A Cannoneer's Exploit.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1771, 10 November 1883, Page 6

A Cannoneer's Exploit.

The most conspicuous act of reckless courage I ever saw displayed on any battlefield during our great Civil War (writes a correspondent of the Philadelphia Times) occurred at the second battle of Manassas on the 30th of August, 1862. It was performed by a Federal artillerist in the presence of both armies and was witnessed by at least a thousand men, many of whom are still living and can readily recall the incident when reminded of the circumstances. Just as Hood's men oharged down the hill, near the Henry House, upon the first Federal line, and it became evident he would capture the battery stationed there a Federal artilleryman determined to save ,one of the cannon, if possible, and to do so he had to take it up the side of the ditch in front of the Confederates for half a mile. The ditch was four feet wide and as many deep, and could not be crossed with the cannon. How he got his horses hitched, or whether they had really ev^er been taken from the piece I never have known, for the first I saw of him he was coming up our front in a Bweeping gallop from the cloud of smoke, and Hood's men were firing at him. As soon as he escaped from that volley he came in front of our brigade and under range of our muskets dn the left, and as he swept on up the line a file fire was opened upon him. Our line was approaching the ditch rapidly at a doublequick, and the lane between us and the ditch was getting narrower each second, but the artilleryman seemed determined to save his gun from capture, and he flew along his oourse at a tremendous rate of speed. He had four large gray c: white horses to the cannon, and they came up the valley in splendid style. The man sas erect and kept his team well in hand, while his whip seemed to play upon the flanks of the leaders, and all four horses appeared to leap together in regular time. The ground was very dry, and a cloud of dust rolled out from under the horses' feet and from the wheels of the cannon as they came thundering along. Three regiments of our brigade had already fired at him as he rushed along their front, and as he approached the left of another I ran down the rear rank shouting to the men : " Shoot at the horses 1 Let the man alone a^nd shoot at the horses 1 You are firing too high 1 " At this I saw a noted marksman in Company F drop upon one knee' and, sight along the barrel of his musket and fire, but on came the man and the -gallop of his team was unbroken. Eamming in another cartridge the marksman was ready again in a minute, and just as the cannoneer swept across his front within a hundred yards he kneeled down, and taking deliberate aim at the foremost horse, fired; again, but on went the team, unharmed as before. Thus he passed albng the whole front of our regiment and then along another on our right, and escaped around the' head of our ditch and across the field 'and tip the hill beyond. As far off as we could see him his team was still going in a gallop,' but when out' of fabge" on ;the hiu\beybmt"the ditch he turned 1 in - his ; anaj -taking' off his hat, waved itr around , 'his'-head-fseyerartimes, and some of the-jOon--;fedenite3,cheered-hitn.^: At least five, hundred imen fired at that Yank«e gunner, and il-have 4 <J^iWqrid<a|cl m 4'e ejK»|<i!d» "deatHMh Ctfco

subsequent battles of the war and lives to tell of the fearful gauntlet he ran along the front of the whole brigade of Confederates filing at him.