The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-05-29


fires are famed to temporary blaze the old
lighting men live the days when as stalwart,
ldashing youths they went forth into battle for
their country.
And we'll worth hearing the stories they tell
iThe truth is that desperate valor has always
been a 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 muscied than any Amer
hcan generation that has gone before 1t has
lproved itself little bit snapper and harder than
any race of that has ever gone before. Never
ftheless. the fighting spirit has always been the
same in the American soldier.
The exploits of our fighting men in the RevOlu-
ton and the War of 1872, 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 Spanish-American
war and the Philippine insurrection differ not so
much in kind in detail from stories of the great
war. The veteran who marched with General Scott
from Vera Cruz the City of Mexico did not have
a magazine rifle and an automatic pistol and did
not contend with poison gas and fame but per-
haps he Oftener to actual hand-grips with the
toe for that very reason. Apparently the aviator
and the U-boat COB the only men able to add
anything really new to the American annals of
desperate courage.
And as the years go by-it is % years since
the Confederate guns opened on Fort Sumter and
the majority Of the 29S,S0S Civil soldiers
the pension roll well past their three and
tent is likely the veterans often live over
In memory the old days-fghting their battles over
again.
What scenes of desperate valor their waking
dreams renew The stories, for instance, of the
deeds for which $500 medals of honor award
ed from 1861 1918 would make thrilling reading
indeed. And in many instance there is miss
ing limb CHASTITY scar, twisted frame TO bear
mute witness of the fierceness of the combat.
Here are some stories of Civil medal of
honor to rank with any fighting mans yarn
anywhere:
Among the gallant young who fought with
Company of the Twenty-ninth Massachusetts in
the battle of Malvern hill July 1, 1862 the last
of the seven days fighting before Richmond,
William H. 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 was carried by
comrades short distance the and left to
die. An hour 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
SIxty-ninth New York, took his place in the ranks
and resumed firing. Then he again Frustrated
by the bursting of Il 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 river 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 1895
Joseph S. G. Sweat at Carsville, Va, May
IL 1868. About 5000 Union infantry and the
Eleventh Pennsylvania cavalry engaged in
tearing up the Roanoke railroad track when they