The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-06-06

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The Platsburqh Cameo
rendered him such aid as they did, the
Germans probably would have wiped
the detachment out of existence be-
fore help arrived and it would have
been a Lost Battalion" indeed.
1t was during the push" of the
Seventy-seventh division in the Ar
gonne on October that six compa-
MES of the first and second battalions
of the Three Hundred and Eighth in
fantry, one company of the Three Hun
dred and Seventh infantry and two Sec
tons from the Three Hundred and
Sixth machine gun battalion, all con-
solidated under the command of Maj.
Charles w. Whittlesey, discovered that
German forces were behind them and
they were cut off from communication
with the rear. At $50 a. m. on Oc-
tober 8, Major Whittlesey sent his first
pigeon with this message 1--WE are be-
ing shelled by German artillery. Can
we not have artillery support? Fire
is coming from northwest" At vari-
Gus intervals that day he sent mes
sages by pigeon, keeping his regiment
al commander informed of develop
ments. By the morning of October 4,
he had only two pigeons left, and
about eleven o'clock he sent one of
these with message telling of the
growing seriousness of the situation
for the detachment.
That afternoon the American artil-
lery started to lay down barrage, but
instead of falling upon the enemy it
rained shell and shrapnel upon the
beleaguered detachment. Then out of
that inferno of noise, dust and con-
fusion flew Whittlesey's last pigeon.
Late that evening soldier in charge
Of the pigeon cote at division head.
quarters came upon a pigeon, blinded
in one eye by scattered shot and
standing upon one leg. The other leg
was almost severed and attached to
the dangling leg was the pellet con-
tanning this message: 'We are along
the road paralleled 276.4. Our own
artillery is dropping barrage direct
ly on us. For heavens sake, stop it,"
Immediately the barrage lifted and
Whittleseys men were no longer swept
by the fire of their own artillery.
Their rescue was not effected until
three days later and by that time only
1914 of the original party of nearly
1000 were alive. But If that gallant
little pigeon had not gone through, it
is a question whether there would
have been single man alive when the
rescuers finally arrived.
A war BIRD of another type and
more picturesque, perhaps, than these
feathered veterans of the World war
was the famous eagle "Old Abe" which
served through three years of the
Civil war with a Wisconsin regiment,
taking part in % battles and 80 skirm-
ishes and being wounded in three of
them. "Old Abe" was captured by an
Indian. Chief Sky. on the banks of the
Flambeau river in northern Wisconsin
in 1861. The Indian sold the bird and
finally it came into possession of
company which was formed at Eau
Claire and which became Company G
of the Eighth Wisconsin regiment
when it went into camp at Madison.
There Captain Perkins of Company G
named him ''Old Abe" in honor of the
President, standard was made for
him and he was carried beside the reg
mental flag.
When the regiment went into action,
'Old Abe" gave evidence of the wild
est delight in the smoke and roar of
battle. Spreading his wings he would
jump up and down on his perch, utter
ing wild and piercing screams which
could be clearly heard above the noises
of the conflict. But this Berserker
spirit was not the only evidence of
"Old Abe's" being true soldier If
we are to believe the stories that have
been told of him, before he had been
year in the service. he would give heed
to the commands of the officers on pa
rade, or when preparations for a
march began. OF his military habits
one chronicler has written:
with his head obliquely to the
front, his right eye turned upon the
commander, he would listen and obey
orders, noting time carefully. After
parade had been dismissed, and the
ranks were being closed by the SER
geant he would lay aside his soldierly
manner, flap his wings, Toll about and
make himself at home generally.
when there was an order to form
for battle, he and the colors were the
first upon the line. His actions upon
those occasions were uneasy. He
would turn his head anxiously from
right to left, looking to see when the