I hurried back to the
regiment, and going to Capt. Keeley, told him that the Confederate
skirmishers were just across the creek, in plain sight, and asked him
if I couldn't slip down the brow of the ridge and take a few shots at
them. He looked at me kind of queerly, and said: "You stay right where
you are, and tend to your own business. You'll have plenty of shooting
before long." I felt a little bit hurt at his remark, but made no
reply, and resumed my place in the ranks. But he afterwards made me a
sort of apology for his brusque reproof, saying he had no desire to see
me perhaps throw my life away in a performance not within the scope of
my proper and necessary duty. And he was right, too, in his prediction,
that there would soon be "plenty of shooting." I had just taken my
place in the ranks when a mounted staff officer came galloping up, and
accosting a little group of our line officers, asked, with a strong
German accent, "Iss ziss ze 61st Illinois?" and on being told that it
was, next inquired for Col. Grass, who was pointed out to him. He rode
to the Colonel, who was near at hand, saluted him, and said, "Col.
Grass, ze Sheneral sends his compliments wiss ze order zat you
immediately deploy your regiment as skirmishers, and forthwith advance
on ze enemy, right in your front!" The recruits and non-veterans of the
regiment being yet in Arkansas, its present effective strength hardly
exceeded three hundred men, so there was just about enough of us to
make a sufficient skirmish line, on this occasion, for the balance of
the command. In obedience to the aforesaid order the regiment was
promptly deployed as skirmishers, and the line advanced over the crest
of the ridge in our front, and down the slope on the opposite side. At
the bank of the creek a little incident befell me, which serves to show
how a very trifling thing may play an important part in one's fate. I
happened to reach the creek at a point opposite a somewhat deep pool.
The water was clear and cold, and I disliked the idea of having wet
feet on the skirmish line, and looked around for a place where it was
possible to cross dry-shod. A rod or two above me the stream was
narrow, and where it could be jumped, so I started in a run for that
place. The creek bank on my side was of yellow clay, high and
perpendicular, while on the other margin the bank was quite low, and
the ground adjacent sloped upward gently and gradually. While running
along the edge of th