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[144] by his regimental designation on his coat-sleeve. Of his own motion he kindly and tenderly offered to carry me over that water. I thankfully declined, and said to him: ‘I think that I can make it all right.’ He looked down at me and said: ‘Oh, boy, get on my shoulders.’ And suiting his action to his words, he stooped down in front of me. I put my arms around his neck, he put his right hand under my right knee, his left holding his own gun, and thus, like we used to play when children, he carried me over that water and almost to the top of the steep slope beyond. It has always hurt me that I never knew his name. He stands in memory for Virginia. And this is stated solely to show and commemorate the courageous, absolutely unselfish, generous kindness of the private soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia, in the face of danger to themselves, too, when showing it. There were millions of such acts that will never be known.

After he let me down, I walked a short distance, and, from loss of blood, lay down in some young corn. I heard some one tell Major McNeill of my condition. The Major came to me and asked me to ride out on his horse, which had just been brought to him after he had led our charge, and from which he dismounted. I refused; he insisted. I refused positively, and he sent a man on his horse for mine and stood by me until the horse came, put me on it, and sent the man with me to the surgeon, while he directed the men of the Fifth how to move out ready for the expected attack from our rear. And it was acts like this, of gentleness and love for all his men, which he was continually doing, that caused the men of the Fifth all to love him.


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