The sun., 1916-10-19
GALUSHA PENNYPAcKER.
How He Received his Worst Wound
in the Assault on Fort Fisher.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: j
sat with the late General Galusha PEN
nypacker not long ago In his home In
Philadelphia a big, tall man with iron
Jaw and sweet brown eyes: such a sol-
dler as Frederick and Napoleon would
have picked to lead a charge or stand
rocklike in the rear guard.
I read aloud to the General from the
narrative report OF the assault on Fort
Fisher written by Colonel George +.
Towie, 1nspcctor-General Of the Tenth
Army Corps:
The two brigades. led by Curtis and
Pennypacker. then advanced along the
and front, carrying each traverse sue
cessiveiy against most desperate oppos'-
tion. but with heavy loss. There. too.
Pennypacker received the wound that kept
him In hospital at Fortress Monroe through
eleven weary months Of pain and suffer-
ing. Idolized by his men. and young in
years. his body was already covered with
scars received In battle. Selling the nag
Of hts old regiment, the Ninety-seventh
Pennsylvania. P~ennypacker rushed up the
NTH traverse. then held by the enemy, his
men following close. A storm OF ride bul-
lets greeted him as hs reached the crest.
one laying him low. It was feared forever
Not Ney himself could have surpassed the
valor with which Pennypacker and curtis
had led their brigades into the fort and
charged the traverses. ALWAYS In advance.
The General interrupted me: why
do you go over THAR He was em-
barrassed and visibly panied. ! replied
because 1t was a great momen a glo-
rious moment, when you went over the
parapet with that flag! Did you see
the man who shot you"
The Generals brown eyes Clouded.
Then he said. like one who would forget
a scene of horror but cannot:
| did see him. a big North carolinian.
II was this way. on that sunday after
noon. was only a boy. | took my nag
and planted It on the parapet, which was
twenty feet high. There we're eight or
ton men with me going over. When we
got over the top there was a traverse.
ten feet above us. and a whole platoon
twenty men. the enemy-rose up from be-
hind the traverse and nred. l Jaw the
man taking aim at me. He was about
twenty feet away.
1 fell forward at the feet OF the men
who had nred. | kept my mind clear.
could see and hear. but could not move.
Ny men rushed up at them and the men
behind the traverse surrendered. still
could see the man who had shot me. MY
orderly said to him roughly: Take OF
that blanket and give II I, us to carry
away this wounded officer The Confedcr-
ate. a savage fellow. growled hercely Il
won't give up my blanket I'm a pris-
oner and I'm enti; ed to my blanket
The next instant my men with dubbed
mus&ets beat out his brains. He died IN
s,antly. The blood Of my men was up,
and they we're as savage as the cnrolinian.
| closed my eyes. and they carried me
away In that blanket. bu; the horror OF
II ha. never gone out Of my mind.
The bullet. a Mini, ball, went through
my right hip close to the spinal cord. Yes
We were boys. and the glory OF war moved
us then. Blu; l remember little OF the
glory OF war. | recollect only It's horror
Perhaps that Is because my wounds have
PANIED me for nifty years.
General ~Pennypacker was truly Of the
heroic type to the last day OF his lie
There was no one to share the burdet
Of his pain. NO wife. no near relatives
but only two domest!cs who lived viii
him in the old brick mansion In South
Tenth street. Philadelphia. The iron
wIlled old soldier would not have 4
otherwise. would not in1ict his daily
suffering on another. For this reason
he never married. lie MAS young. ;
boy TO the last. and Philadelphia no"
has another shrine for Americans. The
grave OF Galusha l'ennypacker.
PHILIP X. DILLON.
NEW YORK, October u.