by John McElroy
CHAPTER V.
ANOTHER GREAT BATTLE--TWO DAYS OF AWFUL FIGHTING AT PITTSKILL LANDING--HARD-WON VICTORY-UNCLE DANIEL'S SONS BEAR THEMSELVES GALLANTLY.
"But whether on the scaffold high, Or in the battle's van, The fittest place where man can die Is where he dies for man." --Barry.
"During the suspense great preparations were being made for the variouscampaigns by the several ar-armies of the Union, which caused muchexcitement throughout the country. The many prisoners captured at thefall of Dolinsburg had been sent to different camps in the North. Thesecession sympathizers were vieing with each other as to who shouldvisit them the oftenest and show them the greatest consideration. Thewhisperings of releasing them and organizing for 'a fire in the rear,'as the saying went, were loud and plentiful I traveled to Indianapolisand Chicago to see if I could learn anything of a definite character onthese points, and at both places heard mutterings and threats that werecalculated to produce alarm and also to make any loyal man feellike beginning a war at home. Everything that was being done by theauthorities was denounced as arbitrary and despotic--their acts asunconstitutional. In fact, no satisfactory act had been performed bythe Administration that was calculated to assist in putting down therebellion (according to their way of thinking). When I returned home Ifound a letter from Peter, who had been promoted to a Majority in hisregiment. The Lieutenant-Colonel (Rice), as I before stated, had beenmade Colonel, Major Pierce Lieutenant-Colonel, and Capt. Lyon (Peter)Major. They had not as yet learned of the discovery of Col. Anderson.I wrote to Peter, giving him in full the details in reference to theColonel, but told him not to reveal the facts to a soul until it shouldbe reported officially. In his letter, however, he informed me of themassing of the rebel troops at Corin Junction, and the like processgoing on at the High Banks, on the Little Combination River, now calledPittskill Landing, and that he looked for hot work as soon as the Armyof the Center, under Buda, could make a junction with Gen. Silent. WhenI read Peter's letter all the family were anxious about his fate, shouldthere be another battle fought. Old Ham was present and seemed to bemuch interested in what I was saying. He had been entertaining the threechildren with his simple stories about the 'Sesh,' as he and Aunt Marthacalled the rebels. He spoke up, saying:
"'Massa Daniel, I tells you da's no danger, sah. I had a dream 'boutdat. Massa Peter am all right, sah; I tells you he is. I neber dreams'bout anything but what comes out good.'
"My wife asked Ham if he could interpret dreams. 'No, missis; I not know'bout dreams 'cept my own. I knows dat Massa Peter all right.'
"There was no way getting the cunning old darkey to tell his dream. Mywife said to him:
"'I am troubled about a dream that I had at the commencement of the war.It distresses me still.'
"She then related her dream, and he broke out into a laugh, saying:
"'Yes, but you see, massa got all he hands, all he fingers; dey alldar--none done gone. Dat dream all good, kase, you see, he fingers allright. O, dat's nuffin. De bug he be Sesh; skare you, dat's all; bite dechilien little spec, dat's all.'
"We all laughed at the curious speech of old Ham, and yet he sat downand commenced counting his fingers, and said: "'How many chilien yo'got, misses?'
"'Seven.'
"'Ham became silent, and nothing more could be got from him on thesubject of the dream. He never spoke of the matter again to any of us,except to Peter. I found after all was over that he and Peter had thesame interpretation--strange, yet so true."
"Uncle Daniel, what was the interpretation, may I inquire the secondtime?" said Dr. Adams.
"It was very strange; but the interpretation is disclosed by thecasualties of war, and as we proceed you will recognize it. But to mystory: The rebel and Union forces were now confronting each other, andeach was constantly on the lookout for the movements of the other. Aboutmidway between the camps of the two armies they were almost constantlyhaving skirmishes, sometimes with cavalry, and sometimes with infantry.The successes were about equal. Peter related the story of an oldcolored man, I presume something after the style of old Ham, meeting himwhile he was making a reconnaissance with his regiment. The old darkeywas tall and very black, and was walking in great haste when Petercalled to him:
"'Uncle, where are you going?'
"'Ise gwine to de ribber, sah. Ise ti'd ob de wa', Ise been cookin',sah, for de 'Sesh.' He say he gwine to whip dem Yankees on deribber,--dat dey am gwine to come right on and drive dem in de ribberand drown dem like cats; dat's what he say, sho'. I heah him wid deseold ears, I did.'
