Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1901 — SHOT IN THE BACK, [ARTICLE]

SHOT IN THE BACK,

A Captain Who Was Not Killed by the Xnemy. A veteran of the Civil War was relating some of his experiences as a soldier the other day, when he was asked If he ever knew of an officer being killed In battle Intentionally by one of his own men. “I never knew of but one case. That Is, of my own personal knowledge,” he answered, “and that was the captain of one of the companies I served in during the Civil War. This captain, whom we will cal% Smith, for that wasn’t his real name, was about as lacking In heart as any man I ever saw, or ever heard of. It was In Marcn of one of the closing years of the war, when we were In winter quarters down South There was a young fellow In the company who had but lately returned from a furlough of fifteen days, granted him to visit home, where his young wife lived with the old folks. A few days after his return he received word that his wife was very 111, and that her recovery was Impossible. He went at once to his captain, asked for a few days* leave, explaining that he wished to visit his dying wife. To the astonishment of everyone the captain not only refused his request, but did so In a sneering and utterly heartless manner. Some of the boys, when they learned of what had happened, went to the colonel, one of the best men that ever lived, and laid the facts before him, with the result that the young fellow at once received the desired leave. Before he could get away, however, his captain went to the colonel, and in some way or other delayed matters so that It was three or four days later before the poor fellow started for home. When he got there he found that his wife had died just twenty-four hours before his arrival. At the end of his leave he again returned to his company, told his story, and to one or two of us declared that In the next battle we went Into his captain would not come out alive. Of course, we knew what he meant, but not a word did we say in disapproval. A short time after that we received orders to go to the front, and a day or two after getting there we went into one of the hottest engagements fought during the war. It continued for several hours, and one of the first of our men to fall was the captain of our company. Not one ball but a dozen or more hit him, and every one of them hit him in the back and came from guns not carried by the fellows in gray. The young fellow I have been telling you about also fell later in the fight, but he was hit in the breast, where every true soldier and man would be hit. Where did the other balls that hit the captain come from? Why they came from guns held in the hands of men who had gone into that battle with the same purpose in their hearts as that which filled that of their young comrade. As I say, this Is the only case I ever had any personal knowledge of, but you can bet there have been lots of others just like it.**— Washington Star.