Show MEDAL FOR BRAVE DEED recognizes valorous ex of federal soldier in civlo war made sortie in dark andrew J kelly a veteran ol 01 the civil war has just received a valor medal from the war department with which he would not part as soon as he would release his claim upon his homestead located four miles east ot crookston minn upon which he has resided tor over a quarter ot a cen tury the treasured medal is inscribed mgt andrew J kelly knoxville nov 20 1863 and those few words bring to his mind one of the bloodiest engagements of the civil war during which he performed a feat tor which he was awarded the valor medal to I 1 gether with the five others who par in the gallant deed the deed tor which the medal was awarded was volunteering to make a dash from the union lines on the night of november 20 63 at knoxville with five other men and burn a three story brick building inside the rebel lines from which the rebel sharp shooters were picking off the union gunners as fast as they showed their heads the federal batteries were so short of ammunition that enough could not be spared to batter the big house down and at a council of war it waa decided that it must be burned the question was how raould such a feat be accomplished as gen longstreet had five or six batteries trained to cover the ground where the brich house stood the batteries being located across a small ravine from the house and hut 40 rods distant col swift who attended the coun cil of war volunteered to furnish the men to take the desperate chance and it was decided that six volunteers should be called for col swift returned to his ment announced the offer that he had made to the commanding general and then in ringing tones asked who I 1 would be the first man to volunteer to be one of the six men to do burning comrade kelly says there was a deathly stillness tor a minute or two and then having no family he thought he might as well be the first man and stepping out of the ranks presented himself president sheppard of the normal school at winona shouted be the second before kelly had ceased talking and a score of others volun leered in the next minute the firs six however were selected and at 11 clock that night with companies A and as flanking companies the dash across the lines was made it was pitch dark but the men 10 bated the house and the rebels think ing that it was a general sortie fled from the rear of the building leaving their accoutrements and retreated be hind the batteries across the ravine kerosene was applied liberally to the interior and a match did the rest to do a good lob the squad of six determined to burn the barns also and did so not thinking that the burn ing house would light things up and show the rebels the size of the party and what the scheme waa that la just what happened and as the six made a dash back for the union lines there was a hall of bullets that billed many members of the flanking corn panlee which had not advanced very close to the building the squad of six scattered en route back and kelly lost his bearings and ran bum into a rebel sentry who lal ledged him kelly answered A friend and as he did so stooped low and to the left having got his bearings from a glance back at the burning house not one of the six men were killed but it developed later that all that saved them was an order received the rebel gunners not to fire until the union troops started to cross the ra vine longstreet knew that the federal trompa had no rations left to of and was expecting a forue at night the two companies which ad danced part of the way together with the six men were taken for a large force and the rebels did not suspect what was up till the building was burning and the men were for safety within the union lines had the batteries opened every man would have been mowed down like grass before a sickle by an act of congress april 2 1904 gallantry medals in the form of small buttons were issued by the war de apartment part ment and sergt kelly was sent one of these but the medal received lately Is more elaborate and replaced the former emblem it is a pendant charm surmounted by an eagle with a helmeted warrior in the center and Is suspended about the neck with a buckled ribbon be spangled with stars this medal was provided by an act passed by con gress april 23 1904 before securing the second medal the first one had to be returned to the war department accompanied by sworn affidavits that sergt kelly was the real man he posed as and these had to be signed by two men who had known the affiant at least five years statement had to be sworn to before the clerk of the district court and there was more other red tape than is connected with the report of election judges under the australian ballot system |