Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-12-08
A BRAVE ACT.
How Philip A. Hawk Spiked Brass
Cannon at Chickamauga.


Early on the morning of the goth
of September. 1868, Gen. John Beatty's
brigade, to which the One Hundred
and Fourth Illinois was attached,
was sent from our position on the
right near the Widow Glenn's house
to the extreme left of our lines near
Kelley's house and across the La
fayette road, writes Philip A. Hawk,
in the National Tribune. We reached
the position assigned, and, moving
out, skirmishing soon began The
confederate lines kept advancing, and
engaging our one main and only line
of Beatty's brigade, soon drove it
back Bridges battery was engaged,
but was short of men, and Capt.
Bridges asked Gen. Beatty for a de-
tail of men from the infantry to help
work the guns At Beatty's order Col.
Hapeman of the One Hundred and
Fourth Illinois, called for volunteers,
and myself and others at once re-
sponded. We reported to the bat
terry and was assigned to the differ
ent guns. I went to one of the brass
12-pounder guns and carried ammuni-
ton to the gun. The confederates
continued to advance, and we kept
after my arrival, but when the last
two were fired only the sergeant of
the gun and myself remained at the
gun, and these last times we loaded
her to within one foot of the muzz1e
and let go. One man at our gun
had been killed, two badly wounded,
the other men were gone. OF the
six horses five were down killed or
disabled. We could not remove the
gun and the confederateS were adj
vancing obliquely across the open
field in our front, their left nearer
our gun than their right, and COW
cred by woods. The sergeant then
said he could cut the one unhurt horse
loose and get out and 1 had better
also. But l did not, and hearing the
men at another gun on my left calling
for canister 1 filled my arms full and
ran to that gun, which was perhaps
800 feet distant. This was a steel
gun The sergeant, however, cursed
me and told me to take the ammuni-
ton back. I said that no one was
now at the gun. He then told me
to go to the rear; he did not need me.
But 1 did not feel like going and
started back to the brass gun. 1t
flashed into my mind to spike the gun.
big as my two fists, perhaps, and
running to the timber chest, grabbed
up a file that had before seen there,
and just as 1 reached the gun to
spike it a confederate soldier stepped
out of the woods or brush, not more
than 20 feet away raised his musket
and fired. The thought came to me, 1
can spike it as quick as you can fire.
I gave the file one blow, and it was
done. That instant the confederate
ball hit me over the left eye and I
instinctively turned to the rear, or
found myself SO faced. 1 was blind
ed or dazed, and blood flowed, but I
then ran. l heard the confederate
say: "Oh, you - 1 did
not stop, but had attracted notice, and
very soon after was hit again by a
bullet in the left leg above the knee,
flesh wound, which famed me. AL
most Immediately after 1 was hit by
a piece of shell in the right leg be-
low the knee. These various wounds
did not cause me to stop, though very
lame. Meantime the confederates
had been SO well met on the left that
they soon halted or sought shelter in
the woods. The wounds received
there, or two of them, still disable me
At last reached the log hospital on
the hill, but it was soon shelled by
a confederate battery, and those who
could got out on order of the sur
geon. I then got into little valley
near by, and found there the Second
Ohio. The colonel called me up,
washed my face from his canteen, and
tied his handkerchief about my head,
and told me to wait for an ambulance.
l did so for awhile; then occurred a
great stampede of non-combatants,
and to avoid being killed, 1 got be-
hind a tree. The Second Ohio moved
out to battle. The stampede soon
passed, and no one pausing to take me
up, started for RossviIle. Meantime
my regiment had been ordered away,
and, as I found, had gone to Ross
| vile by Negley's order With ex-
| IRENE effort 1 reached Rossville that
night, and Chattanooga the next day
| in an ambulance from Rossville.
was next ordered across the river and
| to go to Stevenson, but not liking this
| got over the Tennessee, reported to
| Capt. Bridges, and in two days more,
being found unfit for duty, was sent
back to the One Hundred and Fourth
Illinois by Capt Bridges 1 then re-
manned in camp for four weeks, when
1 was again put on duty
4
| Princess Has Few Fads.
The princess of Wales has never