“Boys, save the gun,” – U.S. Capt. Leander H. Potter, 33rd Ill. Infantry

On July 7, 1862, the Battle of Cotton Plant, Ark., pitted the Federal advance force of U.S. Col. Charles E. Hovey’s 400 men vs. C.S. Gen. Albert Rust’s 1,000 cavalrymen. As the outnumbered Federals gave way, Hovey ordered a retreat.
Four of the six-gun crew were wounded and the cannon was stranded between the fleeing Federals and the oncoming Rebels. Orderly Sgt. Edward A. Pike heeded the call to retrieve the gun. Pike ran towards the Confederates. He “seized the trail and tore down the road with the cannon as if it had been a baby wagon.” Pike would earn the Medal of Honor for this act.