A GIRL'S BRAVE ACT.
"She will bear the marks of her fight the rest of her life." The doctor who made this observation referred to Miss Anna McDowell, a young girl of nineteen, who by her heroic act on the afternoon of November 22 has gained an enviable reputation for bravery and presence of mind. The heroine is a resident of Quakake Valley, Pennsylvania. A small trout stream runs through the valley, skirting the main road. This stream was a source of delight to little three-year-old Nettie Hinckle, who constantly played on its banks and fished in its waters. Nettie was fishing on the afternoon of the 22d when a whir of wings startled her, and looking up she saw a giant bald-head eagle flying savagely towards her. With screams of fright she started to run, but the bird fought her back with his beak and talons.
Miss McDowell, who was passing, heard the screams and hastened to the bank of the stream. Without hesitating, she seized the child and tore her away from the eagle. This apparently served to enrage the bird further, and, defeated in its attempt to carry off the child, it turned its attention to the rescuer. It circled around, tearing at her with his beak and talons in the most ferocious manner.
Nettie had fallen down on the ground, and the young girl stooped over, guarding her, at the same time vainly trying to ward off the bird's attacks. The bird grew more and more furious, and repeatedly dashed at the girl, cutting ugly gashes in her shoulders and head. Without any other means of defence, she used her arms to fight his onslaughts, but strength was fast leaving her what with loss of blood and her high nervous state of excitement.
In the struggle her hat became loose, and instantly she thought of her hat-pin. It was one of the usual long, thin, steel pins, and drawing it out she defended herself with it against the savage bird, who, regardless of the stabs she gave, flew at her with renewed fury. Her heart failed her and her strength was nearly gone. Why did not somebody come? The bird had circled off, and was coming at her with a wild swoop, his beak half open ready to tear, and his talons extended.
She grasped him around the neck as he struck at her, and holding him with all the strength she had left, she thrust the hat-pin into his head, fortunately killing him. At the same moment her senses left her, and she stumbled forward on the ground, falling on the dead bird. Little Nettie ran screaming to her house, a short distance away, and people hurried to the scene. They tenderly lifted the brave girl up and took care of her, as the bird had inflicted some bad wounds. Miss McDowell proposes to have the bird stuffed to keep in her room as a memento of the occasion, but the memory of her brave act will never be forgotten by the people of her neighborhood.
[FAMOUS CAVALRY CHARGES.]
AT BEVERLY FORD.
BY RICHARD BARRY.
It is a fact that has been noted by many historians, in writing of the actions in the civil war, that the sabre wounds that were reported at the hospital were few and far between. This is easily accounted for in the first two years of the war, for the reason that the Confederates, from whom the Union forces learned the severest kind of lessons, used their cavalry forces as dragoons, or mounted infantry. The celerity with which they moved bodies on horseback from one point to another caused consternation throughout the North. General McClellan, who had been, it must be confessed, not very much impressed with the need of a cavalry force, at last declared himself as almost helpless without this assistance; and from this time on this branch of the service received the attention so long denied it.
Although the Confederates could rightly point with pride to their well-organized cavalry divisions, there can be no record prouder than that of the First Cavalry Division, known as Buford's Cavalry. To quote from the writings of Brigadier-General Wesley Merritt, "Its history shows that from the time of its organization until the end of the war it captured more men, horses, guns, and munitions than would equip it twice over, and yet that during this time it never suffered a surprise, never lost a wheel captured by the enemy, and never met the enemy but to defeat it."
From the very day of the new organization that took place under General Hooker the cavalry force of the Army of the Potomac began to live and move, and the contempt that the victorious Southern horsemen held for the riders of the North slowly diminished, until in its place was the respect born of fear.
The Richmond Examiner, one of the strongest journals of the Confederacy, thus speaks of the new order of things that began to exist. This extract is taken from that issue which speaks of the great cavalry fight at Beverly Ford:
"If the war was a tournament, invented and supported for the pleasure and profit of a few vain and weak-headed officers, these disasters might be dismissed with compassion; but the country pays dearly for the blunders which encourage the enemy to overrun and devastate the land with a cavalry which is daily learning to despise the mounted troops of the Confederacy. It is high time that this branch of the service should be reformed.
"The surprise of this occasion was the most complete that has occurred. The Confederate cavalry was carelessly strewn over the country, with the Rappahannock only between it and an enemy who has always proven his enterprise to our cost. It is said that its camp was supposed to be secure, because the Rappahannock was not supposed to be fordable at the point where it was actually forded. What? Do Yankees, then, know more about this river than our own soldiers, who have done nothing but ride up and down its banks for the last six months?
