The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-09-12
rder. He was moved. believe, by

|
might be taken as provocation TO d,
lawless acts. 1t was not bravado tha
inspired him: the act was prompted b,
his earnest desire To be prudent an,
avoid trouble.
His action in sending eSrgeant Mar
shall back for Captain Coyle and Com
pany \ always seemed to me convinc
ing proof that he did not leave til,
regiment for the purpose of taking til,
nag. rs has often been asserted 10y
some. for if that was his intention why
did he Immediately upon coming il
sight of it send for aid: Why did Ii,
not so i'll the most direct line 10 the
house instead of doing as he did:
| We started down the stairs from the
attic to the third floor. | was leading
Ellsworth was just behind. in the act
or rolling UP the flag into small
bundle. As came upon the first land
ing. which turned with half dozen
steps before leading to the floor, there
stood a man with double -barreled gun
resting on the banisters and the muz.
Zle pointing st my breast.
Up to this time everything had been
| so quiet we were not anticipating
trouble. BY the instinct of self-preser-
walton more than anything else |
| jumped, and as l did so threw down
the barrel of my gun on his. and both
guns slid down the banister until they
reached the turn and then fell apart.
My jump cleared the steps from the
landing to the floor. but before l could
gain my equilibrium the man lad
thrown up his gun into position. and
just as Ellsworth came into view on the
landing he fired. Then he whirled and
leveled at me. AS he did so l fired and
sprang forward with my bayOnct. That
motion saved my life. for the heavy
charge of buckshot went just over my
head and through the door behind me.
The muzzle of the gun was within
three or four feet of EllswOrth's breast.
The charge of buckshot struck him Just
above the heart. With the single ex-
clamation. MY God." he fell forward
-.S''' 'ahS AhhpiAAS w thN hVoi.
Jackson. who killed Ellsworth. was
shot in the corner of his left eye
through the brain. The bayonet pierced
his heart. He fell backward to the land
ing midway between the second and
third floors. From the beginning to the
end he never spoke.
/ can only account for my escape by
the suppositiOn that when l came into
view on the landing Jackson wavered
for Il moment. That gave me chance
TO leap to the floor and saved my life.
do not think he knew who had gone
up to take down the flag. He had been
celebrating the passage of the ordinance
of secession and had gone to bed drunk
at . O'Clock in the morning.
There had been threats by citizens to
take down the flag. and Jackson had
sworn to defend it. He had been awak-
ened hurriedly by somebody and told
that we had gone up to get the flag.
Without waiting to dress, for he wore
only his shirt and pantalOons. he seized
his gun and took his place on the land
ing.
A strange incident happened at the
moment of EllswOrth's death. Upon
the breast of his vest he wore the badge
of the Baltimore City Guards. which
had been given him while in that city
in 1860. 1t bore the letters B. C. G. in
German text in the center of q blue
garter, in which was the Latin motto,
Non solemn nObis Sc pro patria." Not
for ourselves alone. but for our coun-
try" 1t was an inch in diameter. The
charge from Jackson's gun carried this
badge into his breast, and parts of it
were found mingled with the buckshot
In his spine.
Concealing his death from the COM
mand for fear of terrible vengeance on
the whole city. the body was borne
back TO the navy yard at Washing
ton.
i shall never forget a scene that took
place in the engine house where the
body had been taken for the purpose
Of embalming. Feeling great pain In
my head. had lain down in the quar-
ters of the Seventy-first New York,
when a messenger came and told me
the President wished to see me.
l went with him to the engine house
md there found the undertaken, Cap
ain Fox. the Assistant Secretary of the
Navy. and the President, who. when | |
was pacing up and down the |
floor, the picture of anguish and grief. !,
md as he passed the body he would
.aise the sheet from the face and with
ears running down his cheeks. ex-
lain:
my boy. my boy. was it necessary
hat this sacrifice should be made:'