Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-02-14
Ord. Terry. Devens,

ICHCuOCl tAdt oOAs oANAS ~eAAAAS
to our lines in front Of Humphreys
Station on the left just about the time
that Col. Tom NJ. Harris, in command
Of our Third brigade, Second division,
Twenty fourth army corps, had his reg
iments formed ready to break through
the rebel lines. The boys knew that the
presence of the general commanding
meant business for the West Virginia
brigade of Col. Harris. Capt. McCom-
Der Of the Twenty-fourth Massachu-
sets, on COL Harris staff, came back
to the reserve to deliver an order from
In the forward movement he was
about to make Gen. Grant could see
Col. Harris walking up and down his
skirmish line, telling the boys to lie
| down and not expose themselves.
Grant sent some message to the colonel
by Capt. McComber, to which the colo
| mel replied: 'Tell the General I am
ready, and am going through the lines
In front. Send up the other brigades
In support
'0rhe colonel was as good as his
word. We broke through and went
we were brought to a stand at Fort
| Gregg. This we assaulted three times
before we captured it. It was mag
| ni1cent fight from first to last. After
we broke through the first lines Gen.
Grant sent an officer of his staff to
| Col. Harris with this message: Give
| Col. Harris my compliments and say
! to him that l have advised the Presi-
| dent to give him a star to replace the
eagle ON his shoulder for his brilliant
success
"This message of Gen. Grants went
| through the division like solid shot
| Col. Harris was at once Gen. Harris,
promoted on the field Of battle and the
men of the Twenty fourth army corps,
| from private to general, discussed the
matter as an illustration Of the Napo-
| leonic idea of rewarding deserving and
| conspicuous service on the field by pro-
motion. | do not now recall any SINH
| lar promotion during the Appomattox
| campaign, unless it was that Of Gen.
| Crawford in command of our first di-
| vision, promoted to major general for
| his conspicuous service in coming up
| to Gen. Sheridan's support at Apo
| mattox court house the morning of
Lees surrender.
''The fighting at Five Forks, Amelia
court house, Sailors creek, High
| bridge, Farmville and Appomat tox
court house was as severe as any that
came to us. There might have been
| other promotions if Gen. Grant, always
in the saddle and ON the go day and
| night, could have caught up and kept
| up with Gen Sheridans or Gen. Ord's
| firing line. Sheridan kept Just far
enough ahead of Gen. Ord's army of
the James to develop the enemy's posi-
ton, and when we came up he moved
right ahead and left the Twenty
fourth corps to finish the job of fore
| ing the rebels back on Gen. Meade.
| who was hanging ON the rear Of Lees
| army like a bulldog
Gen. Grant," said the colonel. twas
| close observer of men and horses.
His eye went over the horses Of an ar
tillery company or of a cavalry regi
ment, lighting up with appreciation of
the soldierly quality of horses as we'll
as the soldierly quality of men. After
the surrender at Appoma ttox, instinc-
lively his sympathies went out to the
Confederates who owned and were at
tached to their horses, and one of the
first things he thought of was some
scheme by which the men might he
permitted to take their horses home
don't believe there is an old cavalry
man that served in the Confederate SER
vice but warmed to Gen. Grant from
that minute.
Il nave always thought that Cen
Grants influence had much to do with
inaugurating the policy that permitted
many OF our own cavalry and artillery
men to smuggle home or to purchase at
mere song favorite horses or com.
pany pets. In one case know that ha
openly encouraged the men Of an mr.
tillery company to carry home a bay
mare that had won peculiar reputa-
ton. There was not finer looking
mare in any artillery company than
Bay Bet. She was purchased on her
good looks and her spirit, but she had
never been harnessed and she would
not work In team. She caused so much
trouble that she was finally assigned to
one of the officers as a riding horse.
In weeks and months of service she de-
yeloped the genuine dramatic, battle
spirit. She carried herself as finely
as any horse in the service.
ION one occasion, when good many
of the horses We're shot, the captain, as
last resort, ordered that Bay Bet be
put into harness that the guns might
be dragged to new position. Every
one expected to see trouble, bat Bet
| si4axx, a.