The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1902-11-07
.HUMPY THE HERO.
rcnnrrlrhi. ia. 81 6. D. Lewla. ]

live. stoop shouldered young man. to
whom was given the sobrIquet Of
Humpy.
Perhaps ninety men out Of every
hundred would admit their fear Of
wounds and death In battle II they
told the truth, but they boast TO the
contrary and seek reputation for
bravery. In Humpy's case he was
ylrt1ally outlawed for his candor and
co.,, find nobody who would make a
coa.rade OF him. The oily thing TO his
credit was the fact that he wouldn't
desert.
BY and by our corps received orders
to march away to outdank Jackson. as
lie had outAanked Pope ut Manassas.
1t was sharp lighting along the front
from the start, and after hard march
OF two days our corps went into battle
line one morning, and we knew that
there was a host OF the enemy in our
front. Then Humpy was discovered
to be missing. He had taken French
leave for the rear, and when It came
to be known throughout the company,
men 1eered and catcalled, and the cap
tain sternly said:
IF l live through this. no shall be
shot or drummed out of the service"
A brigade was detached to reconnoi-
ter the woods to our left. aud later on
our regiment was detached to deplOy
as skirmishers aud draw out the con-
cealed strength Of the enemy. Away
We went, with yell. glad to be in II at
last, and it wasn't ave minutes before
men began TO fall. We pushed up TO
the woods. drove the gray skirmishers
back and then massed on the center to
hold n gap between the hills. Troops
were moving uptO support us and hold
the ground we had gained, when the
enemy came swarming out. Then for
ten minutes the old Seventeenth made
its war record. We held full brigade.
We did even better than that-we re-
nulsed three determined assaults by
four times our number, and we Killed
and wounded almost as many as we
had in the ranks.
But there was blunder somewhere.
Our supports fell back, the enemy was
reinforced, and we We're left there to
be sacrificed. There was no panic, no
retreat. 1t was simply that the lone
regiment, realizing that # had been
abandoned, broke up into detachments
and fought almost without leaders and
each man for himself. Again whole
brigade moved up against Us, and
though we were only 700 now we
poured in such u cool and deadly IRE
that the advance wavered, halted.
broke back, and we might have re-
treated then, but no one gave the word.
In i've minutes It was too late. A regi-
ment to an army is as a Hy to horse.
Our resistance simply annoyed.
We saw a force gathering In the
edge Of the woods beyond, and every
man felt that It was his end. Those
battle lines would walk right over US
next time. We looked back to the Fed
eral lines, but no re-enfOrcements were
on their way. II we rose up to retreat.
we should be swept by the grape and
canister OF the guns in battery and
waiting.
ITS our last fight" called man to
man as he Rugged closer to the earth
and drew a long breath.
In front of US lay reglmental dag,
with half a dozen men beside It. and
colonel, major and half the company
captains were down, dead or wounded
The gray lines had just begun to move
when a shout OF "Humpy, Humpyr
ran along our lines 1t was the private
solder sure enough. OF all the thou
sands of Federal soldiers In our rear
he alone had made his way across the
:.rd 10 die with US. H. had lost lis
C:pc:r the way. but men knew him by
his eyeglasses and long hair und hatch
ct face. He came on the run, and
without pause he sprang over the
forms lying down, over the gun bar
rels pointed TO the front. and. lifting
up the dag. he waved 1t and shouted:
Men OF the Seventeenth, follow mel"
Ibave seen a dozen generals leading
brIgades or divisions into action, but
l never saw one who grew tnll and
heroic as Humpy. One minute he
was UuL4eHSV UOW DuGAGA PAANHNS oN@
der. The next be was hero seeming
to DO six feet tail and as straight as an
arrow. We just got one look at him.
and then the 700 men sprang up with
yellS and cheers and followed his lead.
he turned to the left. led Us straight
at three guns posted there. and In the
dash OF forty rods we were among
them and had wiped out the artlller-
ists Then It was down the hill on the
other side. the men dragging the cap
tured guns along. through the sEIrmish
lines creeping up. around the corner OF
q grove, and then the Federal ranks
opened with cheers TO let Us through
There was Humpy still at the head.
stu acting as colonel nagbearer and
savior. and what do you think he did
and said as General Devine rode up
and took the Dag from his grasp and
called him the hero OF the Army Of the
Potomac? he sat down for a minute
% catch hIs breath and wipe his glasses
and then rose up to reply:
"why. general. I saw the boys need
ed some one. and so went DOWN.
They would have made Humpy
captuin for what be did that day, but
be woald have none Of 1t. He remained
-. 49, - - SH.O STaR hnk Ne