Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-08-21
Civil War Stories
A woman's Courage.

| Morgan's men are on us!''
| 1t was in 1868, at the time when
| John Morgan and his famous band of
| guerrillas were raiding the country,
/ pillaging, burning and striking terror
to all the country round about that a
| little band of Union men, about 500, a
detachment Of General Lew Wallace's
! division, who had been left to protect
supplies at a point in Kentucky near
| the Ohio line, were surprised and sur
| rounded by Ellsworth's division Of
Morgan's men,
A sergeant dashed without ceremony
into headquarters with the startling
| news. There was no time for delay.
The outposts had reported the stimuli
taneous appearance Of lines of mounted
men springing like ghosts from all
points of the compass.
"Morgan's devils? That means trou
| ble," cried the Colonel. Here, Craw-
ford, wire Cincinnati, for reinforce
! ments."
Frank Crawford, an aid to General
| Wallace, and detailed as telegraph op-
orator, grasped the key of the ticker
and flashed an appeal over the wire
Back came the answer:
| Special train, 1000 men, south
bound, pass you in an hour. Stop
| them"
| Preparations for defense were useless.
| The guerrillas began to close in and the
| bluecoats found themselves Outnumber-
ed five to one. But there appeared to
be no intention on the part of the raid
ers to press fight. They amused them
selves by slowly riding around the
camp and setting slow fires to the sup
ports of railroad bridges over the river
near the camp. This gave the Union
boys no little alarm. Some one must
get through the lines and flag the train.
"Who will volunteer to run the
gauntlet?" asked the commander
He looked at the circle Of brave men
around him. There was pause. 1t
meant almost certain death.
II will co. cried one.
what, you, Crawford?'
Eyes. Here, give me the flag"
Frank Crawford was no coward, but
in tent adjoining headquarters lay
handsome brown-eyed woman, his
wife, and by her side a bright little
baby boy, born under the old flag but
four days before Near by an old col
Ored nurse was comforting a 3-year-old
lad who was frightened by the noise
| without The husband and father chok
! Al oh
TO shake his brave purpose, and after
hasty embrace and parting kiss
rushed out of the tent.
The guerrillas We're riding around
outside, keeping close watch over every
movement in camp. Stealthily Craw-
ford moved along, watching for an TN
guarded point at an opportune mo-
ment Mrs. Crawford was as brave as
her husband Rising from her bed, she
staggered to the door of the tent just
in time to see him captured. Her heart
stood still for momen; then, quick as
a fash, she turned, pressed her babe to
her bosom for an instant, then glided
out and across the camp between the
tents, like white robed specter. Heed
less of danger, she hurried on, the ex-
element giving her strength.
The soldiers stood aghast as the Wo-
man rushed past them. Ahead were
the bridges, and clouds of smoke were
slowly rolling skyward from the rebel
fires beneath.
Halt" The order rang out above
the din.
The determined woman paid no at
tention to the command.
Fire. cloud of bullets fell on
all sides. She needed them hot, but
ran on her long black hair flying about
her shoulders and her loose gown and
| bare feet giving her the appearance
| of an insane woman. She reached the
! bridge and leaped from tie to tie in
safety Beyond was second bridge
| Could she make it? 1t was burning
| underneath. She could see the flames
leaping up around the beams. She
| grew dizzy She dared not look down.
| Everything was getting black. With
superhuman strength she gathered her
self for the final effort. Another beam
was reached, another, one more Thank
| God, she was over.
! Her foot had scarcely left the last
! beam when, crash the whole structure
| collapsed Mortified and stunned by
| the effect of her narrow escape, for a
moment she was powerless to move.
! Then she heard the whistle of the To-
connective as it rounded the curve.
| Sprnging forward, followed by the
| angry and disappointed cries of her
pursuers, and grasping the little red
| skirt of her baby, which she had picked
up from the floor of the tent as she
| left, she raised it, and, summoning all
her remaining strength, waved it frant-
ically above her head. A rife shot rang
out and the brave woman fell, pierced
| by q rebel bullet.
The signal was seen. The train with
| it's precious freight was stopped al