Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-29

fires famed TO temporary pdZe us lie oiu
fighting men live over the days when as stalwart,
dashing Youths they went forth into battle for
their country.
And well worth hearing are the stories they tell.
The truth is that desperate yalor has always
been characteristic of the American fighting man.
The present generation of American youth has
proved itself little more sure of ITSELF little
more daring, little more nuscled than any Amer
lean generation that has gone before 1t has
proved itself little bit snapper and harder than
any race Of men that has ever gone before. Never
theless, the fighting spirit has always been the
same in the American soldier.
The exploits of our fighting m en- in the Revolu-
ton and the War of 1872, as set forth in history,
and the tales still told by survivors of the Mexican
war, the Seminole war, the Civil war, the Indian
wars, the Boxer uprising, the SpanishAmerican
war and the Philippine instruction differ not SO
much in kind in detail from stories of the great
war; The veteran who marched with General Scott
from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico did not have
q magazine rifle and an automatic pistol and did
not contend with poison gas and fame but per-
haps he came oftener to actual handgrips with the
foe for that very reason Apparently the aviator
and the U-boat COB are the only men able to add
anything really to the American annals Of
desperate courage.
And as the years go by-it is now So years since
the Confederate guns opened on Fort Sumter and
the majority Of the 29S,SOS Civil soldiers on
the pension roll well past their three score and
in memory the old days-fghting their battles over
again.
What scenes of desperate valor their waking
dreams renew! The stores for instance of the
deeds for which 1900 medals of honor were award
ed from 1851 to 1918 would make thrilling reading
indeed. And in many an instance there is miss
ing limb, CHASTITY scar, twisted frame to bear
mute witness Of the ferceness of the combat.
i Here are some stories of Civil war medal of
honor men to rank with any fighting mans yarn
anywhere:
Among the gallant young men who fought with
Company of the Twenty-ninth Massa chusetts In
the battle Of Malvern hill on July l. 1892 the last
of the seven days fighting before Richmond, was
William 81. Osborne. Soon after the opening of the
battle about three in the afternoon, he received
gunshot wound in the chest, which rendered him
unconscious. In this condition he carried by
comrades q short distance to the rear and left to
Idle An hour or so later he regained consciousness,
and though wobbly weak from loss of blood he
took the gun and ammunition from dead soldier
and went in search of his regiment He found the
Slxtyninth New York, took his place in the'r ranks
and resumed firing. Then he was again Frustrated
by the bursting of shell which shattered his left
leg. He crawled into some bushes where, half
Dead he passed the night. When darkness settled
down Mcclellan retreated to the James liver and
next afternoon the Confederates occupied the
battlefield Osborne with the other prisoners was
taken to Savage Station and thence to Richmond
Osborne recovered to become successful Boston
lawyer and got his medal of honor in $685.
Joseph S. G. Sweat was at Carsville, Va. May
II, 1863 About 5000 Union infantry and the
Eleventh Pennsylvania cavalry We're engaged in
tearing up the Roanoke railroad track when they