"They knew at least the weather was dry, the water low, and that fifteen or twenty horse, confident from impunity and success, were on the other side. They could not have failed to know this much, and they were surprised, caught at breakfast, made prisoners on foot, with guns empty and horses grazing. Although the loss was insignificant, the events of that morning were among the least creditable that have occurred. Later, some of our best officers sacrificed their lives to redeem the day. A very fierce fight ensued, in which it is said, for the first time in this war, a considerable number of sabre wounds were given and received. In the end, the enemy retired or was driven—it is not yet clearly known which—across the river. Nor is it certainly known whether the fortunate result was achieved by the cavalry alone or with the assistance of Confederate infantry in the neighborhood."
From this account it may be seen that the Confederates regarded this action as a surprise. Maybe it was, but the Union forces had been preparing for it for some time. Some of the divisions had been in the saddle, moving from one point to another, for hours, in full sight of the Confederates on the further side of the Rappahannock.
At early dawn on the 9th of June, 1863, the Second Cavalry, with the Fifth leading the regular brigade, moved out. But one small brigade had passed over the river before them, led by Colonel B. F. Davis, of the Eighth New York. With the muddied water of the river up to their saddle-girths, several thousand men forded the stream without opposition, and climbed the bank to the level land beyond, where the Southern army was making ready with great haste to meet the advance of the wide blue lines.
No sooner had the first division formed than a volley broke out from the fringe of timber at the edge of the rising land, and in a charge upon the enemy that had now marched into sight, Davis had fallen, mortally wounded. This was the news that greeted the First, Second, and Fifth as they ranged up from the river and climbed this slippery bank, furrowed deep by the hoof-marks of the hundreds of horsemen that had preceded them. It was about five o'clock in the morning, and with this advance commenced the most memorable cavalry combat ever placed on record in any war. For twelve hours' time the struggle continued, and it was not until seven o'clock that the Second Cavalry left the field. Brave Captain Canfield fell dead, shot through the body. Captain Rodenbough, who had been despatched to the front, found his squadron hotly engaged. Dismounting his men and taking possession of a stone wall, he defended it against attacks of more than ten times his number, until his command was relieved by the squadron under command of Captain Loeser.
But the well-directed artillery fire and the singing bullets of the Confederate sharp-shooters from the hill were playing havoc with the waiting ranks of the men in blue, who, awaiting the general orders to advance, moved from one position to another as the Confederate artillerists got range of them. At last the long-hoped-for order came from General Buford, and the cavalry was ordered to advance and charge the batteries and riflemen in the woods. The men on foot were captured in their improvised defences, and forward rolled the Union line, a battery of artillery keeping company with them. Now for some time commenced an artillery battle, and then again the order was given to charge. The column of platoons under rapid motion were broken into fours to avoid a fence, and man after man scrambled over a sunken road, and then stopping only for half a moment, rapidly to reform, hot of foot and shouting, they rode with drawn sabres upon the hitherto invincible Southerners, who, seated on their horses, had been waiting the order to advance themselves.
It is a rule of cavalry fighting that no force of horsemen ever meet another force while standing still, for with the impetus of quick movement those in motion have force that would make up greatly for lack of numbers. Unfortunately for the Confederates their regiment that had charged the Union skirmishers, halted and broke before the main body of troopers as they came flying up the hill, and now ensued one of the strangest happenings of the war—the Southern line, stampeded and broken, was mingled with the horsemen of the North. Sabre blows and pistol-shots rang on every hand. No one halted to make prisoners, but riding on in one great fighting charge, it became an individual conflict, the victor never pausing to see how well he had done his work, but surging in the wild rush for a fresh foeman worthy of his steel.
The Captains, Lieutenants, non-commissioned officers, privates, fought boot to boot. Through the fierce heat and dust and smoke could be heard the chough of the sabre or the cracking of the revolver. Up the hill and across the plateau to the crest of the ridge they fought it out. So weakened had the men's sword-arms become from continual blows and parrying, that oftentimes two troopers of opposing sides rode on together, neither having the strength to unhorse the other.
Rodenbough, a good swordsman, who had lost his best horse early in the action, found himself opposite a tall Virginian, who also knew his sword-play, and succeeded in wounding the gallant Captain. But an instant later he was brought to the ground by a stroke of Rodenbough's sabre. Captain Loeser was severely wounded, and his two Lieutenants also.
SABRE BLOWS AND PISTOL SHOTS RANG ON EVERY HAND.
