The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-03-04

Little Potter:


himself
A short, little square-built,. dark
skinned, twinkling- eyed young fellow
was known the regiment over as Lit
tie Potter" The name came from his
trade before war times and from the
fact that he was always talking shop.
Standing near the picket fire, though
uncomfortable himself, he could al
ways suggest a way in which to make
coffee boil, and would gather up little
splinters and pile under or about <he
kettle with the keenest enjoyment, al
though the coffee belonged to the mos
taciturn man In the company.
At Shiloh, In the midst of the sec
ond days battle, Little Potter left the
company to get water for himself and
several of his companions Al quick
change Of position, new line CT bat
tie formation took place after his de-
parture, and Little Potter was seen
no more for several days.
After the rebels retreated. be was
acting as nurse at the brigade hospi-
tai. He couldn't find his regiment on
his return, but found the hospital.
and the division superintendent or
dered him on duty, and discovering
his excellence as a nurse, would not
let him return to the company. There
was a quarrel between the captain
and the surgeon, the former seeing
Little Potter as a skulker, and the lat
ter seeing him as a useful man who
had made mistake through no fault
Of his own
The captain reported Potter absent
without leave, and he was court mar
tailed. The sentence was that he
should forfeit six months pay. The
stoppage Of six months pay told
sorely on him, but he weathered the
storm and came out as serene as
though he had never been court-mar-
tailed
When the men gathered about the
fires, talked of Shiloh, and compared
notes about their losses there on the
first day, Little Potter would say, in
droll way: 81 lost six months pay
| there
On the morning of the terrible De
| cember 81, at Stone River, Little Pot
ter was the first man in place, after
| the orderly. and though the shortest
man in the company, he held his place
| there. There was a sweeping charge.
| The company left their dead further
to the front than any other regiment
in action that day.
Little Potter was a giant In doing.
| He kept his place next to the orderly
when the company was broken and
scattered. With precision that
would under other circumstances have
been droll, he formed on the orderly
whenever charge was made, and
while it was every man for himself.
AS he was ramming home load, a
ball struck him in the fieshy part of
the leg, cutting a great cash and tear
ing his clothes. He was advised to 90
to the rear. The reply was:
| II will show them who Is a cow
ard"
A shot struck him in the left shoul
der, and he became deadly pale. Still
| with teeth and right hand he man
| aged to load his gun and fire. Anoth-
er shot struck him i'm the thigh and
he fell. He was dragged TO stump
and placed so that the raking fire
would not touch him. He deliberately
crawled round and placed himself SC
as to face the rebels, and as the com
pany gave back in one Of those almost
hand-to-hand fights, little Potter kissed
his hand TO the men nearest him and
nestled down with a sigh of relief.
Days afterwards the sergeant found
pair OF black eyes glistening from
the festoons of white sheets, i'm a hos
pital in Murfreesbero. They belonged
to Little Potter, broken-legged, brok
charmed and bandaged. He could
not move and could hardly speak. Bu
as the fearful men bent over him. hi
lisped: I'VE wakthed them, didn'
weY
He was taken to the hospital. ant
here, day after day. went his OFT
comrades to see him.
| They did more; they wrote to Gen
Rosecrans, telling the simple story
They carried the letter along the rec
tape line, from brigade headquarters
to division, from division to corps
from corps TO army headquarters, ant
returned with an order from Rose
Grams himself, directing that the six
months pay be returned to Little Pot
ter, that all charges on record b,
erased, and that an order compliment
ing his gallantry be read on dress pa
rade, and that copy be sent to tn,
man who behaved SO nobly.
The order was read on dress pa
rade, and the document. with all III
array of Endorsements and old Rosy
letter was carried to Little Potter, b,
men who could scarcely speak
He seemed like one TRANSPORTED a
one of his old-time friends read an,
re-read the order and letter. He la,
1t held down to his eyes SO he coul,
see the red lines and official sigma
lures. Then came his first tears:
"Now, boys, | don't care to get well
It's all wiped out. amt it? / was de
termined to get well to wipe it out
you know. But now, torn up as | am
ii Is better to die"
And the next morning. with the or
der OH his breast. Little Potter died
And still can we hear the grizzl
old surgeons words, as he came to tn
cot:
Dead. Why-GOd bless the boy.
Friendly Foes.
Amid the smoke and carnage of tn
battle field it is good to catch :.
glimpse Of the sunshine which pre-
ceeds from good will and ready, actlv
sympathy. AS the sublime can quick
shade off into the ridiculous, so kline
ness presses close upon enmity.
cheerful incident Of the Civil War