Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1909-12-18
COMP PANY'S MASCOT.


side to surrender Cumberland gap. AS
General Buckncr had retrcatcd toward
Chattanooga while General BurnSidc's
forces lay at the gap. the garrison felt
secure against attacks by the Confcd-
crates. The Federal army was in pos
session of Knoxville. and General
burnside had ordered to the gap six
teen regiments and two trains of artil-
lcry The Confederate force, under Gen
cral Frazier was about 1000 strong.
stationed at MorriStown. where he
could control the railroad with sup
plies for General BuCkncr'S army. The
former was ordered to meet the ad-
vance of the FedcralS, who were
marching toward JonCSvilIc.
His hope was. we aftcrward learned.
that part of General II. f. Lees
army OF northern Virginia would re
enforce him before our march of thir-
ty-six miles could bc made. But he
had rcckoncd without the Union host.
We showed front so formidable that
General Frazier wisely laid down his
arms, and Generals Buckncr and Jones
fled across the mountains of east Ten
ncSSec.
General LongStrcct had evidently cX-
pcctcd that General ID. III. Hills corps
that occupied Il secure position ut Cat
tott's gap, in Pigeon mountain, which
was about fifteen miles from Chatta-
nOoga, a spur of Lookout mountain,
would come to his relief, but as Gen
erals Hindman and Hill still hoped for
succor from Buckncr the opportunity
to evacuate voluntarily was lost.
1t was at this iuncturc that General
Thomas moved upon Hills left wing
and closed the gateway to Buckners
force. This was the turning point in
the speedy victory for the Union i'll
Tennessee. 1t was at Gordon's Mills
that we met General Pat Clcburn.
a crash of muskctry made us reel
early in the engagement, and the fire
was so terrific that we were obliged
to withdraw to Il better position on the
hill. Then night came ON.
General Cleburn's men were just
over the brow Of the hill, so close
that we could hear their voices az
they called back and forth to each
other. Like ours, their camp was un-
lighted Every well regulated com
pany, it is said owns to mascot.
The mascot of Company ii was Ted
dy. If he had any other name we did
not know it, and | doubt If he did.
He was a harmless sort of half wit
who had followed the army from the
Ohio border. He was a happyGo-
lucky wight, rarely understanding the
simplest things said to him, but his I'M
failing chccrfulneSs and good nature
had won for him the honor place of
mascot Of the company. He was the
possessor of very fine regimental flag,
and he seemed not to know how it be-
came his, but his devotion to it was so
absolute that we had learned to re-
spect it.
The ConfedcratcS were early aStir,
and we could hear the horses champ
ing their bits and the men exchanging
words about the preparations for the
day. or course they tried the bluff
game on us of raising shouts every
now and then as if re-enforccments
had come. We were ready for the
hard day to come, resting on our arms.
waiting for the signal of battle.
suddenly, about I o'clock, a furry
was felt i'll the air, and crash came.
General Clcburns men had struck our
right wing, and that awful rebel yell
sounded in our ears, sharply reverber-
ating through the pass, and we knew
that something unexpected had oc-
Cured. We had no time to question
what that might be, but later we
learned that General Buckncr's men
had strengthened our ncighbor's force
and that we We're in for the conflict
for good or ill. We were surprised, for
we had not expected it to occur until
much later in the day. The din be-
came horrible. Somehow we felt that
a crisis not altogether to be desired by
us was at hand.
At this desperate juncture Teddy
was seen to run to the rear and plant
himself on hillock some 200 yards
away. Here he unfurlcd his flag. |
shall never forget the thrill that swept
my soul as the folds of that splendid
banner floated to the breeze. Was it
his appeal to high heaven in our be-
half?
wondered then; | think so now.
The sun seemed to wrap its stars and
stripes in very glory of brightness.
Then the band played as If answering
the call of its colors, THE Star Span
gled Banner" and a shout to match
that OF the rebels rose on the air,
The flag with the cross of the south
was plainly to be seen in the advanc
ing line. suddenly the maddening
cries of the Confederatcs ceased, and
we saw their columns waver, the flag
come down, and there followed Il clear,
determined retreat. 1t Is n matter of
history to those who bore the brunt OF
that unexpected attack that If the en-
emy had carried out their original in
tcntiOn to engage us before the second
division came TO our relief the history
Of that battle among the clouds"
would have had different telling.
After all, it is but the repetition of the
cumstanccS. An officer taken prisoner
at the fight told us that when the Con
fcdcratcS saw the flag and "knew that
we had been re-cnforced they thought
1t best not to force the fight, as with
out Buckncr's help it would have been
Il terrible disaster"
And so it was that Teddy's flag the
I