The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1904-12-08

| WuereapOutS IOr many uayS, Uut tut
incident being published, their atten
ton was called to It, the daughter Wis
tied the morgue, and found and iden
titled the body of her father. Grant
Post, No. %. Of Chicago took charge
Of the funeral and gave Kimball the
burial of their order and bore him to
an honorable resting place In Their
| grounds at Elmwood. 1t was beau.
tiful service and the bier and grave
| were decorated with flowers and moth
ing but the virtues Of the dead sol
dier were remembered.
when the regular rites had been
performed, General Walter @. Newber.
ry was asked II he desired to make
any remarks. We all knew that New.
berry was one Of the strictest discl.
plinarians Of the general officers Of the
old army living in Chicago, and did
not believe he would have any remarks
to make on such an occasion. But he
had, and he began by saying: This
man was a hero. He was a hero be-
cause he performed heroic and special
deeds which entitle him to that dis
tinction.' Then I knew there was a
story worth telling, and it came in
thus wise:
'Kimball was a member Of my
regiment said General Newberry, "a
wild and reckless boy, but one who
never failed to faithfully perform any
duty devolving upon him. My mind
Is carried back to that terrible day Of
June II, 1864, when the army had
reached the front of Petersburg and in
their desire to capture that city pro-
ceeded forward in several assaults
upon the enemy's lines. In one Of
these, the Twenty fourth New York
cavalry leading charge upon a bat
terry, compact body of men received
discharge Of shrapnel which killed
and wounded lib Of their number, and
1t being but battalion. practically de-
strOyed 1t. In that terrific fire men
lay, in one instance, five deep upon
the field at II o'clock at night, twelve
hours after the assault Under q
bright clear moonlight from the federal
works was observed movement
among what were supposed to be the
dead, and 1, turning to the men be-
hind the works, said: Il will make
corporal of any man who Will at
tempt to succor that living soldier"
"'Joe Kimball, boy Of 1S years,
rising in his place, volunteered to per-
form the duty. The field was being
swept by the enemy's bullets, and hav-
Ing been supplied with a canteen of
water, flask Of whisky and a sponge,
he was put over the works, crept
through the abattoir, and down upon
his face and stomach 100 yards away,
covering himself behind the bodies of
the dead comrades. pulled this wound
ed soldier-who proved to be Lieuten-
ant Randall of Company B of the regi-
ment-from under a mass of mangled
bodies, clearing the blood and sand
from his mouth, and, administering
water and little spirits, revived him,
and, as a cloud shaded the field for
a moment, threw him upon his back
and ran to the works, safely bringing
him inside. Lieutenant Randall was
wounded in five places and lived for
ten years, paralyzed in his arms and
lower limbs, and all that time blessing
the courage Of that gallant boy.
"'But this is not all that this SOL
dier did to make him hero. The fire
Of the enemy across that field that
night was prelude of their retreat.
and the early morning found our line
following them over that bluff, through
the woods and across the ravine, next
circumscribing the city Of Petersburg.
The Twenty-fourth New York cavalry
again took the lead in the assault, and
with carbines only made q rush, can
turing part Of the enemy's lines and
holding it for forty minutes. The in
fantry support owing to the rapid
movements Of the Confederates en-
abling them to enfilade the valley over
which they must cross, were unable
to reinforce this gallant assault made
BY the Twenty-fourth, and a grove of
timber lying Immediately upon the
right, being recognized as a danger
GUS cover for force to come out and
sweep around our rear, taking us pris-
oners. ordered Corporal Kimball to
lay aside his gun and go through the
woods to the outer line and observe
any action the enemy might take to-
ward such movement, and to hasten
back and inform me upon any attempt
on their part to do so.
".In about twenty minutes CORPORAL
Kimball approached me in haste,
bringing his heels together, saluting,
and wiping the blood from his lips,
Informed me that a brigade was
formed for just such a movement as
had anticipated. In spying the enemy
he had covered himself behind a tree,
the enemy's sharpshooters firing upon
him, cutting the scalp just in the hair
"a scar which his body bears now
and the blood had run down over his
face. covering it entirely. This gal
liant and prompt performance of his
duty enabled the colonel to fall back
to the creek under bluff and save the
regiment.
$50 say that Kimball is entitled
to the credit of having saved the en-
tire regiment from capture that day,
and such acts are heroic. Therefore,
I am authorized to say that this SIM
pie soldier, who lies before you, was
q hero. 1 have gone into detail, not
30 much for his gloriication, but to
give his son and daughter, who are in
attendance in these last rites of their
father, reminder that any weak
nesses that have been displayed by
this soldier in his later life were the
result largely Of this wound in the
head, followed as 1t was In later years
by sunstrOke, rendering him unac-
for his acts. l assure them
that their fathers life has not been
wasted, but that he bore a glorious
part in that eventful war which made |
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