The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-01-02
THE MAJOR WADE GOOD.
Incident Of the Civil War Related by
Col. Carpenter.

the home of DR.. Gearing, who was sur
geon of the Fifty-seventh Illinois vol
unteers from beginning to end of the
civil war, a little group of veteran
officers, and among them appeared the
massive, alert and striking form and
presence of Col. Seymour ID. Carpen.
ter, who served as a surgeon through
out the war and was in 1865 medical
director OF the department of the
Missouri.
He 10 Notwithstanding man,
and l was not surprised to hear that
now, in his eighty-second year, he is
bringing out book he has lately writ
ten, history of the Carpenter family
in America, and his own autobiog
raphy.
The genealogical part of the volume,
which has now reached my hands, is
more than usually interesting, for it
tells Of the early settlement, in Penn
sylvania, and later Ohio, of the for.
bears of this large family, which has
from the first been one of distinction
in the republic.
But find especially to my taste the
colonels descriptions of what he saw
of the civil war in Missouri, for the
history of the struggle in Missouri is,
l think, little hard to get at, having
been overshadowed, in the writings
of wartime and after, by the terrific
conflict which ragged east of the Missis.
sippi, while the union forces made
their great wheel around from the
Father of Waters through the south.
ern states and then north through the
capital of the confederacy to Wash
ington.
For short time before he was or
dered west Mr.. Carpenter served in
the Army of the Potomac, and was in
the second battle of Bull Run; ne says
the effect of 1t remains upon him as
that of nightmare. He gives a good
description of the event, nevertheless
OF the battle of Fayetteville, Mo.
April 1S, 1863, the colonel gives ar
amusing and convincing picture. After
IAO Va NtONS, NQO,
geon Carpenter had been left in charge
| of 1000 or more wounded, who hat
been moved to Fayetteville. AS spring
advanced the guerrillas had become
troublesome, and finally the confeder
ate Gen. Cabell assaulted the place
with about 1000 confederates. Col
| Harrison of the First Arkansas cav
airy was in command of the post, witt
about 1900 men under his command
But Maj. Ezra Fitch was in command
of the battalion Immediately in from
| of the place taken up by the surgeon
to witness the conflict.
This Maj. Fitch" says Mr.. Carpen
ter, Il had always regarded as a dull
stupid sort of man. / particularly dis
liked him because he wore a tall
dark plume on his slouch hat, but hi
was something like a tortoise; he re
quired Goals to be put on his back be
fore he could get up move. In thu
present instance he rose grandly t.
the occasion. With tremendous yell
| IhO SAdIICI VI hOI Clhu IOSo Vi I1Gl
flags, the enemy's cavalry charged
down upon us.
! "As soon as he heard the yell, tn,
RAZOR rushed up and down in front O
his line, brandishing a revolver in on,
hand and the Objectionable plumed ha
in the other, while he admonished hi
men, with language which would hav,
done credit to the army in Flanders t,
stand steady, to hold their fire unit
the enemy reached the brow of tn,
hill, and then-his further instruc
tions l may safely leave to the imag
ination of those who have been there
THE brow of the hill" he continues
"was about 40 yards from the line. Il
a minute the long line of cavalry ap
peared, and the major rushed in front
gave the command to fire, and a shee
of fame from 500 carbines greete,
them. Dozens Of horses and men wen
down; could see the line waver, ant
the men frantically refining thei
horses and swerving from right t,
left.
They were armed with saberS, AM
if they had pistols they did not us
them. All our men Cavalry fightin
dismounted) had carbines and revo
Vers. The major did not hesitate on
moment. They rushed forward wit
their revolvers, and in a minute not
confederate was in sight save tn
killed and wounded. The major spe
the fleeing guests with fresh volleys 9
oaths, and then he and his men bega
giving assistance to the wounded.
"Not a man of our side had receive
scratch. The whole affair was owe
in five minutes. 1t was a most thrillin
sight; for moment thought our me-
would be ridden down, which nigh
have happened If the confederate
had not charged in single line.
1.-TWO other sides of the town wer
attacked at the same time, by infantr
and artillery, where the fighting wa
more prolonged, but our troops wer
the better armed and repulsed bot
attacks, with slight loss to us but cor
siderable loss to the enemy.
Ever after that battle l had tn
most profound respect for the major
for 1t is not always safe to judge
man by his looks"
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