Although the charge had swept everything before it, or at least along with it, it was seen, when the top of the hill was gained, that fresh bodies of troops were hurrying up from beyond in order to take advantage of the confusion of the Union line. Obeying the hurried orders of their officers and the call of the bugle, the Second whirled about and returned to the rolling ground in order to reform and be in better condition to meet the enemy. This regiment had defeated in its charge, in a hand-to-hand fight, more than double its own number; its losses had been terrible, but soon it was in condition to fight once more. But now the battle had been renewed by the enemy's firing rifle and carbine from the woods on the south. To quote from what General Wesley Merritt says of his personal adventures during the charge:
"The charge was begun with the sabre, of course; but when the enemy broke and fled, a number of us in advance drew our pistols, and enforced our demands for surrender by rapid shots with our revolvers, still riding at a charge, with sabres in hand. I had emptied my revolver, and before returning it, rode at an officer whom, in the dust and smoke, I thought to be refusing to surrender to one of my men. I brought my sabre to a point, with the remark, 'Colonel, you are my prisoner!' His reply was more forcible than courteous, as, after a moment's surprise, he made a cut at my head with his sabre. I partially parried the cut, and at the same time Lieutenant Quirk called to me that we were surrounded and alone. The rebels, who were all around us, then commenced a rapid fire with their pistols, and must have been surprised to see Lieutenant Quirk and myself, in spite of their firing and orders to surrender, ride safely back to the regiment. A kindly Hibernian of the Second made good my only personal loss by giving me the hat off his own head. From a description of the officer who didn't surrender on this occasion, General Buford was of the opinion that it was Colonel (afterwards General) Wade Hampton."
He also related the following episode, which shows how close and upon what intimate relations the conflict had continued:
"As Sergeant-major Delacour was assisting Lieutenant Lennox from under fire, a horseman in gray rode up and fired at the officer, who said, 'Don't shoot; I'm wounded!' With an oath the Confederate emptied another barrel of his revolver within a few feet of Lennox's head, when Delacour, pausing, drew his pistol, fired, and as the unfortunate tumbled off his horse, coolly remarked, 'And now you are wounded.'"
The account of every regiment was a repetition of this, except that the Second engaged more men and suffered a heavier loss. Late in the day it was relieved by the Sixth United States Cavalry—one of the few regular bodies of mounted men in the service which was not separated into small detachments.
But it was a great day for the mounted forces of the Union army. Major-General Henry J. Hunt, Chief of Artillery of the Army of the Potomac, says, in referring to this action: "This was in the main a true cavalry battle, and enabled the Federals to dispute the superiority hitherto claimed and conceded to the Confederate cavalry. Stuart reported his losses at 485, of whom 301 were killed and wounded. Pleasanton reports an aggregate loss of 907, of whom 421 were wounded."
The Second Cavalry alone lost, out of 225 men who were engaged, 68 in killed and wounded, and 73 horses killed or disabled. "From that day," says Merritt, "the prestige of the Confederate cavalry was broken and its superiority gone forever."
In a volume called A Rebel War-clerk's Diary occurs the following entry: "The surprise of Stuart on the Rappahannock has chilled every heart. Notwithstanding it does not appear that we have lost more men in the encounter, the question is on every tongue, 'Have our Generals relaxed in vigilance?' If so, sad is the prospect."
Although the fact of this combat did not check Lee's advance materially, it gave a confidence to our troops that bore fruit afterwards.
The annual Thanksgiving-day game between Berkeley School and St. Paul's, Garden City, resulted in a victory of 24-2 for St. Paul's. The Long-Islanders fairly outclassed the Berkeley players, who have not been quite up to the standard this year. If it had not been for carelessness on the part of Pettit, Berkeley would not have scored. By lack of judgment on the part of this half-back at a critical moment, St. Paul's was forced to make a safety.
The feature of the game was Starr's kicking of goals. He had four chances, and accepted them all, two of them being at good angles. Berkeley had the kick-off, and Bien sent the ball down to St. Paul's twenty-five-yard line, whence Pettit made a run of twenty yards before he was stopped. The ball was kept going by steady advances, until it was carried across the line. S. Starr caught the ball on the next kick-off, and ran thirty-five yards, protected by good interference. When he was downed, the ball was within fifteen yards of the line, and by a couple of plunges through the centre, and Starr around the left end, St. Paul's scored again.
There was no more scoring in the first half, but these figures were duplicated in the early part of the second. It was in the latter part of the second half, too, that Berkeley scored. It was Berkeley's ball on the third down, and a pass was made to Bien for a punt. The leather sailed over into Pettit's territory, and he caught it on St. Paul's ten-yard line, but was so slow in handling it that Berkeley was down on him before he realized what had happened, and they had shoved him across the line for a safety. Apparently the St. Paul's rushers were so anxious to get through and stop the kick that they did not think of protecting their back. It is not fair to place all the responsibility for the misplay upon Pettit.