"'When did he say he was coming?'
"'Well, massa, he say he comin' right off, sah; he say he kill 'em an'drown 'em all afore de res' ob de Yankees come for help dem; dat's whathe say.'
"'Who was it said this?'
"'Why, sah, it wah de big Gen'l--de one what boss all de res'; he namewah Massa Sydenton Jackson. He say he kill all ob you stone dead--he notleab one ob em.'
"'If he is going to kill all of us, you don't want to go to our camp andget killed, do you?'
"'No, sah; I doesn't spec' to git killed; I 'bout 'cluded dat I waittill de shootin' git goin' pretty libely, den I jes' skip de ribber andneber stop 'til I be done gone whar dey done got no wa'.'
"'How many soldiers have they in Gen. Jackson's army?'
"'Well, I dunno, but I 'spec' dar am somewhar near a million ob dem,sah. Dey's got de woods full ob hoss sogers, an' all de fiel's full ob'em what walks. Den dey got big guns wid hosses. Oh, Laudy, massa, Idunno, but dey's heaps ob dem.'
"'What were they doing when you came away?"
"'Dey was campin' 'bout ten miles, I 'spose. I walk mighty fas', and Iis monstrous tired. When dey start dis mornin' I get outside and go inde woods and keep whar I see dem all de way. When dey stop I keep on.Dey be here in de mornin', sho'. I knows dey will, massa.'
"This being about all Peter could ascertain, he thought perhaps it wouldbe as safe back towards the main army, so he returned, bringing old'Dick' with him, that being his name. When Peter reported with Dick atheadquarters the General cross-questioned the old man in a manner thatwould have done credit to a prosecuting attorney, and said to Peter:
"'Major, I guess the enemy intend to try our strength very soon.'
"He then said to Dick:
"'You can go around behind my quarters. You will find some coloredpeople there, with whom you will remain until after we have this fight.You can then go where you please.'
"'Bress de Laud, Massa Genl, you gwine to make me stay heah and getshotted?"
"'Well, I don't know whether you will get shot or not but you will stayas I direct.'
"'Afore God, Massa Gen'l, you see dese heah 'backer sticks, (meaning hislegs), 'dey go, dey go if dey shoot; I can't hole 'em. I tried dem onetime, an' I tell you dey won't stay. You can't hole 'em, no, sah; deygit ebery time--when you 'spec dem be stayin' dey's gwine.'
"The General laughed at his peculiar expressions and sent him away. Theposition of the Union forces was an exceedingly good one for defensiveoperations. The country all around was covered with heavy timber andvery thick underbrush, save a small opening or field on the right centerand to the rear of our right flank. The ground was very uneven, fullof streams, gulches, hills and hollows. The line of the Union troopsstretched from Hawk Run to Bull Gulch and Buck Lick Junction, the rightresting on Hawk Run and the left at or near the Junction, the center inheavy timber quite a distance farther south than either flank. The rightof the line was commanded by Gen. Sherwood, the left by Gen. Prince; twodivisions were in reserve, commanded by Gen. Waterberry. The Army ofthe Center, under Gen. Buda, was within communicating distance, butadvancing very slowly, causing some fear that they would not get tothe field prior to the attack being made by the enemy, who was in greatforce ready to be hurled against our comparatively small army at anymoment.
"The suspense must have been terrible for the time, but at last it wasover, for on the morning of the third day after Dick made his revelationab
out the enemy's movements, our forces having become a little carelesson their front, the enemy were upon them without much warning. Just asGen. Sherwood was about to take his breakfast skirmishing commencednot more than a mile from his camp, and nearer and nearer it seemed toapproach our lines. The 'long roll' was sounded and 'to arms' was thecry all along the lines. The roads passing through the camp were leadingin almost every direction, affording the enemy ample opportunity forunfolding their line all along our front by a very rapid movement, ofwhich they took advantage, and in rapid succession threw their divisionsin line of battle and moved with quick motion to the assault which wasmade simultaneously along our front. From Peter's description it musthave come like a thunderbolt. They struck Sherwood's command on thecenter and right flank and drove him from his first position back onthe reserves and a part of his command entirely from the field. Sothoroughly were they demoralized that they could not find time to returnto their places during that day. Sherwood tried to rally them, butcould not; so he joined his remnant to the first command he found, andcontinued resistance to the impetuous assaults of the Confederates.
