The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-09-29
Amid Bullets of Battle.

@N the 18th day Of July. 1864. Gen.
II eral Jubal Early, with his army
was menacing the city of Wash
ington, writes p. III. Kaiser. In
the National Magazine. His forces were
concentrated in front of Fort stevens
and the other forts in the immedla.e
vicinity, and the city was momentarily
expecting an assault would be made
first upon the forts and then upon the
city itself. The writer was a private
in Company X OF the One Hundred
Fiftieth regiment of Ohio National
guards, and the company was stationed
at Fort Stevens in front of which the
heaviest skirminshing and fighting was
going on.
The members of our company were
manning and firing the large guns with
in the fort. While the skirmishing and
rife fighting was going on at quite a
lively rate down in front OF the fort,
we were sending shot and shell FAR over
the heads and in front of the rifiemen,
driving the enemy from certain dwell
ing houses In and behind which they
were hiding, and from windows OF
which they were pouring balls into the
ranks of our skirmishers.
In the midst of the battle. saw,
standing upon the parapct few rods
from the gun to which / was assigned
a tall man wearing a tall stovepipe hat
and long coat, who was watching the
progress of the fighting with the clos
est interest. wholly unmindful Of the
danger In which he stood. Many eyes
were turned in his direction, and upon
inquiry i learned that the man was
President Lincoln.
General Wright, in command of the
Sixth corps, stood near him with Q
field glass viewing the contest, when a
bullet wounded surgeon nearby. The
general turned at once with the order;
MIR. President, step down from that
parapet, you are too conspicuous an OBJ
ject to remain in so exposed posi-.
ton" Like good soldier. he obeyet
orders and stepped down.
This was, understood. the only bat
| tie during the civil war of which the
president was an eye witness.
This was the first and only time
, saw the great emancipation.
New Lincoln Story.
The following unpublished story o.
Lincoln's relating is told By Adelai e
Stevenson, former vice president OF TIT
| United States:
IT knew Lincoln WE'LL" said Mr.. ste
| phenson, and he once told me this
story: When he was boy at schoo
there was in the class another boy
who somehow could not learn to read
| It was the custom to open school will
u selection from the bible, each pupi
reading a verse in turn.
Zone morning the story was OF thu
| children Of Israel and the fiery name
| of the three men who were cast int
4 the furnace--Shadrach, Meshach an,
| Abednego-fell to the lot of the littl
| boy who couldn't read. He made
stagger at 1t, but didn't do very well
and was rewarded by hearty slal
| from the teacher. He cried little
then the reading went on.
'All OF sudden, for no cause tina
anyone could see, he began to CT.
| afresh A halt was called on the read
| ing, and the teacher demanded to know
che cause Of the uproar.
"'If you don't stop that crying II
give you another slap. said the do
mimic severely.
IAN I don't care IL you do sobbe
the boy. That's just what I'm cryin
about, anyhow. I've counted up tn
verses and when it's my turn agai
I'll just have to read them same d.
names all over!
Modesty of Man.
When John Locke Scripps went t
him in 1860 for materials for campaig
life Lincoln replied:
why, Scripps, II is great piece @
folly to attempt to make anything on
of me or my early life. 1t can all
condensed in q single sentence, an
that sentence you will find in Gray
Elegy:'