The Ordway new era., 1906-05-25
MEDAL FOR BRAVE DEED.
Government Recognizes valerous Ex'
pioit Of Federal Soldier In Civi'
War-Made Sortie in Dark.

!
homestead, located four miles cas-, o!
Crookston. Mimi. upon which he ha
resided for over a quarter OF Get
tury,
The treasured medal Is inscribed
sgt. Andrew ]. Kelly. KnoNyill +,
Nov. 20. 1868" and those few words
bring to his mind one Of the bloodieSt
-aremcnts OF the civil war. during
IcE he performed feat for which
he was awarded the yalor medal, t.
gethcr with the FIVE others who par
tir'patcd in the gallant deed.
The deed for which the medal war
awarded was volunteering TO make a
dash from the union lines on the night
OF November 20. '63 at Knoxville
with FIVE other men and burn three.
story brick building inside the rebel
lines. from which the rebel sharp
| shooters were picking of the union
runners as fast as they showed their
/ heads.
| The federal batteries were so short
Of ammunition that enough could not
be spared to batter the big house
down. and at a council of war II was
decided that it must be burned. The
question was how could such feat
b. accomplished, as Gen. LonE5trec.
had five or six batteries trained to
cover the ground where the brick
house stood. the batteries being located
across n small rayine from the house
and hut 20 rods distant
Col. Swift. who attended the coun.
ell Of war. volunteered TO furnish the
men 10 take the desperate chance. and
II was decided that six volunteers
should be called for.
Col. Swift returned to his regi
mcnt. announced the offer that he had
made to the commanding general. and
then, In ringing tones. asked who
would be the first man TO volunteer
to be one OF the six men to do the
burning
Comrade Kelly says there was
deathly stiffness for a minute or two.
and then, having no family. he
thought he might as well be the first
man. and. stepping out of the ranks.
presented himself.
President Sheppard. OF the Normal
school at winona. shouted: I'm be
the second" before Kelly had ceased
talking, and n score of others volun
tecref in the next minute. The frs,
six. however. were selected. and at IL
o'clock that night. with companies a
and as flankinG companies. the dash
across the lines was made.
II was pitch dark. but the men 10
Gated the house. and the rebels. think
ing that 1t was general sortie. ae6
from the rear of the building, leaving
their accoutrements. and retrsatiu be
E'Bl the batteries across t1off1vipe
Kerosene was applied libefd1o' q thu
interior and n match did thceSuo:.
To do good job. the squad ~ MA
determined to burn the barns klso.
and did so, not thinking that the burnr
ing house would light things up a1o
show the rebels the size OF the party
and what the scheme was. That 10
Just what happened. and as the six
made dash back for the unloH lines
thero was n hail of bullets that killed
many members of the flanking com.
panies. which had not advanced very
close to the building
The squad of six scattered en- route
back. and Kelly lost his bearings and
ran bum into rebel sentry. who chal.
lenged him. Kelly answered. "a
friend" AMI as he did so stopped low
and skooted to the left. having got
his bearings from a glance back at the
burning house.
Not one of the six men were killed,
but 1t developed later that all that
saved them was an order received BY
the rebel gunners not to fire until the
union troops started to cross the ra.
vine.
Longstreet knew that the federal
troops had no rations left to speak
Of, and was expecting sortie at
night The two companies which ad.
vanced part of the way together with
the six men were taken for a large
force. and the rebels did not suspect
what was up till the building was
burning and the men were shooting
J for safety within the union lines.
Had the batteries opened every man
would have been moved down like
| grass before a sickle.
/ By an act of congress April 9, 1904,
gallantry medals in the form of small
buttons were issued by the war de-
partment and Sergt. Kelly was sent
one Of these. but the medal received
lately is more elaborate and replaced
the former emblem.
1t Is pendant charm, surmounted
by an eagle with helmeted warrior
in the center, and is suspended about
the neck with a buckled ribbon be.
spangled with stars. This medal was
provided by an act passed by con.
gress April %, 1904.
Before securing the second medal
the first one had to be. returned to
the war department accompanied by
sworn affdavits that Sergt. Kelly was
the real man he posed as, and these