"The battle was now raging all along the line; our troops were in goodcondition, and the ones that had won the victory at Dolinsburg were inno wise discouraged. They came into action like veterans and stood thefirst shock of the battle without the least movement to the rear orpanic. Our lines were again adjusted on the right, and one continuousrattle of musketry from one end of the line to the other could beheard. There was no chance for the operating of cavalry on either side.Artillery was run up to the front by both armies. How the different armsrattled and thundered. Batteries to the front, right and left rolledamid confusion and death. Closer still the armies came until their eyeswere seen and aim taken as if in target practice. To the rear and front,as the armies gained or lost a little of their ground, lay the deadand the wounded. The shrieks and groans of the wounded and dying wereunheeded; the crushing of bones might also be heard as the artilleryrushed from one part of the lines to another. In this way the contestcontinued for the greater part of the forenoon. At last our center waspenetrated and our right was forced back again with the center for thedistance of perhaps a half mile. Our left, having a better position,under Gen. Prince, held their ground, and, turning their fire partiallyon the advancing column that was forcing our right, checked themsomewhat in their rapid advance. At this critical moment our reservescame up in good style and entered the conflict. The enemy were nowsteadily driven back to their original position.
"Over the field the Union and rebel soldiers lay side by side, dead andwounded alike. They were seen helping one another, their anger and furysoon subsiding when they found themselves helpless by the side ofeach other, and, perhaps, often asking 'Why are we thus butchering oneanother?'
"This bloody battle raged with a deadly fury unparalleled on thecontinent up to that time. Louder and louder roared the artillery andmore steadily and sharply rattled the musketry. The smoke was rising ingreat clouds from the field of carnage. Gen. Silent was very impatienton account of the non-arrival of Gen. Buda, as well as Gen. Wilkins,whose division was some six miles away to the rear, and was expected tocome rapidly forward and strike west of Hawk Run, on the left flank ofthe enemy; but no Buda and no Wilkins came. The battle was then ragingwith great slaughter on both sides. The entire Union force was nowengaged, and the rebel commander was bringing his reserves forward andre-enforcing his lines. He could be seen re-organizing his forces andputting his reserves in line. Gen. Jackson and his staff were seenriding along giving directions. He had on his staff one Gen. Harrington,who seemed to be very active in moving about. Soon another assault wasmade on our lines. The fresh troops seemed to inspire them with newzeal, and on they came, steadily and firmly, with a constant and heavyfire pouring into our lines. The assault was resisted for some time. Itseems that during this assault, their Commander-in-Chief, Gen. SydentonJackson, was shot through the breast, falling from his horse dead. Atthe fall of Jackson, Gen. Harrington seemed to become crazed and rushedmadly on, directing that every Yankee be killed. 'Bayonet them!' 'Killthem like cats!' 'Let none escape,' he cried. So on they came like aline of mad animals, sending forth such unearthly yells as to induce thebelief that all the fiends of the infernal regions had been turned looseat once and led on by old Beelzebub himself. On, on they came. Our linereeled and staggered under the assault. A fresh column came up underGen. Bolenbroke, and advanced rapidly against our right flank, and boredown so heavily that our line on the right and centre again gave way. Infalling back, Gen. Waterberry, a gallant officer who had brought up ourreserves on our first repulse, was killed while trying to rally his men.
"His death seemed to create a panic, and Gen. Sherwood was unable tohold the men to their line. He would form and reform them, leading themhimself; but when he would look for the command he was trying to bringto the front, he would find them going to the rear, making very goodtime.
"Peter's command was in this part of the line. He could hear this manHarrington, as the rebels came rushing on, crying out: 'No quarter!''Kill every Yankee!' 'Let none escape!' 'Rid the country of the lastone!' 'Take no prisoners!' The panic continued on our right, and atleast one-half of this part of Sherwood's command broke, and was utterlydisorganized, hiding behind trees, in hollows and ravines, to coverthemselves from the enemy. In great numbers they sought roads leadingto the rear, and followed them without knowing to what point they mightlead. In this demoralized condition of one portion of our army, despairseemed to set in. Gen. Silent sat on his horse looking sadly at thiscondition of things. He spoke not a word. Riding up to Sherwood, who wasgreatly excited, he said:
"'General, can you not send word to Prince to fall back slowly? I seethe enemy will soon be on his flank.'