Another exciting and interesting Thanksgiving-day game was that between Brooklyn High and Poly. Prep., played at Eastern Park, the victory going to the High-School, 6-0. This match developed as good football as has been seen in Brooklyn this fall, and the teams proved to be very evenly matched. In the first half it would have been difficult to decide which was the better eleven, but in the second half the Poly. Prep. line weakened a trifle, and the High-School backs were sent through at centre and tackle for repeated gains. The High-School team was slightly the heavier, and this advantage is accountable for the work of the line-men during the latter part of the game.
The only touch-down of the day was scored almost at the close of the second half. By mass plays the ball had been brought down into Poly. Prep.'s territory, and from the five-yard line Geirasch was shoved over for a touch-down. Some exciting play followed this, Poly. Prep. having secured the ball on the High-School's twenty-five-yard line by a fumble. They took a tremendous brace, and rushed the leather fifteen yards, but the High-School players pulled themselves together at this point, got the ball on downs, and the game closed with neither goal in danger.
The championship of the Long Island League was not affected by the result of this game, inasmuch as St. Paul's had practically secured first place by defeating Brooklyn High, 8-0, on November 12. St. Paul's had no easy time of it with the Brooklyn players, and only managed to score once. This was done in the first half with good centre plays, S. Starr being shoved across the line. The other two points resulted from a safety by the High-School.
The championship of the Cook County High-School Football League has been won by Englewood H.-S., the deciding game being against Hyde Park, 38-6. Both teams played good football, and although Hyde Park was in some respects outclassed, the men nevertheless worked hard, and succeeded in not being shut out altogether.
Most of Englewood's gains were made around the ends, the Hyde Park line being stronger than had been anticipated. Teetzel, as usual, proved the star player of the day, and made one unusually good run. This was in the second half, when he was sent through Hyde Park's tackle, and after clearing his hole and dodging the half-backs, he put down the field for sixty yards, and scored. The team-work of Englewood was better than has been developed by that eleven in any previous game; and as for individual work, Henry and Ferguson deserve mention. Henry followed the interference well, and got through the Hyde Park line whenever he had the ball. Ferguson's strong point was in protecting the runner.
The best work for Hyde Park was done by Captain Linden, who got into every play, and made a gain almost every time he took the ball. He did the scoring for his side. He took the leather on Englewood's twenty-five-yard line three times in succession, making short gains at every plunge, and finally managed to get himself pushed across the line. This is only the second time that Englewood has been scored against in a League football game this year.
The Chicago High-School Football-Players seem to have little pride in making any kind of a showing against out-of-town teams, if we may judge from the performance of Englewood against Elgin, and of Hyde Park against Madison. The Englewood High-School had a game scheduled with Elgin for Thanksgiving day, but as soon as they had won the Cook County championship the eleven disbanded. Manager Knox was at his wits' end to get a team to go to Elgin, and only succeeded in enlisting the services of three of the regular players, filling the other positions as best he could.
Of course this was not a High-School eleven, and had no right to represent itself as such. The Elgin players even claim that one of the men who came along with Manager Knox's patch-work team had played this year with Lake Forest University. The Elgin eleven was the same that has represented that school all season, and which has not been defeated. The game against Englewood, or rather against the eleven that was masquerading in Englewood's colors, ended in a dispute, and was awarded to Elgin. The best element among students at Englewood believe that if the regular team had gone to represent the school the result would have been different. As it is, however, Elgin claims the championship of the Illinois High-Schools.
The Hyde Park H.-S. football-players also went out of training as soon as they had been defeated by Englewood for the Cook County championship. Consequently, when they were called upon to play against Madison High-School, it was impossible to get the regular eleven men together, and a few outsiders were taken in to make up the team. As might have been expected, the influence of these outsiders was of the worst possible kind, and they resorted to methods during the game which would not have been countenanced by the regular players.
This sort of thing brings a bad reputation to the Chicago High-School football-players. Of course this is to be regretted, but it is richly deserved, and unless some of the better element take a hand and introduce rigid reforms in matters athletic, things will go from bad to worse, and the spirit of semi-professionalism, which has proved such a dangerous thing in other quarters, will effect the ruin of sport in Chicago.
