Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-02-03
A BRAVE YANKEE.
Does Substitute Work for a Nervous
Comrade and Wins Unex-
pected Laurels.

when we were in front of Spanish
fort in April, 1865" said Comrade Dan
r. Anderson, 1--WE had in our company
recruit whose time was nearly out
His name was Job Jennings, andlhe came
from the SiXty-eighth Indiana. He was
detailed to so out in the trenches, and
that was extra dangerous, as the confed-
crates had got the range on the
zigzag we were making toward their
fortiication, and were dropping all
sorts of shells for our entertain
ment. Jennings mother was a widow,
and he longed to see her. He told
me that if he went out he would certain
ly be killed. He said lie was not a
coward, but that he had presentiment
that he would be killed, and he told me
to send some things he gave me to his
mother in case he did not come back.
He was the most forlorn looking mortal
/ ever saw, and said to him: I'm pref
ty hard to kill I'll go for you!' And
went.
81 had been vigilant all through the
night, peeping through little porthole
made by placing a V-shaped box made of
heavy plank, with notch cut out of the
bottom of it big enough 10 stick the bar
rel of gun through, set in the dirt we
threw out of the pits or zigZag next to
the enemy, leaving a small opening
through which we fired, with very little
exposure. The zigzag was about yard
wide, and from one to four or five yards
long, and five or six feet deep, with n
step left a foot or more high and more
than a foot wide, on which to stand while
we looked through the portfolio. saw
very little to shoot at all night, and just
as day was dawning l heard the swish
of the wings of a wild goose. 1t was no
unusual thing for them to fly over us
flying low, l thought, so l concluded to
try shot at one.
THAT goose was a 13-inch mortar
shell, and as looked up it burst so close
to my head that involuntarily went
down; that is to say, sat down, and as
/ had been standing foot or more high
er than the landing place, was killed
again, so to speak. 1t was sandy soil
l remember now that l was thankful
that the soil was sandy and when one
of the comrades came to me and asked
where l was hit told him to thump me
and see if was alive. Two of the detail.
on either side of me were not so fortEn-
ate as l, for one was killed instantly anG.
the other badly wounded.
81 had just begun to congratulate my
self on my lucky escape when another
one of those 13-inch visitors made hole
in the ground not more than foot flUn
me. | looked into the hole and saw the
sand coming up. Instantly was nearly
| buried as | rolled into the hole blown out
by the explosion Of the shell. dug my
self out and intended to skedaddle out
of there, an admirable thing to do dur
ing a heavy bombardment of the rifle
pits as the occupants would retire to the
entrance of the gap and await calm. I
was so bewildered that instead of going
out | went farther in, and to the eX-
treme end, nearest the Spanish fort,
where l remained inactive, compara-
lively safe, and had regained my wonted
composure before l was relieved by a
new detail, who were very much sur
prised at finding solitary Yankee sol
dier holding a very important position
Twas no fault of mine if was holding
1t. No one made demand for it, so how
do | know what l would have done? II
just held itself."-Chicago Inter Oceap