"As the General rode away he said: 'I cannot understand the delay ofBuda and Wilkins.'
"He sent orderlies immediately to hurry them up, giving imperativeorders to them 'to move to the field of battle as rapidly as possible.'In the meantime Gen. Hudson had gone to the support of Prince; ourforces on the right having steadily fallen back. It was too late,however, to save him. The enemy had surrounded him before Hudson couldform on his right, and he was compelled to surrender with a portion ofhis command, the rest having fallen back and thereby saved themselves.Hudson joined on the remainder of Prince's command and made resistanceto the further advance of the enemy. Our line, being again intact, fellback behind a ravine that crossed the battlefield from northwest tosoutheast--from Moccasin Run to the river. The enemy by this time werein possession of the camps of the Union forces, and partially givingthemselves up to plunder, the battle gradually slackened until darknessclosed in on the contending armies The enemy occupied our camps duringthe night, intending the next morning to capture what was left of ourarmy. During the first part of the night they kept up a fearful noise,evincing their joy over what they thought a great victory. Gen. Silent,however, was engaged in arranging his forces for an attack at daylight,being satisfied that he could surprise the enemy and defeat him, as hewould not expect our forces to fight, and, therefore, take the noise ofpreparation for a retreat. The column under Gen. Wilkins came up earlythat night and was posted on the right of our army, with its right onHawks Run.
"Gen. Buda also arrived during the night and was given position on theleft, his left resting on the river. The center, held by Sherwood, wasre-enforced by Hudson and that portion of Prince's command not captured.The artillery was put in battery in the center and on the right center,and orders given for the men to replenish their boxes with ammunition,to sleep on their arms, and at 4 o'clock in the morning to make asimultaneous attack all along the line with infantry and artillery,moving the artillery rapidly to the front. This being understood, allwere quiet. The enemy were so confident of having our army at theirmercy that they lighted fires and made night hideous with their howls.During the night the leaves and grass were set on fire by some unknownmeans and burned over the battlefield, causing great consternation, asmany of t
he wounded were yet lying where they fell. Their shrieks andappeals for help would have made the tears come to the eyes of themost heartless. An allwise Providence, however, heard their prayers andappeals for help, and the windows of heaven were thrown open and theflood poured forth and subdued the flames, saving many a poor fellowfrom dreadful torture and death. The storm continued nearly all nightswelling the little streams that ran through the battlefield, causingthe roads to become almost impassable. The stragglers were collected andreturned to their commands.
"At 4 o'clock the crack of musketry was heard, and soon after theartillery from our lines opened and we were upon the rebels. They weretaken by surprise and thrown into confusion. The hurrying of officersfrom one part of the field to another was distinctly heard by our menand greatly encouraged our forces. On they moved, driving the enemypell-mell from our former camp. It was impossible, under our gallingfire, for the enemy to form in any compact line. They fell back as ourtroops advanced. We struck them in front, on the flank, and, as theysometimes turned in their retreat, in the rear. The slaughter for atime was terrible and sickening. They were at last driven into the woodswhere they had formed the day before. Here a lull came in the contest,and they took advantage of it to form their line again, believing thatour advantage could only be temporary, having no knowledge of the numberof our re-enforcements. When they were in a condition to do so theyadvanced and took the aggressive. On they came. Our line stood asimmovable as a rock, received the shock of their first assault, andthen poured the missiles of death into their ranks as if they were beingrained down from the heavens. For a time the lines both advanced slowlyand dealt death into each other. The commands from each army could bedistinctly heard by the other. Harrington on the rebel side was heard tosay:
"'Charge the Lincoln hell-hounds! Give the cowardly dogs the bayonet!'
