Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-03

| uOlulAS. ne Has lOSL OIle-JulTQ OIL MS
| best and bravest-his Virginians. He
has betrayed his position to the enc
my, for Sigel, away to the southeast,
has heard the sound of battle, and Nc
Lean brave leader of one of his few
American brigades, watches the des-
perate struggle from Ladue's old look
out at the Henry house, and Pope,
skillfully directing his diverging col
umn to trap Jackson at Centreville,
hears over the left shoulder, far over
Bull Run, the furious cannonade long
league behind him, the storm of a
battle that only dies out at nine, but
| that tells him the tale of one more
trick Of Jackson's-the time-honored
tale of the Irishmans flea.
But it opens Pope's otherwise blinded
eyes, changes in toto his plans for the
morrow, and bids him turn his col
umns on Groveton. Jackson's blunder
has taken much from his own fame,
added much to those of another, and
| given the Badgers and Hoosiers the
title they rejoice in ever thereafter
the name of the Iron Brigade.
Sore times are these, this black,
moonless night, as, within hailing dis
lance of each other, officers and men
OF the opposing forces so cropping about
with glimmering lights, looking for
friends among the slain Sad hearts
are these beating in the bosoms of the
group OF union generals in the fence
corner back of the moaning wood, for
1t is full of wounded The regimental
commanders are slowly withdrawing
their wearied men to the line of the
pike, leaving strong pickets to protect
the surgeons and their stretcher-bear-
ers at the front. 1t is a dramatic scene
when that dark-eyed soldier, COM
mander of the Seventh, rides in to re-
port to his brigade chief concerning
the regiment that caustic regular"
has sometimes misjudged. what do
you think of the Seventh now?" is the
irrepressible question just before the
colonel slips, fainting, from his saddle,
and then and not until then permits
1T to be known that all the time as he
held his men to their desperate work,
he sat his horse, pierced through both
thighs by Enfield bullet, his boots run
ming over with blood. Old Graybeard
of the Sixth, too, is shot through the
leg, and Gibbon has borrowed his
right-hand man, the tall, brainy adj
jutant, and the Sixth feels bereft,
though it, too, falls into soldier hands.
But the Black Hats and the Hoosiers
have lost more than all.
At nine O'Clock, as the last scattering
shots are fired out to the northwest,
where some Of Stuart's fellows have
stumbled on the Hoosier pickets in the
darkness, the division general sends
an aide with brief note to Ricketts,.
telling him of the battle, and saying
he means to hold the ground despite
the fact that prisoners report old
Stonewall 10000 strong. He sends
other staff officers in search of Nc
Dowell, his corps commander, with
similar report and the request that
Ricketts, be ordered to close in and
support him. McDowell's own engineer
officer is with him, deeply interested
witness, coming up with Hatchs bri-
gade, which hurriedly recalled, had
faced about and marched eagerly back,
hoping to be of use. but reaching the
field only as darkness settled on the
line. So the engineer stays to hear
the reports and views of the various
commanders before going himself in
search of his chief, stays long enough
to give his opinion that the division
must move off the pike to the right or
suffer demolition at dawn, and this.
too, is the opinion of Hatch and Glib
bon, sitting with their division COM
mander and it is urgently given by both.
There is nothing for it then, urge the
brigadiers, but slip off southeastward
IN hopes of support, and Fred Ben
ton, riding out to the left front with
orders to bring in the pickets, finds
those venturesome Hoosiers crawling
forward on hands and knees, beyond
the original line.
There was horse battery came out
there just before DUSK" explains a
young sergeant, and it just rained
shrapnel on u.s. Some of Stuarts fell
lows galloped down to slice Off our left.
We gave EN- hot volley and they
sheered away, but tried it twice again
after dark. We've sent in all our
wounded, but our boys swear they hear
faint cries for help out yonder."
They are right! Presently they come
drifting in, four wearied soldiers, bear
ing wounded trooper on blanket.
Benton is busy giving orders to the
subaltern in charge and does not hear
at first the words of the sergeant HE
says he was carrying orders and his
horse fell and rolled on him. His legs
broken, | think, but he'd never have
Whlmpered only he thought we were
friends"
''What'll we do with him if Pm to
fall back?" asks the lieutenant. "He's
an officer"
Benton turns to the dim group, slow
ly bearing their burden with them.
Better carry him to the grove" he
says. Take him where your wounded