Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-14


 and musketry, Reaching the place, he sprang through an embrasure from which bullets were raining, and was the first man to enter the fort.
 But no veteran of the civil war won his medal more fairly than did Gen. John F. Weston, now commissary gen. eral of subsistence. In the summer of 1864 Weston was a major of cavalry attached to Wilson's division. He and his men were in Alabama, some 40 miles from Montgomery. Word reached Weston that there was a con- federate transport laden with supplies somewhere near the junction of the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers. Weston was ordered to locate and capture it. While marching along the shore of the Tallapoosa he saw on the further side of the river two or three canoes which he thought might be useful to him in hunting the transport. Strapping his revolver on the top of his head, and or dering his men to do likewise, the major, with six followers, plunged into the river, swan to the opposite bank, and secured the canoes. He rowed back for the rest of his command, and, . leaving a few troops to guard the horses went on up the stream. At the mouth of the Coosa he discovered the transport in bayou short distance ahead. Reaching his canoes he began n rao1 1yn Cio o1C tn oft onf %h0 tion of those on board the transport, and presently saw gig push off and pull toward shore. When the gig ran upon the beach the first man to step out of it was the captain of the trans port.
 What do you want with me?" asked the captain.
 "Who may you be?" asked Weston, answering one question with another.
 q am the captain of the boat out there," was the reply.
 Then you are just the man I want ed to see," said Weston. T command the advance of Wilson's cavalry, which will be along here in a few minutes, and must ask you to surrender your self and your transport"
 The captain, after a moments thought, agreed to an unconditional surrender, whereupon Weston with a portion of his command boarded the gig and, rowing to the transport, told the officer in charge that the captain had surrendered, and that he had come to take possession of the boat. The transport was promptly turned over, taken to Montgomery and destroyed It was for the success and daring of this undertaking that Gen. Weston was awarded a medal of honor.
 Behind each of the medals won in campaigns against the Indian stands a story of intrepid bravery. Gen. Francis D. Baldwin while first lieuten- ant of the Fifth infantry, so runs the official record, rescued with two com panies two white girls by voluntary attack upon the Indians, whose su- perior numbers and strong position would have warranted delay for rein forcements, but which delay would have permitted the Indians to escape and kill their captives. This occurred at McClennan's creek, Tex, in No vember, 1874 On October 1, 1879, Maj. Francis Dodge, then captain of troop D, Ninth United States cavalry, was scouting near Grand river, and there beard of the defeat two days before of three troops of cavalry un- der Maj. Thornburg, near White River agency, Colorado. An overwhelming force of hostile Indians was besieging Maj. Thornburg and threatening the entire destruction of the command. Capt. Dodge instantly set forth, rode all night, arrived at the scene of con- fiict at daylight, attacked at once, and held out for three days, when rein forcements arrived and the Indians fled. Capt. Dodge was at that time highly commended in orders, but he had to wait 19 years for his medal of honor.
 Less than a score of medals were grasted for bravery in the war with Spain. One of these went to Capt. John w. Heard, of the Third cavalry, and another to Lieut. Ira c. Welborn, of the Ninth Infantry.
 One of the few who earned the medal of honor in the Philippines is Gen. J. Franklin Bell, and the story of how he did it is of the sort to stir the slowest pulse. On September 8, 1899. Gen. Bell, then colonel of the Thirty-sixth volunteer infantry, en- camped with his regiment near Porac, in the Island of Luzon. About two o'clock the following morning the regi- | ment left camp and set out to head of l a large body of insurgents which dur ing the night had attacked the Ninth | infantry, stationed at Guagua and San Rita. Col Bell was ahead of the regi- l ment with a dozen company scouts. l Just as day was breaking the advance scouts encountered the enemy's patrol. ! consisting of a captain. a lieutenant l and five privates. The scouts fired on | them, and. as the insurgents started to | run, gave chase. Col. Bell instantly . spurred his horse to the front. and sec ing that the insurgents were easily | running away from the scouts. he pushed into a gsllop. Then unmindful of the fact that he was far in advance of his men and wholly without SUD- port. he charged the seven insurgents with his pistol, scattered them, and compelled the surrender of the captain and two privates, this under a hot and