"This gave our troops that heard it a contempt for the man, and adetermination to receive the charge in a soldierly manner. They stoodsilent until the enemy was within close musket range, and at theorder--the batteries having come up--everything opened and poured volleyafter volley into the advancing columns, which swayed and halted;no power could press them forward. Our forces seeing this, advancedsteadily, firing as they moved. At last the rebel line gave way and fledto the woods on their left, taking shelter among the trees. The groundbetween the lines was now literally covered with the killed and wounded.On our extreme left the battle was still raging, and seemed to be goingto our rear. Gen. Silent rode away to this part of the field. Findingthat our forces had fallen back nearly to the junction of Bull Gulch andBuck Lick Run, he ordered Hudson to move rapidly and strike the enemy inflank where the line had been broken by the falling back of their leftand center. This order was executed with much alacrity and was a greatsuccess. Hudson struck the detached portion of the enemy's army inflank and rear, and doubled them up (over the very ground from whichour forces had fallen back the day before), capturing many prisonersand several pieces of artillery. Here he met a young officer whom he hadnoticed moving rapidly to the front and assaulting the enemy with hiscommand at any and every point where he could hit him.
"Hudson rode up to him and inquired his name.
"'My name, sir, is Stephen Lyon. I belong to an Ohio regiment. I joinedthe Army of the Center only a short time since, and this is my firstbattle. I have lost many men; my Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel wereboth killed, and I am the Major and now in command of the regiment.'
"This was my fifth son in line of birth, and sixth in the service. I amdigressing, however. Their conversation was here cut short, as Gen. Budahad ordered an advance along his line, which was the left wing of thearmy. The advance was duly made. The rebels, however, in the meantimehad been re-enforced on this part of their line. The contest, therefore,became a very stubborn one on both sides. The advance of Buda was soonchecked, and the fighting became desperate. Both armies to our rightseemed to have partially ceased their advance, seemingly to understandhow the event was being decided on this part of the line. The enemywas driven slowly to the rear for some distance. A halt then came and arally on the part of the rebels. They organized into column of regimentsand made a desperate attempt to break the center of our left. Budamassed his artillery against them, keeping it well supported, and mowedthem down with shell and canister until they lay in piles on the ground.They advanced to the assault three times with a heroism and desperationseldom witnessed in any ancient or modern battle, but each time backwere their shattered columns sent in utter confusion. Thus the battlecontinued until late in the afternoon, when both parties reorganized fora last and desperate struggle. The lines of the enemy showed all alongthe skirts of timber, leaving the open space to our right and center,and extending to Buck Lick Run. Both seemed eager to make the attack,but our forces were first in motion, and with a quick-step movement theyadvanced against the enemy. The firing opened all along the line. Firstone and then the other line staggered and swayed to and fro. The forceson both sides seemed determined to win or die on their ground. At lastWilkins crossed Hawks Run and struck the enemy in his flank, causingconsternation to seize him, and he gradually gave way, his left flankdoubling back on the main line nearer the center. At this moment Gen.Silent ordered an advance with infantry and artillery simultaneously.This was executed in good order, the firing again became general. Theroar of artillery now was almost deafening. The yell of the enemy washeard in every direction as though assaulting, but they could no longerstand against our determined forces. Steadily on the advance continued;the enemy stood, delivering his fire with deadly results, until ourarmy approached to the point where one or the other must give way.The rebels, seeing that our force was coming with a steady step anddetermination unmoved by their fire, broke in different parts of theirline, and finally the moment arrived when they could no longer stand ourdeadly aim, and their whole line gave way. They retreated through thewoods and on different roads in great disorder; our forces followed uptheir lines of retreat and kept a constant fire upon them until nightintervened, which protected them from any further disaster. This closedone of the bloody battles of the war. That night our army again sleptupon their arms. Some supplies were brought to them during the night,which stayed their hunger. The next morning the enemy was nowhere tobe seen or heard; he had made his retreat in the night, leaving manywagons, ambulances and guns. The roads being made almost impassable bythe rain of the night before, their dead and wounded were left in ourhands, save those whom they had removed to the rear the night ofthe first day's contest, when they held the ground. The battlefieldpresented a ghastly and sickening sight,--the dead, the dying, thewounded; the hospital in the rear, near the river; the parties buryingthe dead, finding Union men and rebels piled up in heaps together;the long trenches being prepared; the soldiers being wrapped in theirblankets and buried without any knowledge of who they were, or to whatcommand they belonged; the words of the dying to be taken back to theirfriends; the messages to fond wives and blessed children; the moans andshrieks of the wounded as they were carried on stretchers from wherethey had lain and suffered, some of them, for two days and nights.
