Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1889 — A YOUNG HERO. [ARTICLE]

A YOUNG HERO.

Bravery and Patriotism Was His Expiring Inspiration. How a Young Soldier, Almoit With His Last Breath, Fulfilled His Tow—There is a Fev-er-Forgotten Inspiration in Such a Death. CeL Henry Jordan retains clearly many recollections of his army experience, and no one is more entertaining in telling them, says the Indianapolis Journal. It is the out-of-the-way incident that gives his stories a zest; the incident that would be forgotten and crowded out of the record by those of greater historical importance. “Soon after Wilder’s Brigade,” said the Colonel to a reporter recently, “had been armed with that implement of destruction the Spencer repeating rifle, the confederate women whom we chanced to meet along the line of our expeditions told us that John Morgan had determined to arta his forces with repeating rifles captured from Wilder’s brigade. This taunt had its desired effect It enraged our men, and consequently delighted our fair tormenters. But it had another effect, unforseen by Gen. Morgan and his female atlies. It made our men solemnly resolve never,under any circumstances, to surrender a gun to the confederate forces. ;r: “But there was a danger against which provision had to be made. Often our line, moving toward our point of destination, would be ten miles Tong, sometimes even longer. Such a line could not be maintained unless the men were widely separated, and wide separation made easy Communication and rapid concentrations impossible. Capture of single men or small detachments was not only possible, but probable, and it was against this danger that provision had to be made. How to save our guns in the event of capture, and thus defeat Morgan’s design, was the problem that confronted officers and men alike. The latter, grouped around their camp-fires at night, discussed the matter with great earnestness, but their deliberations were without result. Finally it was suggested by one man that, as their guns would have to be given up in the event of capture, all that could be done would be to destroy their effectiveness, in some way or other, before surrendering them. Investigation disclosed the fact that by removing a single screw the whole loading aparatus could be removed in a single piece, and, this piece thrown away, there would remain nothing but the stock and barrel of the gun to be surrendered. This discovery made, the men gave, each to the others, a solemn vow that, in< the event of capture, the effectiveness, of their rifles should be thus destroyed. “Wilder led the advance of the army of the Cumberland, and sweeping through Hoover’s Gap with his horsemen, carrying everything before him, stood at bay at the furtner end. He held it against overwhelming numbers until the infantry, which he had left far in the rear, came to his support. Standing in the ranks of the 17th Indiana that day was a young soldier, beloved by all his comrades for his intelligence, manliness and splendid courage. A mere child, with a womanly expression upon his face, one could only regret that the war should have dragged him away from his home to be sacrificed on the field of battle. Unmindful of everything but duty, he stood there, that day, bravely fighting against the overwhelming forces that were hurled against us. Suddenly he was seen to fall, and lie motionless upon the field. After awhile, in a lull in ; the battle, he raised himself upon his j elbow, took out his little screw-driver, removed the screw and threw the piece away. Not content with that, which { his fast-failing strength he emptied his cartridge-box and scattered his metallic cartridges among the leaves. Then, looking up at the comrades who had gathered around him, he said: ‘Boys, they have killed me, but you can whip them yet Don’t give up the fight.* And then, as he sank back to the earth, we saw that the spirit of that brave boy had ascended to the God of battles. “Thus died Christopher C. Mcßeynolds. There is inspiration in such a life; there is inspiration in such adeath; and, in the dark days that followed this event, when one disaster to our arms was quickly followed by another: when discontent and avowed opnosition to the war was to be seen in many of the states cf the north, and when foreign intervention, which meant the success of the rebel cause, seemed almost inevitable. and when, discouraged by thes** things, I was almost prepared to sit down and give up all as lost, it seemed to me that, I heard that little blue-eyed boy still whispering, *Col. Jordan, don’t give up the fight.’ The highest reward I ask for the poor service I rendered my country Is that it shall be remembered that I did not give up the fight until the fl for which that young hero died waved in triumph above his lonely grave on the mountainside in Tennessee.”