The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-12-08

soldier who does not take care Of him.
self, and who drifts down to poverty.
General Newberry stirred me up on
the question the other day and the
story is worth telling, not in palliation
Of soldiers weakness, but in justice
to a common soldiers memory.
"On the oath Of October Officer
Ryan on the West Side picked up an
old soldier who had fallen on thu
street and sent him to the county hos
pital. where he died an hour after
ward. reviving just enough to give his
nAme-Joseph Kimball. He was with
out a home, a wanderer. and his son
and daughter had not known his
whereabouts for many days, but the
incident being published, their atten-
ton was called to it, the daughter Wis
tied the morgue, and found and iden-
tilted the body of her father. Grant
Post, No. %, of Chicago took charge
Of the funeral and gave Kimbau the
burial of their order and bore him to
an honorable resting place in their
grounds at Elmwood. 1t was a beau
tiful service and the bier and grave
were decorated with flowers and moth
ing but the virtues of the dead SOL
der were remembered.
"When the regular rites had been
performed, General Waiter G. Newber-
ry was asked il he desired to make
any remarks. We all knew that New
berry was one Of the strictest disci-
plinarians Of the general officers of the
old army living in Chicago, and 1 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 hero. He was a hero be-
cause he performed heroic and special
deeds which entitle him to that dis
dnction.' Then 1 knew there was a
story worth telling, and 1t came in
thus wise:
'Kimball was 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 Q bat
terry, a compact body of men received
discharge Of shrapnel which killed
and wounded 113 Of their number, and
1t being but battalion, practically de-
stroyed it. In that terrific fire men
lay, in one instance, five deep upon
the field at IL o'clock at night, twelve
hours after the assault. Under a
bright clear moonlight from the federal
works was observed a movement
among what We're supposed to be the
dead, and i. turning to the men be-
hind the works, said: II will make
q corporal Of any man who Will at
tempt to succor that living soldier"
"'Joe Kimball. boy OF IS 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 canteen of
water, flask of whisky and 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 mass of mangled
bodies, clearing the blood and sand
from his mouth, and, administering
water and a little spirits, revived him.
and. as cloud shaded the field for
q 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
der did to make him hero. The fire
Of the enemy across that field that
night was a 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, I ordered Corporal KimbaIl 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 rue upon any attempt
on their part to 30 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 1
had anticipated. In spying the enemy
he had covered himself behind a tree,
the enemy's sharpshooters firing upon