Year: 1862

= "
came her utterauoes, and she bent down
over her boy and kissed him upon the fore.
head As she arose she observed, Cap
tain, you will bring him back with you,
wont youE yes, yes he replied, I'VE
Nlii te certain to bring him back with us.
We shall be discharged in six weeks.


In an hour after, our company led the
Iowa tlrst out of camp, our drum and fife
paying The girl left behind me. Ed
die, as We called him, soon became q great
iavorlte with all the men in the company.
When any of the boys had returned from
horticultural excursion, Eddies share Of
the peaches and melons was the first ap
portloncd out. During our heavy and ii,
tlguins march from Rolla to Springfield
1t was often amusing to see our long legged
hfer wading through the mud with our lit
tie drummer mounted upon his back-and
always IN that position when fordng
streams


During the fight at Wilson's Greek was
stationed with part of our company on
the right of Tottens battery, while the bal
ance of our company, with part of the
ILLINOIS regiment, was ordered down into
deep ravine upon our left, in which it was
known portion of the enemy was con-
cealed, with whom they were soon enga.
ged. The contest in the ravine continuing
some hours, Totten suddenly wheeled his
battery upon the enemy in that quarter,
when they soon retreated to the high ground
behind their lines. In less than twenty
minutes after lotion had driven the enemy
from the ravlne, the word passed from man
to man throughout the army, Lyon is Kill
led and soon after, hostilities having cca
sed upon both sides, the order came for
our main forces to fall back upon Spring
tield, while part of the Iowa First and
two companies of the Missouri regiment
were to camp on the ground and cover the
retreat next morning.


That night was detailed for guard duty,
my turn Of guard closing with the morning
Call. " hen L went out with the officer as
rellet | found that my post was upon a
high emlnence that overlooked the deep
raylne IN which our men had engaged the
enemy until Totten's battery came to their
assistance. 1t was dreary, lonesome beat.
The moon had gone down IN the early part
Of the night, while the stars tWinkled dim
ly through hazy atmosphere, lighting up
lmpertcctly the surrounding objects Oc-
caslonally / would place my ear near the
grQpad and listen for the sound Of foot
steps, but all was silent save the iur-off
bowling Of the wolf chat seemed to scent
upon the evening air the banquet that We
had been preparing for him. The hours
passed slowly away, when 1t length the
morning light began TO streak along the
eastern sky, making surrounding objects
more plainly visible. Presently heard Il
drum beat up the morning call At first
L thought 1t came from the camp Of the
enemy across the creek, but as | listened |
found that it came up from the deep IA
vine; for few minutes il WAS silent, and
then as it became more light | heard it
again. | listened-the sound of the drum
was familiar to me-and | knew that it
vas


Our drummer boy from Tennessee


Beating for help the leueiAe


was about to desert my post to go to
his assistance when | discovered the officer
Of the guard approaching with two men
We all listened to the sound, and were sat
isied that it was Eddic's drum | asked
permission to 20 to his assistance. The
officer hesitated, saying that the orders were
to march in twenty minutes. promised
to be back in that time, and he'consented.
| Immediately started down the hill through
the thick underground, and upon reaching
the valley | followed the sound ofthe drum
and soon found him seated upon the ground,
his back leaning against the trunk of a fall
len tree, while his drum hung upon bush
in front of him, reaching nearly to the
ground. As SOON as he discovered me he
dropped his drumsticks and exclaimed 20,
Corporal, | am SO glad to see you! Give
me drink reaching out his hand for my
canteen, which was empty. ] immediate
ly turned to bring him some water from
the brook that could hear ripping through
the bushes near by, when, thinking that |
was about to leave him, he commenced cry
ing, saying: Don't leave me, Corporal
can't walk ~


4 vas soon back with the water, when |
discovered that both Of his feet were shot
away by cannon ball After satisfying
his thirst, he looked up into my face and
said: You don't think | will1die, Gorpo-
raj, do you? This man said I would nor
he said the surgeon could cure my feet.
now discovered man lying in the grass
near him. BY his dress I recognized him
as belonging to the enemy. 1t appeared
that he had been shot through the bowels,
aud had fallen near where Eddie lay
Knowing chat he could not live, and seeing
the condition of the boy, he had crawled to
him, taking off his buckskin suspenders
and corded the little fellows legs below the
knee, and then lay down and died. While
he was telling me these particulars, | heard
the tramp Of cavalry coming down the ra
vine, and in a moment scout of the enc