Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-10

Pennsylvania, the first Union flag upon the
| works. He calmly turned his back upon
the men in the fort, who, at a distance of
only few PAGES. were blazing away at
him, and called to his men to come on. AS
he again faced the enemy he received two
shots in the right arm but he shifted the
colors to his left hand and leaped into the
fort, receiving another wound in his left
hand.
For his conduct in this action he was men,
toned in general orders by the division and
corps commanders. and years afterward
General WeitZel wrote: He was a magnifi-
cent commander of a ma gnificent regiment,
which is the best way l can express my
opinion of him"
A "TripIe'' Medal
1t is usually considered sufficient to have
performed one deed of extra ordinary BRAY
cry. but the medal of honor awarded to
Lieutenant Colonel j. Madison Cuts is
triple medal, inscribed as follows: For
gallantry at Wilderness, Spottsylvania and
Petersburg, 1864" A report of Congress
speaks of Colonel Cults follows: His
services as a soldier were very varied, ar
duous, unremitted, often extremely hazard
Gus, and involving great responsibilities,
and he was at all times noted for ability
and fidelity to duty and for conspicuous
and distinguished acts of gallantry on. many
battlefields."
After serving a private soldier in the
LIST Rhode Island Volunteers fhree months
Service), he was commissioned by President
Lincoln at the request of Stephen A. Doug
las, brother-invlaw of Colonel Cults,
captain Of the 18th United States Infantry.
After organizing as mastering and dis
bursting officer, Rhode Island troops, cav
airy artillery and infantry. he was ordered
to report for duty on the staff of Major
General Burnside, and served on that gen
erals staff aid-de-camp judge advocate
and in other staff capacities in his success
sive commands of the department of North
Carolina the ATmV COrDS the right
wing of the Army of the Potomac, the
Army Of the Potomac, and the Department
of the Ohio. During that period he was
present in the battles of South Mountain,
Antietam and Fredericksburg, in which his
services were of very high order of dis
tinction. He thereafter served with his
regiment at the Mine Run campaign OF
General Meade and in the many battles of
General Grants campaign of the Wilder
ness, and was acting field officer, ana
thereafter commanded his regiment at Cen
eral Grants headquarters, City Point, Va
at General Meade'S headquarters, and IN the
battle of Fort Steadman Va. His final ser
vice was in Louisiana, as commander OF
the post at Shreveport, La, with subpostS
at Marshall and jefferson, Texas.
In the engagement in front of petersburg,
Va, June Is, 1864, spherical case shot
burst in front of the regiment, killing seven
men and wounding twenty-three others. or
course, confusion in the regiment followed.
Colonel Cults stepped to the front and
Strengthened out the line. While doing so
he severely wounded and carried from
the field Colonel Cults was twice breVetted
for gallant and distinguished services. He
was recommended for the colonelcy OF one
of the regiments of General Hancock's Vet
eran Corps.
Colonel Cults is daily at his desk in the
War Department in the record and pension
division. where he has been employed for
many years.
Tried Mems Courage.
hot Of Ant at furnished
tunity for many daring and desperate ex-
PLOTS by the soldiers. The courage of many
enlisted men and officers was severely tried
during the bloody engagement One of the
men who distinguished himself for bravery
on this field was Charles B. Tanner, second
lieutenant, LIST Delaware Infantry. Mr.
Tanner Is now employed In the office of the
Secretary of War, where he was asked to
tell of his experiences to a Star reporter
He Is very modest about his exploits, yet
the following account of the incident for
which he was decorated with the medal of
honor was CLEANED:
ION the morning of September IL, 1862
the LIST Delaware Infantry, forming the
right Of Brigadier General Max Weber's
Brigade, after fording Antletam creek
marched in column for mile, then facing
to the left, advanced in line of battle, form
ing the first line of General Frenchs div's-
ion General e. V. Summers ID Army Corps
The enemy's batteries opened a severe
fire of spherical case, shell and solid shot,
Having advanced steadily through, the
woods and cornfields, driving all before u.s.
we met the confederates in two lines of bat
tie posted in a sunken road or ravine, with
rudely constructed breastwork of rails,
sods, ETC., with third line in a cornfield
forty yards in the rear, where the ground
gradually rising, enabled them to fire over
the heads of those below.
Baptism Of Fire.
1.-The cornfield we were then in terminated
about 100 yards distant from the sunken
road, leaving nothing but short pasture
grass land between On coming out Of
the cornfield we were Unexpectedly con-
fronted by the heavy masses Of confederate
infantry, with their muskets resting on the
temporary breastworks and all understood
that the slaughter must be great; but no
one fiinched, for it was to be our baptism
of fire. Our colonel dashed in front with
the ringing order to charge on his lips, and
charge we did, into that leaden hail. Inside
of five minutes 2S6 men out of 635 and eight
of ten company commanders lay wounded
or dead on that bloody. slope. Our dearly
loved colors were lying within twenty
surrounded by the lifeless bodies of nine
heroes who died while trying to plant them
in that road of death.
Those Of us who were yet living got
back to the edge of the cornfield and opened
such a fire that FIVE times did the enemy
charge to gain possession of the flags, only
to be driven back with great slaughter. In
our desperation we thought not OF life, but
of how to regain the broad stripes of bunt-
ing under which we had marched, biv-
ouacked, suffered and seen our comrades
killed. It would have been disgrace in our
minds for us to lose what we had sworn to
defend with our blood, and every man in
the LIST Delaware was ready to perish rather
than allow the colors to fall into the hands
of the enemy. Charge after charge was
made with appalling effect, and on the fol-
lowing day the burylng party found over
!, 800 bodies in that sunken road. Twenty
five volunteers were called for after several
Intellectual attempts had been made to
reScue the cnlorS. and that number Of hraxra