The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-04-08
The Caseof Major IgIehart

His uniform hung on him Imply, his
coat turned green, his boots were mud
dy, and his hair protruded through
hole in his hat
Charges for conduct unbecoming an
officer and a drunkenness
were preferred against the major
They were about to come up for trial
when suddenly the enemy came down
on us. The colonel led the retreat the
lieutenant colonel following in close
order. Of the field officers the major
alone was at the front But he was
not the officer we had known He
was TRANSPORTED. He sat erect on his
horse, his eye lighted with the. fire of
battle, and his orders rang out in
clear, ringing tone. 1t seemed that he
had returned to the being he had been
before some great sin or some great
grief had blighted him.
He found the men in confusion, some
flying, some gathering their weapons
and accouterments, some making an
effort at formation. The moment he
appeared. out of the struggling mass
a line developed, and those running to
the rear came back and REINFORCED it.
Selling standard, he called upon us
to follow and, charging saved the day.
After it was over all reverted to it's
former status. The colonel and lieu
tenant colonel resumed command, and
the major got drunk. But the charges
We're quietly withdrawn. Though the
major greatly lowered the moral and
al ~ t1,a 1,o
be endured. Everybody felt that way
the field officers because he could
lead the men in battle and they could
not, the line officers and the men be-
cause they must have some one to lead
them when there was fighting to do
No one thought of advancing the major
to the position of colonel. Such a colo
mel would ruin the regiment with the
army. For n while we tried to treat
him with consideration, but he was so
shabby, so unsoldierly, in every way
so degraded that we soon gave it up
and realized that our handsome colo
mel was still our commander.
And so it continued. When the colo
mel spoke to us, as he often did, III
a pleasing and dignifed manner call
ing us my boys" we cheered, but the
first thing we knew we We're following
the major over breastworks or stand
ing in line with teeth set. taking pun
ishment. Every time there was fight
ing to be done he doomed up at the
front, and when it was over he sank
back into his habitual stupor.
Under our colonel the regiment ac
quired an excellent reputation for dis
cipline and sodierly bearing. Under
the majors leadership in battle we be-
came known as one of the most gal
liant bodies In the army Of course the
regiment must be honored in some
ones name, and it was impossible to
honor us through the major There
fore the colonel got no end of men
ton for gallantry and eventually was
made a brigadier general. That let
the lieutenant colonel in for the bal
ance Of the glory, all of which ema-
mated from the major.
The major never made any com
plant at the fact that all these honors
passed over his head He didn't seem
to care. Nor did any one in the regi-
ment object. We all felt that our
services should have recognition and
considered that honors conferred upon
him would be no recognition at all.
At the last fight the major fought
the army was held in check by a hill
on which the enemy had planted artil-
lery, and everything was at a dead
lock. The general rode up to our reg
iment and asked for the colonel and
lieutenant colonel in quick succession.
Nobody could tell him where they
were. He asked for the next in com
mand. Some one told him that Major
lgleheart was asleep on fence rail
near by. At that moment the major
appeared. The general looked at him
in despair. Nevertheless he gave him
an order to take the hill
The way the major walked Us up
,, that hill was sight to behold. The
general beheld it from below and
, when the hill was ours rode up and
. asked for the major. We showed him
the officer lying on the ground with q
bullet hole in his forehead. The gen
eral turned away sadly with the re
had division
! We all knew more about that thar
the general The major in command
: of a division! Absurd! Yet there wal
something about the clay he had lief
behind-his former self-that made III
forget his second self and think o
: him as major general. With tina
!, look on his face we buried him. free
. volley over him and forgot him til
: the next fight, when, having no one t.
lead us, we covered ourselves witt
Z, disgrace and after several such cpl
sodes were mustered out of the serv
;. ice with dishonOr.
But to finish about the major. TIL
day after he was killed letter cam
= for him addressed in a woman's hand
Not knowing what to doswith it, tn
- adjutant concluded to consider 1t
dead letter, open it for the address o
!, the sender and return 1t. 1t read:
IL