"These things, when first recited to me by my son Peter, filled me withdeep sorrow and pain. O, my friends, the suffering of our poor men fortheir country was great-it was heartrending to hear of it. When thesick, wounded and dead had been cared for, of course the army could notmove again very soon,--it must have rest and reorganization. So thecamp for the present was established a little in advance of thebattle-ground. Many were furloughed for a short time and returned home.My son Peter came home on a leave, having been wounded late in theevening of the second day. His wound being in his foot, he was unfittedfor duty for some time. His Lieutenant-Colonel having been killed thatday, he was promoted to the vacancy.
"While Peter was kept in the house (where he was confined by his wound),he constantly entertained us by his recitals of all of these incidentsand movements that I have given to you in my poor way. It is a matter ofgreat interest to me to follow th
e history of men on both sides, and seewhat their good or bad fortune may have been since. Now, on our sidein this great battle, Gen. Waterberry, one of our leading generals, waskilled on the first day. Gen. Hudson went through the war creditably anddied away from home in some of the South American states. Gen. Buda soonleft the army under a cloud, and I do not know what became of him. Ithink, however, that he is dead. Wilkins went through the war with somecredit to himself, but was killed in Mexico afterwards in some of theirperiodical revolutions."
"Uncle Daniel, do you know the history of the rebel generals since thewar, who commanded in this battle of which you have been speaking?"asked Dr. Adams.
"Oh, yes! You know Sydenton Jackson was killed on the first day.Bolenbroke was in the rebel army up to its surrender, but died soonafter from dissipation, as I have been informed."
"I am curious to know what became of Dick, the darky," he said.
Uncle Daniel smiled and said: "Dick, poor fellow, has not been seensince his 'backer sticks' ran off with him, just as he said they would."
"What became of Harrington, who wanted every d---- Yankee killed likecats--bayoneted--without any quarter being shown, etc.?"
"He went to Mexico after the war closed; could not live under 'Yankee'rule. He there tried to assist in establishing an empire. Was regardedby some of the Imperialists as suited to become a Duke. When the Empirefell, and no further hope of a dukedom arose before his flatteredvanity, he came back, and is now one of the leading governmentalreformers and placed in official position by his party (how strange tosay 'reformers'. They were once known by a different name). But thingsare changing with the seasons now.
"You see, this great battle of Pittskill Landing, following so soonafter the battle of Dolinsburg, had marked influence on the country. Thepeople began to see that the question of courage did not depend so muchupon where a man was born as it did on the amount of it he had whenhe was born, and the principle for which he was contending, as well asdrill and discipline in his duty. The people in the North were beginningto learn that every hill in the South was not mined and ready to beexploded, blowing up everything that approached. After becoming coolthey would ask themselves as to where the powder could have beenprocured, etc."
"Yes," said Dr. Adams, "I remember well when it was reported, andbelieved by many, that all the hills in Virginia, near Washington, weremined, and that masked batteries were behind every bush."
"Yes, I know many would speak of those things to prove that therebellion could not be conquered, or any headway made against it.Just as though a masked battery was any more dangerous than a batteryuncovered; and without reflecting as to the quantity of guns that wouldhave been required, and the number of men supporting the batteriesat every place where they were by the vivid imagination of many whosestories were invented for the purpose of frightening the ignorant."
"The truth is that it was and is to me one of the great wonders how weever succeeded in putting down the rebellion, with nearly the entireSouth in arms, while there were but few that were not in arms who didnot sympathize fully with those who were; and in the North a strongpolitical party, as an organization, prayed and worked for the successof secession and rebellion. The only ones of the party who did notsympathize with the rebellion were a few old men who knew the benefitsof a government, those who entered the Union army, those who had friendsin the service, and those who were taught to revere the Union in earlyyouth. The remainder of that party who desired our success were butfew and far between. They are now the ones, however, who saved theGovernment, preserved the Constitution, the flag, and our honor, and aregoing to reform all abuses and make everybody prosperous and happy.The Colonel here, who lost an arm for his country, is laid aside as'worthless crockery'; and as for myself, who gave seven sons to theservice of my country, I am of no use whatever. Of course, I am veryold, but I supposed that it would be considered an honor to me tohave made so great a sacrifice. So I went out to one of the Reformers'meetings last Fall, and instead of being invited on the stand andreferred to as an old man who had given up his whole family for hiscountry's cause, I was permitted to sit on the ground and hear an oldSecessionist and rebel sympathizer extolled to the skies, with greatapplause following, and one of our best and most gallant soldiersridiculed and abused as if he had been a pirate during the war. So it isand so it goes. I am poor. So are all who spent their time in aidingour country. The mistake we made was not to have staid at home and madefortunes, and let these men, who "feathered their nests" during the war,have gone and served in the army and showed their love of country.We would now have been the patriots and the ones to be intrusted withpublic affairs.
