The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-15

| the girl would hsrdlV choose . one-lesged
cripple in preference to q whole man."
! tried to console him by remarking,
loved you she'll surely not 60 back on you
on account OF your misfortune"
Il don't know about that" he replied
doubtfully. Bass il q blamed 6ne-look-
ing fellow himself. Can ride like a
Camanche; dead shot with q pistol or
rifle; can rope an throw steer with any
cowboy; an with nice uniform on, SIGH
fellow'd be a devyh to capture the wom-
ems heart-at least Texas women. I'm
afraid I'D STAN pour show-a one-legged
cripple hobblin' aboat on crutches-ag'in
whole man, an "A fne-lookin' fellow like
Bass - him! l don't think it'd be
this, for it'd kill me dead entirely to be
refused by that girl, an see the other fell
low walk away with her."
| he was truly a fne-looking young fell
low, and in appearance well calculated 20
win and hold the affections of any girl.
| tried to cheer him up by assuring him
| that If his girl truly loved him she would
stick to him even without a leg at all !;
but he did not seem to feel hopeful. Pos
sibly he had well-founded doubts Of his
hold on the girls affections.
He expressed deep gratitude for the kind
treatment and sympathy that he and his
comrades had received from our men since
at parting. ! never saw him again, but
was told few days later on inquiry that
he died in the hospital at Fort Gibson
shortly after being removed to that place,
from the effects of the amputation. He
was at least saved the humiliation of 'be
ing refused by that girl, an seem the
other fellow walk away with her."
At the end of the days work for the
Surgeons there was quite little mound
OF legs and arms in front Of the hospital
door where they had been tossed out as
they were taken off, which I caused to be
hauled away and buried the next day.
The rebel wounded, as they were some
what scattered in the timber and brush,
and difficult to find, were not all gathered
in when night put q stop to the work ;
and no doubt many q poor fellow mOaned
out his life all alone before morning for
want of medical assistance.
THE REBELS HAD ALL THE ADVANTAGE.
Considering that the rebels had so much
the advantage of us in being familiar with
the locality, choosing their own ground to
night on, being sheltered by the timber,
and having a fair pick at our men as they
advanced over open ground and also hav-
ing force about equal to ours-taking all
these advantages, which they possessed,
into consideration, they made poor fight.
They ought to have been able to whip us,
and probably would If they had been we'll
handled; but their Generals-Cooper and
Stand Waitie-were never successful in
q pitched battle-their best hold being
raiding and guerrilla war-and seemed to
have made up their minds that they were
going to get whipped before our men came
in sight-probably greatly magnifying our
numbers-and prepared to fall back on
North Fork Town accordingly.
A message was received here this day
(July II, 1859, by Gen. Blunt, forward
ed from Gibson, announcing the glorious
victories OF our armies, after three days
OF desperate fighting at Gettysburg. Pa,
and also the surrender of Vicksburg, Miss,
where Grant took Gen. PembertOn and
$4,000 rebels, after a siege and lombard
ment Of several months duration, both of
which important events had been brought
to close on the glorious 4th of July, '63.
reach us. Such cheering as our men did
on receipt of the glad tidings might have
been heard long way down in Dixie"
1t was confidently predicted that these
crushing defeats" of the rebels would GER
tainly bring the war to a close in few
months-that the backbone Of the rebel
lion was surely broken this time, and the
Southern Confederacy was dead; but in
spite Of these prophecies that defunct in
stitution with the disjointed spinal col
umn managed to worry along, and made
it mighty interesting for us for nearly two
years longer.
After the battle. Of Honey Springs the
contemptuous cepithet of - niggers,"
that had previously BEEN used so freely in
speaking OF the colored troops, was
adopted by them as title that they
seemed rather proud of. 1t was common,
to hear the black. fellows speak of their
regiment as the list Kans. Damned Mig
gers" etc.
NEGROES AS SOLDIERS.
The conclusion arrived at in refer
ence to the fighting qualities of the col
ored soldiers is that they will probably
do as good service as the white troops il
white officers. The negro having always
been accustomed to look up to the whites
as a superior race naturally consider them
their masters, and give them prompt
obedience. But l noticed that where men
of their own color are appointed as off,
GERS over them they don't have the same
confidence in these as in the white officers
deduce the rule that brave and eff
cient white officer will make out of the
average freedman a good soldier, and vice
versa. The negro soldier is perfectly will
ing to let his white officer do his 1.-THE
soldier's) thinking; but, lacking that self
reliance that the superior intelligence of
the white soldier gives him, is more liable
to panic than the white.
The white soldier on the contrary in
spite of the oft-repeated assertion of his
superiors, "You have no right to thing
your officers are paid to do your thinking"
which is dinned into him from his enlist
ment-will persist in running a think
cry" Of his own; and where thrown unon
his own resources is by no means helm
less, as the darby generally is.
The next day after the battle we spent
In burying the dead-our own first and
then the rebel dead-and on the day fol-
lowing (the 10TH We moved back to Glib
son.
On the return trip we found that both
the Arkansas and Grand Rivers had fall
len sufficiently SO that we could easily
ford them and dispense with the ferryboat
which. with detail of soldiers, / towed
back up to it's old place in Grand River
at Fort Gibson.
AS I crossed the river with nv train
at the ford where the team of the negro
regiment had been drowned, the wagon and
dead mules were visible above water. anil
some of the black soldiers swan ont to
it, and fished out the bodies of the driver
Zone of whose feet was found to be fast
in the stirrmps). and the two darky SOL
diers who had drowned in the wagon.
These were drawn ashore by ropes. THE
swimmers then attached one end of stout
rope to the team, carried the other end
1 ache S%I