to the assault. 1t had to cross
space Of about two hundred and fifty
yards In width which had an undu-
lating surface. and the broken nature
of the ground afforded some shelter
until it debouched upon a level high
way. within 20 yards of the works.
Ii then met with a terrible fire Of
artillery and rifles, but it was com
posed of seasoned veterans, and it
never faltered. Where the dead fell,
the living stepped and their leyelled
bayonets soon sparkled within 20 feet
of the line of intrenchments. There
the brigade came to an Involuntary
halt, for before it lay a wide, deep
ditch, half full of water, which it had
no means Of crossing. Unable to ad-
vance, and yet unwilling to retreat
without orders, every soldier delivered
his hopeless fire with the energy Of
despair
AS a merciful suggestion. no doubt
prompted by admiration for a body Of
brave men, doomed otherwise to GER
| tain slaughter the Union soldiers call
ed out to them to surrender; but the
call was unheeded AT that deadly
iuncture a mounted officer was seen
to emerge from the sally-port Of an
Loo D. HflH HffrtH Of
line of intrenChments. nearly opposite
to the center of the brigade. He gal
loped up to the color-bearer Of the
9th South Carolina Regiment. and.
holding out his right hand, demanded
the surrender Of the colors Although
mounted. the uniform and shoulder
straps Of the daring Union officer indi-
Gated that he was a captain of infantry.
He was, apparently, about 80 years Of
age, with a noble and handsome face
and tall, heroic form.
The color-sergeant, seemingly dazed,
or perhaps paralyzed by the sublime
effrontery Of the demand. surrendered
| the colors.
The flag was especially dear to the
| regiment, for it had been presented by
| the ladies of the district in which the
! regiment was raised, and it had been
4 borne aloft with honor on many battle
| fields. 1t was a State flag, with the
| arms of South Carolina upon It, and a
counterpart Of that which the famous
Palmetto Regiment in the Mexican
| War had planted on the walls OF the
| capital of Mexico, the first foreign nag
to wave there since the time Of Cortez
! That it should have been delivered up
to a single foeman when there were a
| thousand men-all veteran soldiers
to defend Il, and the thrust Of a bay
onet or the pulling of a trigger could
! have disposed of him. was past all un-
! derstanding. / have thought that, per
haps. being sorely perpleXed with their
comrades falling fast all around them,
! they may have thought at the moment
that the delivery Of the flag was in
tended as a signal to the troops in the
| trenches to cease firing. At any rate,
they lost their heads for the nonce.
Not so. however, was it with Gen.
eral Hagood who was distant about
70 yards and saw with amazement the
surrender Of the flag. He was on foot
his horse having been shot under him,
tercept the officer who was riding
slowly along the front of the regiment
obliquing somewhat toward his own
lines General Hagood on coming up
with him, seized the bride Of the
horse, and levelling his cooked revolv
er at the captains breast said to him
"Give me that flag, sirl" The answer
was, who are you?' The general re
piled, Il command this brigade. / ad
mire your bravery. Give me the flag
and you shall return unmolested tC
, your own lines" The captain, who
had furled the flag, and was holding II
/, upright, with the ferrule of the stafl
. resting on the pommel Of his saddle
responded, General you had better
. surrender TO me yourself Look behind
) you" The general looked to the rear
and saw that large force which had
! sailed from the intrenchments on his
: left was moving to cut off his retreat
! all other commands having retired
from the fruitless assault Turning tC
the defiant captain ne exclaimed
? once more, sir, win you give up tina
5 flag? The answer was I'm a loud tone
J "Never!" with the answer Genera
Hagood fred and the officer fell, sho