New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-05-23

shot out Of my hlnd several times ana horses Sh0t
from under me, but was never really injured. My
most peculiar escape was this: The Confederates
Ind a piece of artillery. Two groups of the Fifth
cavalry charged them. My snber broke. One Of
the Confederates commenced to hit me over the
shoulder with the back Of his saber. My carbine
bag protected me. l pulled out my revolver and
tried to shoot him. l snapped every cap In that
gun. Then one of our men came to my rescue
and Knocked him off his horse.
Tale Of Two kentuckians.
And here, for good measure, is a story that shows
what kind of Il people we are: Morgan. the raider,
along about 63. swooped down upon the Federal
garrison at Huntsville, Tenn. Morgan had only
about 1000 men, while the Union forces numbered
about 1000. Still. Morgan usually knew what he
was about result-several hundred Federals killed
and the rest captured.
As soon as the battle was over the Confederates
recrossed the Cumberland river. Among the rear
guard was Private Lurton Of the Third Kentucky
cavalry. He was the last man to recross the
river and just ahead of him was the last Confeder-
ate wagon loaded with Federal muskets and other
captured articles.
In the meantime the sound Of Morgan's guns
had disturbed the slumbers OF another Kentuckian.
This one was a Union soldier, Harlan by name. and
he was colonel Of the Tenth Kentucky Infantry at
CastalIan Springs. six miles from Hartsville. He
Immediately started with his regiment to the re-
lief Of the garrison at Huntsville.
Harlan and his regiment reached the top Of q
bluff back from the river just as Lurton and the
last wagon Of the Confederates were in the mid
die Of the Cumberland. Harlan had a field piece
along and he pointed IT at the Confederate cavalry
man and banged away. He didn't hit the cavalry
man so he tried again and kept trying.
Nevertheless, Harlan's shells hit the river In
the immediate vicinity of cavalrymnn and wagon,
and they made a nightly splash. The driver cut
loose his mules and made record time to the shore.
If Lurton tarried. there is no record OF 1t.
About 30 years later. In black robes. the colonel
behind the cannon and the private on the horse
sat side by side on the bench OF the most august
tribunal of the world. For the Federal was John
Marshall Harlan and the Confederate was Horace
Harmon Lurton-and both were associate justices
of the Supreme court of the United States OF
America.
This United States of ours is a great country
and 1t is just such things as this Harlan-Lurton
affair that makes us sure of II.
When one of these Kentuckians banged away at
the other our country was in the throes of the
fercest and bloodiest civil war of all history. And
that was Just about half a century ago.
Since then we have grown to be the wealthiest
and most powerful nation on earth. But. better
still. we have outgrown the things that set Union
these two fighting men of the Civil war side by
side upon the Supreme court bench was truly
typIcal of sectional strife forgotten and a country
reunited.
1t takes a great country and a great people to
make such things not only possible but actual re-
alities.