The Washington herald., 1908-05-24
by JOHN S. HARDWOOD.

eighteen Senators and thirty-four Rep
resectatives who fought On one side or
the other in the civil war-thirty-four for
the Union and eighteen for the Confed-
eracy. The war records of all these ma
tional legislators show that they fought
valliantly for what they thought was
right. In addition. the records of not
few on each side reveal the fact that they
were regular daredevils in battle. Among
the Federal daredevils are four Congress
medal OF honor men, and among the Con-
federate veterans are such well-known
men as Senator Johnston, of Alabama;
representative SpIght. of Mississippi;
Senator Daniel. of Virginia. and Repre-
sentative Gordon. of Tennessee each OF
whom performed deeds in the heat of bat
tie that probably would have won them
Congress medals Of honor had they
fought for instead Of against the Union.
OF the medal of honor men two are In
the Senate--Warren. of Wyoming. and
Du Pont, of Delaware-while the medals
in the House are won by Henry H. Bing-
ham, Of Pennsylvania. and Thomas w.
Bradley. of New York.
Amy one who has ever read a good ac-
count of the Battle Of the Wilderness will
recall the exceedingly bloody character
OF the fighting, the fierce assaults of the
Confederates being a feature Of the con-
test AS a result OF these persistent on
slaughts many OF the Union troops at last
gave way and began retiring in great
confusion. Then II was that Henry II.
Bingham, captain Of Company @, 10th
Pennsylvania Infantry, who had dis
tinguished himself and been wounded at
Gettysburg less than year before. jump
ed into the breach, and by exhortation
and disregard for his own skin succeed
ed in rallying portion OF the broken line
and. what's more led it, cheering. into
the thick Of the fight again.
Receives Second Wound.
This occurred on May s. 1864 Spottsyl-
vania was fought the following day and
the day after that In that battle Capt.
Bingham received his second wound. A
third bullet was stopped by him at Farm
vile the last year OF the war. He was
awarded his medal of honor August 81.
1893. but before he was mustered out in
1866 he had been brevetted major, iieuten-
ant colonel. colonel. and finally brigadier
general for distinguished gallantry.
Handsome Harry" as he is called by his
Congress colleagues and his constituents
Is fairly worshipped by tho G. a. r. men
OF his State. At national encampments
he is one OF th9 veterans most sought
after. and In Congress is among its most
popular members.
Seriously wounded at Gettysburg and
again bored by a bullet at the Wilderness.
II was at ChancelOrsville just a year
and three days before Bingham won his
medal that Representative Bradley dis
played the gallantry that led Congress to
issue him medal Of honor on June 20,
1896.
Bradley at the time was sergeant OF
Company II. 124th New York Infantry.
and he was less than month past his
nineteenth birthday. Suddenly. at the
height Of the fighting. the discovery was
made that the supply CT ammunition was
running perilously low. Did no fresh am
munition arrive in a few minutes the
company would be without food for It's
guns. There was only one thing to do
and il was done-a call was made for vol
unteers 20 60 and get ammunition.
Goes for Ammunition.
Sergt. Bradley volunteered and was ac-
cepted, and alone, in the face Of a heavy
fire Of musketry and canister" he went
his comrades" so simply reads the
ground OF award. But If you should
chance 70 run across surviving mem
Der OF Sergt Bradley's company and ask
him about the incident OF the sergeant's
trip for ammunition he will not deal in
language so simple. Among other things
he will tell You that so deadly was the
Confederate IRE al the time that not a
member Of the company who knew Of
Sergt Bradleys undertaking In their be-
half ever expected to behold him alive
and In the flesh again. And he viii tell
yos. too. how the battle~begrimed men.
when they beheld their comrade return
laden with ammunition. let out cheer
that could be heard above the roar Of
battle. and then. inspired by the brave
deed. returned 10 the grim work OF plug
ging at the "Johnnies' with more vigor
than ever. II was while ne was fighting
before Petersburg that Bradley received
his third body badge Of courage By the
time the campaign terminating at Apo
mattOX was on he had won a captaincy.
and because Of his display Of daring in
that campaign he was brevetted major
Corp. Francis p. Warren. like Sergt.
Bradley, won his medal Of honor by
stepping forward when a call for volun-
teers was made. And II was twenty-four
days after Bradley had secured ammuni-
tion for his company that Warren became
a member Of the little column OF yolun-
teers before Port Hudson called by their
comrades The Forlorn Hope"
Warren Volunteers.
Corp. Warren lacked a month OF be-
ing nineteen years DID, and was a mem
ber of Company c, Forty-ninth Massa-
chusetts Infantry. which. on May q. 1863
was called upon 70 furnish a few men
from each company 10 perform the dan
gerous undertaking Of preceding the reg
ular troops with fascines 20 MI the ditch
OF the earthworks before Port Hudson
so that the artillery and infantry might
cross in case Of success in the SALLY
Warren was among the very first of his
regiment TO volunteer.
While 'the fOrlorn hope was forming
the guns of Port Hudson were silent
supposed on the outside on account OF the
shelIing that Gen. Banks had given the
Confederate stronghold, but really be-
cause the Confederates were saving their
ammunition for the expected siege But
when the forlorn hope" bearing the
fascines. left the sheltering wood and
headed for the ditch the field became one
mass of iron. The air was full Of il: IL
literally rained and hailed iron.
The. colonel, and, In fact. every officer
commanding "the forlorn hope" was
killed and about three-fourths Of the men
were killed or wounded. OF the remain
ing number only those survived who hap
pened to fall on the field or sought shelter
behind the stumps and trees. Gen. Bart
ssAtt, at that time commander Of the regi-
mt went into the field on horseback
fell with two severe wounds, his