Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-05-27
pod CASTOR. In the Topeka CAPITAL.

bod CASTOR, In the Topeka Capital.
Coming across Statehouse square
yesterday afternoon l met a bunch OF
bent and shambling old men. Their
heads We're white with the frost of
years and there Wasnt a straight back
nor an erect pair OF shoulders in the lot.
They We're ordinary looking old cod
gers, gnarled by toll and h%ardships and
CARRIED In he Sunday regalia of the
rural community. l noted in passing
that the lapel of each mans coat bore
a little bronze button. L knew the but
ton was there before my eyes sought
1T. l can tell an old soldier as far as
l can see him. There is about every
soldier some salient thing-some subtle
individual characteristic Which distin-
cuisines him from other elderly men II
which defies the art of INSTALLATION. |
knew none of the old men in the party
of four or five. They passed without
needing me. Blu as l came abreast of
them i inyoluntarily stood at attention
ana saiuted the bronze button and the
men who Wore it. L am not much
given to sentimental display. The we'll
spring of my enthusiasm never gushes.
But the little bronze button and the
men entitled to wear it are a part of
the memory of my life. And having
paid this passing tribute to them, l
am minded to make brief reference to
the simple annals of the soldier l knew
best.
The soldier L knew best enlisted
when he was 10. His discharge papers
lie before me as L write. They show
that he was mustered into the service
ut Springfield, H., in August, 1861, and
that he finally was mustered out at
BROWNSVILLE, Tex. in March, 1865.
BetWeen the two dates there were
something more than four years and
| eight months OF continuous p,arob and
blvuuac. broken only by a furlough OF
two weeks in the winter Of 1863. For
lour years, eight months and some odd
days he was internationally a unit in
the broad mark at which opposing arm
les shot. In the intervals between the
periods of a soldiers business
he fought fever, thirst, hunger and the
elements protected from their on
slaughts only by a dog tent, or the
canopy of the skies above him. He
enlisted from a farm and went into the
army II strong. rugged, hearty youth.
ne came out a broken reed. L have
often heard him say he never knew a
Bick day before he went into the army.
nor a we'll n after he came out of
1t. For Is years before he died he was
unable to turn his hand to even the
aghter occupations of life.
! celebrate no hero here. The soldier
'>oN "oo q pAoAl anu, AS
The world measures achievement. an
unsuccessful one. He went into the
army as a private and came out a cor
poral. The civil war, doubtless, could
nave been fought and won without
him. He had not even the distinction
common among old soldiers of having
personally repulsed Pickett's charge.
He wasn't at Gettysburg at all. /
never heard him boast of any particu-
Tar achievement although, until the
Gay OF his death. the civil war was his
tavorite topic of conversation 1t was
not that he wished to speak of his
galor. or recount the stories of the
hardships he endured, but that the war
to hins was the one epochal incident of
: plain n humdrum life. The LIST of
battle In which the soldier | knew best
was engaged was neither so long nor
20 inspiring as that which stand on
poslte the name OF many another. He
Whs a. Doneison and Henry and at
vlcksDurg with Old Grant. He was
IN the W days slaughter at Shiloh
IND helped take Spanish Fort. And he
was also a Unit in the operations
lround Chattanooga. The fight of
which he talked most and best. and ia
NE the most thrilling of his army ca
.eer was the one at Hatchie River
You will ind little reference to the
eattle of Hatchie River in war history
y was one OF the minor engagements
put 1t always seemed to me the soldier
Knew best was more closely identified
Nlth IL than with any other engagement
n which he fought. / never grew
nrea OF nearing him tell how his de-
pleted regiment double-quicked a dis
nee of four miles before striking the
Enemy n her lost 24O men. killed
IND wounded, in 30 minutes.
one in the month Of August the
regiment to which the soldier / knew
sest belonged marched two DAYS with.
sut water. The Mississippi Wells had
W gone dry and the water courses
we're dried up. Along in the forenoon
y the third day when the tongues Of
ne men had begun to swell and pro
rude from their mouths the
vas halted for a brief rest. Presently
IN officer rode UP and said: "Roys
lhere's plenty of water In the creek SOC
Eards down the road" The command
which had stacked arms, stampeded nj
the word and the soldier knew said
many OF them jumped into the wafer
when they reached it.
Inc soldier knew best was ship
wrecked in the Gulf OF Mexico when
has command was shifted from New
orleans to Brownsville. Everything ex-
cept the soldiers and the crew--the
mounts OF the officers, their baggag
hnd h observation-disclosures throw
I~DNerposFu III an EFFORT to save the shin
That is to say. all OF the horses save
Dne was thrown overheard. The can
tain of A company rode a pony Of
which he was particularly fond. The
captain's name was Rhodes-Hfnman
Rhodes. When they sought to throw
his pony overheard he threw his arm
around Its neck and said If it had to &c
he'd go with 1t. And so they let the
pony stay. The storm occurred al
night. Late the next afternoon hes sol
diers who We're on deck sighted one OF
the horses that had been thrown over
board. It was still alive and still fight
Ing Its hopeless battle for life. IT was
from such incidents that the memories
Of the soldier / knew best We're woven.
de knew a Thousand such and I heard
them all many times.
The government was generous to the
soldier / knew best. Years after he
had been practically incapacitated for
the work OF caring for his family he
applied for a pension. After the appli-
cation had for q year or more pursued
the usual tortuous course through the
pension department. the claim was al
lowed. and for the balance OF his life
the government paid him the hand
some honorarium OF SIP month. Two
II vnnnfhc otfcr@& h{o@ 3co<lE ut. 80 y, IL. $50