The championship of the High-School football teams of Wisconsin and Minnesota was won by the Madison High-School, which defeated the Minneapolis South Side H.-S., 21-0. Both teams played good, hard football, but Madison, although the lighter of the two elevens, had the better system, and plunged through its opponents for repeated gains. Captain Dean of Madison massed his plays on tackles, where he was very successful in gaining ground. The best work for Minneapolis was done in the second half, and their gains were chiefly obtained around the ends. The feature of the game was a goal from the field, kicked by Anderson of Madison H.-S., toward the end of the first half. Madison had forced the ball down to their opponents' 20-yard line, but Minneapolis here took a brace and managed to hold. The ball was then passed back for a kick, and Anderson succeeded in making a beautiful goal. Some of the best work for Madison was done by Wheeler and Curtis at tackle, and by Nelson, who made many fierce plunges through the Minneapolis centre. Davis at centre held well on the defence, and likewise put up a strong offensive game. The best work for Minneapolis was done by Von Schlegell. He did excellent work in the interference, and tackled hard and low; he likewise made a number of gains around the ends. Other good work for Minneapolis was done by Dumas and Shepley.
It is announced that again this year the Knickerbocker Athletic Club will hold a large in-door interscholastic track-athletic meeting. The success of last year's venture will probably help to make the coming occasion one of the biggest interscholastic affairs in any city of the country this winter, and if it is properly conducted it ought certainly to achieve this distinction. I believe it has already been decided that last year's experiment of a dirt track in the Madison Square Garden will not be tried again, and that at the coming meeting the runs will be held on a board flooring. In addition to securing entries from the schools of Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, New Haven, and other near institutions, an attempt will be made to induce the young athletes of Baltimore, Washington, and possibly Chicago to compete. If this could be done, the meeting would be fully as representative as the National Interscholastic out-door meeting of last June.
EXETER FOOTBALL SQUAD.
ANDOVER FOOTBALL ELEVEN.
ANDOVER VS. LAWRENCEVILLE—THE BALL ON ANDOVER'S THREE-YARD LINE.
When Exeter and Andover determined to renew their athletic relations, they drew up a set of rules to govern their meetings in the future; and as the paragraphs adopted by the two schools seem to be of considerable importance for the welfare of amateur sport, I give them below:
The undersigned, representatives of the Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter Athletic Associations, agree on the following regulations to govern all contests between the two Associations for the period of one year—from October, 1896, to July, 1897, inclusive:
1. There shall be annual contests between the two Associations in football, base-ball, track athletics, and tennis.
2. The dates for these contests shall be arranged from year to year by the managers of the several Associations, and announced six weeks before the contest.
3. The officials for each game shall be chosen by joint agreement of the representatives of the two Associations, and shall be announced to each school at least two weeks before the date of the game.
4. No player shall take part for more than four years in these games.
5. No student shall be allowed to represent Phillips Academy in any such public contest unless he is regularly enrolled as a member on the register of the school and is taking at least twelve hours of work per week. No student shall be allowed to represent Phillips Academy in any such public contest who either before or since entering the school shall have engaged in any athletic competition for money, whether for a stake or a money prize, or a share of the entrance-fees or admission-money; or who shall have taught or engaged in any athletic exercise or sport as a means of livelihood; or who shall have received for his participation in any athletic sport or contest any pecuniary gain or reward whatever, direct or indirect, provided, however, that he may have received from the school organizations, or from any permanent amateur association of which he was at any time a member, the amount by which the expenses necessarily incurred by him in representing this organization in athletic contests exceeded his ordinary expenses.
6. The school manager of each athletic team shall submit to the manager of the opposing team, at least three weeks before the date of the contest between the two teams, a list of all players whom he may use in such contest, together with the home address of each player, and shall also upon request furnish any other information which may aid in the enforcement of the previous rules. No player not so named shall take part in the contest.
7. All protests which may be made concerning eligibility of players, and all other disputes, shall be decided, without appeal, by a referee, who shall be chosen by the joint agreement of the Athletic Committee or Representative of the two Associations.
8. All expenses incurred in the enforcement of these rules and in payment of officials shall be shared equally by the two Associations.
If Brookline High had won the game against Hopkinson on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving she would have won the championship of the Senior League in Boston, but her defeat, 16-0, will probably give the championship to Cambridge M. T. S. The Hopkinson-Brookline High game was one of the best-fought battles that have been seen in Boston this year among the schools. During the first half the play was of a high order. Both teams gained ground, and each was strong enough to secure the ball from the other on downs, and it was more because of a misplay by Brookline than by superior work of Hopkinson that the latter made a touch-down toward the close of the first half. Hallowell managed his team splendidly, but the star player of the day was undoubtedly Mann. Further details of the game and of the closing matches of the Boston Leagues must be delayed until next week.
"FOOTBALL FACTS AND FIGURES."—By Walter Camp.—Post 8vo, Paper, 75 Cents.
The Graduate.