The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-29

|
THE COLOR BEARER.
Interesting Paper BY Captain
Morton, of Early's Corps.
The color bearer OF u regiment is only
a sergeant, nor-comnlssioned officer
"shoot at the colors!" Is the cry OF the
hostile line as soon as they are Haunted
before them. The color sergeant is the
cynosure OF all eyes In battle.
Hero is a story wvidly told by Captain
| T. C. Morton, of Staunton, of Color Ser
geant Allen Woodrum, of Edgar's Bat
| TALON at Cold Harbor. History has neg
| lected the color bearers. There are none
more deserving than they Captain Nor
| ton has given his surviving comrades n
worthy and noble example, and 1t is not
too late to rescue many such incidents
from oblivion. Let US do what we can
to preserve them.
JOHN w. DANIEL
1t was just as daybreak on the Sd Of
June, 1854, Mt the beginning Of the great
battle OF second Cold lIurbor that Color
Sergeant Allen Woodrum, Of Company +,
Edgar's Battalion, Early Corps, did as
brave a thing In defending and saving
his colors as any soldier in any army
ever did, but he gave up his young life,
though he snved his flag.
WOODRUFF Al NEW MARKET
Woodruff was farmer boy from Mon
roe county, Va. about twenty years OF
age, and had in several engagements
showed such cool courage as color guard
that he was promoted to the position OF
color sergeant and entrusted with the
care Of the flag, which was his pride ana
glory. He had carried It TO the front at
Newmarket on May the 18th, just about
two weeks before Cold Harbor, and
striding in the lead of the battle line,
waving his flag, firing his pistol and
cheering on the men through murder
Gus fire of shot and shell, charged the
.nemy's battery. which was captured
and turned OH the fleeing foe.
WOODRUM'S LOVE AND CAKE FOh
HIS FLAG.
1t was for this galantry that his colonel
sought his promotion, but ,ss the brave
fellow could not read or write. he could
MT hold n commissioned Office lie was
content, however, TO be made color SER
geant, and priced moro highly than ever
his beloved flag which had received more
bullet holes In that fight. BY some means
no secured some oil cloth and made
cover for it, which protected 1t from Dust
and weather on the march, put Hheh
we went through villages or towns or
took or it's Dress unfurled and proudly
waved it as no stepped along, tall and
manly. an inch higher at least than be-
fore.
THE DAY BEFORE COLD IIARBOR,s
The day before his last fight, as we lay
back of the line some hours waiting Tor
| orders, l saw Woodrum tinkering with his
flag, his sweetheart. as he called IT. NO
girl beloved so well. When he had mn
ished hammerlng and polishing nc
brought the flag to me- Holding 1t out
admiringly, he said. Look at her, Cap
tain; what do you think Of that?' He
had somewhere picked up n stout, rusty
! brass spear, about the size of man
hand, with socket and had rubbed,
scrapcd and sandpapered 1t till 1t shone
| like gold. and had trimmed the end OF
| the flagstaff and fitted on the spear, fast
cning It securely with rivets making OF It
a formidable looking weapon. said !:
| "rhat is very pretty, Allen It isn't
| just pretty" he said. III any OF them
| Yankees try to take this flag, they'll get
this spear through EN-" He brought
the star to charge bayonets' and
made fierce lunge. "Pshaw, said /.
| I'VE won't get that close II don't know
about that" replied tho color sergeant.
"Marse Robert has all his men here, and
old Grant has his whole army. We are
going to get ut 1t and have a graveyard
! fight sure enough and you Will see It.
| A GRAVEYARD FIGHT.
Woodrum, with the intuition of a vet
eran, had rightly summed up the sltua,
| ton. In Il short time we were placed
on the firing line coming In under
| smart fire from sharpshooters, and taking
our position. relieving some dlsmounted
| cavalry, who We're occupying slight,
| hastily thrown up entertainment, an un-
fortunate position In salient near tho
brow Of an elevation, from which the
enemy, If they charged. could not be
seen until they VERT nearly on u.s.
| 1t is unnecessary TO 30 into the par
ticulars OF some sharp fighting that af'
| ternon. in the woods In our front durnl
which our brigade. General Echols, los
! considerably. and the battalion sevcra
officers and men. We could catcl
gimpses Of heavy masses Of troops mov
| ing down In the woods under tho hill u
cur front, and knew that hot work wa
! ahead of us, for which we were poorl.
prepared, with only one thin line In tn
works We sent runner to Genera
breckenridge for reinforcements ana so
| reply that they would be on hand In time
so we waited and tried to be read
through the long wakefIT night, and NJ
i relnforcements in the works where mel
stood so FAR apart that they could no
touch each others oulstretohed hands
DAYLIGHT AND BATTLE.
4 But daylight brought tho crisis wit
some rapid firing In front, the picket
were run In and dark heavy masses 0
men, many ranks deep, rushed on, yell
Ing and firing. One deadly volley from on
, line, which only cut down the first ran
of the enemy. one discharge of the gu
- ali, I,nt