Thursday, August 4, 1887 Ironton Register
When Tom Charlton got through relating to us the thrilling experiences, which we printed in this column last week, he smiled as he said, "that wasn't ___________ an escape as I had some _________.
"Well, tell it to me," we asked.
"Oh, you've got enough about me now," he replied; "I ain't much to figure in papers."
"But," we remarked, "the boys like to have the old stories submitted, and beside, those personal experiences should be ______ before it is too late."
"Thus challenged, Mr. Charlton went on to relate another affair, which, while it might not have had the little crooks and curves of a romance which the capture had, and will not take as many words to tell it, to him it was intensely more thrilling. But let the little incident, which will take but a moment to tell, speak for itself.
"At the light at Kernstown, in the Summer of 1864, our color-bearer was shot down, and I raised the colors and carried them through the fight and saved them. whereupon the Colonel insisted that I carry the colors thereafter. I didn't much want to do it, for I thought I was too young, but finally consented, and this was what brought me into the tight place.
"Some time after, near Berryville, we were getting supper, when the bugle blew to form lines immediately. There was a brigade of us, but we were in line in a short time, and well enough, too, for here came a rebel force right down on us. Then the musketry commenced and the whizzing of balls became pretty lively. Our regiment happened to get into close quarters with a part of the rebel force. I was up in the front with the colors, when I saw a reb behind a tree, trying to get a whack at me. My revolver was empty, so that I could not fight him on equal terms, and I couldn't get out of ________ without being shot, sure. So I hastily made up my mind to jump to the tree behind which the reb was making his demonstrations against me. I got there-the reb on one side of the tree and I on the other. But the reb had the advantage largely-the gun was loaded, while my revolver was empty; but he didn't know it, so that bettered my situation some. I had the flag in one hand and the empty revolver in the other; the reb had only his gun.
"May be it would have made a fellow laugh to have seen us bobbing about that tree, each fellow trying to kill or capture the other. The reb couldn't get his gun around the tree far enough to shoot me without getting in range of my pistol, and he had his gun ready to pop me over if I exposed ___________. We bagged that tree _________. We flattened ourselves right out against the ______ and eyed each edge of the tree with deep interest.
"This got too monotonous to me pretty soon, and besides I expected some other fellow would soon come to the reb's help, so I determined to make a bold strike. Watching my opportunity, I sprang out at the side of the tree, and with my empty revolver stuck in his face before he could cover me with his gun, I cried, "_________________," the reb emptied his gun, which I immediately seized, when I threw down the revolver and ran Mr. Reb _____________ prisoner. then I returned to the fight, which was over in a little while.
"The next morning I passed by where the reb _______ was under guard. He recognized me and called out: 'If I'd a knowed that revolver of yourn was empty, you wouldn't have got away from that tree alive,' and I don't think I would."