. The story of American heroism; thrilling narratives of personal adventures during the great Civil war, as told by the medal winners and roll of honor men . iment simply forthe purpose of taking the flag, as has been asserted, othei-wise why did he. immediately on seeing it. send foraid? Why did he not go in the most direct line tothe house, instead of doing as he did? We started to descend the stairs, and Iled the way. Ellsworth was just behind in theact of rolling the flag into a small bundle. Asf%\ I reached the first landing ami turned, with halfa dozen steps between me and the floor, the
. The story of American heroism; thrilling narratives of personal adventures during the great Civil war, as told by the medal winners and roll of honor men . iment simply forthe purpose of taking the flag, as has been asserted, othei-wise why did he. immediately on seeing it. send foraid? Why did he not go in the most direct line tothe house, instead of doing as he did? We started to descend the stairs, and Iled the way. Ellsworth was just behind in theact of rolling the flag into a small bundle. Asf%\ I reached the first landing ami turned, with halfa dozen steps between me and the floor, thereStood a man with a double-barreled gun restingon the banisters, the muzzle pointing at my breast.•■ Until this moment everything had been so quiet that we were not anticipating trouble. Prompted by the instincts of self-preser-vation rather than anything else. I jumped,throwing the barrel of my gun On his. and bothweapons slid along the banisters until the turn was reached, when they fell apart. In my leapI had cleared the steps from the landing to the floor, but before I could recover my equilibriumthe man broughf his gun to position once pain Fr INK K. Bbownell. AMERICAN HEROISM. • 29 ■•At tliis instant Ellsworth came into view on the landing, and Jackson fired. Then,whirling suddenly, he leveled the weapon at me. As he did so I discharged my musket andsprang forward with the bayonet. That movement saved my life, for the heavy charge ofbuckshot passed over my head, penetrating a door directly behind me. •• The muzzle of the gun was within three or four feet of Ellsworths breast, and the chargestruck him just above the heart. With the exclamation, My God! he fell forward from thelanding to the floi ir. Jackson was shot in the corner of his left eye, through the brain, and the bayonet piercedhis heart. He fell backward to the landing without having spoken a word from the lirst time Isaw him. •■ I can only account for my escape by the supposition that,
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