"But why should I care? I think I should not. But it is impossible forme to lay aside my feelings on the subject of my country's welfare. Iwill go down to my grave with the feeling that those who so loved theircountry that they risked their lives for it are the safer ones to trustwith its control. I cannot see how those who did not wish the success ofour country and those who exerted every nerve to destroy it can be thebest persons in whose hands to place our vast interests.
"I may be wrong about this, however, and, therefore, will return to mystory, believing that the Lord doeth all things well.
"Peter and our family at home were sitting in the parlor. Jennie waswrapping Peter's foot in cloths and bandages, when the conversationturned on Col. David and Col. Anderson. Jennie had a letter from Davidbut a day or so before, which gave us the news of the good health ofhimself and James, the doctor. It also informed her that Henry had beenassigned to duty in the same command with himself, which made it verypleasant for them. My wife, Aunt Sarah, had received a letter from MaryAnderson a day or so before which brought the gratifying intelligencethat the Colonel was improving rapidly and would be able soon to returnto Allentown and once more enjoy for a time the quiet of our home. Hewas informed that he must not return to take the field again for somemonths. While I was at home, trying to arrange the difficulty aboutthe colonelcy of his regiment, inasmuch as his discovery and return toDolinsburg had not been officially announced, I wrote to the Presidentthe situation, telling him the whole story and calling his attention tothe reports of the battles in which the Colonel had participated,and asking that he give him recognition by promotion to aBrigadier-Generalship. With this request the President had kindlycomplied, and I had his commission in my possession, which fact I kept aprofound secret. Just then Peter said to me:
"'What can be done to arrange matters in Col. Tom's regiment? Thereis Col. Rice, who, when Tom takes command or when the facts areascertained, will be reduced in his command as Lieutenant-Colonel, and Iwill go back as Major. This I do not care for, but Col. Rice is a proudman, and will dislike this, I fear.
"'Then he will show himself an unworthy officer. He should be glad thathis Colonel is alive and yield up the command gracefully.'
"'There is no other way for him to do,' said Peter; 'that is true.'
"Old Ham was sitting off to one side with little Mary Anderson on hislap. The child had been listening to what was said about her father. Shespoke to Uncle Ham, as she, with the rest of the family, had learned tocall him, and asked:
"'When is papa coming home? Is he well? Is mamma well? How will they gethome?' and many other questions.
"Ham said, 'I doesn't know. Hopes he git heah all right.'
"The old fellow seemed rather serious, and finally he asked Aunt Sarah'If dat letta diin't say nuffln 'bout my ole woman Marfa.'
"'Oh, yes,' said my wife. 'Uncle Ham, you must pardon me; I was soengaged talking to Peter and Uncle Daniel about our sons that I reallyneglected to tell you. I will get the letter and read you what Mary saysabout your wife.'
"She took the letter from her pocket and read to Uncle Ham that Marthawas well and so kind to Col. Tom, calling him her boy and saying 'thegood Laud' had saved him for some good purpose, and sent her love to her'dear ole Ham.'
"Ham broke into a laugh and said: 'Datfs it; dat's good. I knowed shesay jes' like dat. I tell
you, Aunt Marfa, she be all right. She knowsomething I tell you she do.'
"He then entered into a disquisition on Aunt Martha to little Mary,until she seemed to feel as much interested in Aunt Martha as did UncleHam.
"While we were enjoying the rest of the evening in conversation we hearda noise coming from the children's bedroom. Jennie at once left us andproceeded to the room and found little Sarah Lyon--David's youngestchild, then four years old--very sick with a violent attack of croup. Weat once sent for a physician. He came, examined her and pronouncedher very ill. He very soon gave her relief, that proved to be onlytemporary. We watched her during the night. In the morning she had aviolent fever, and seemed to be very flighty. Everything was done forthe blessed child, but all in vain. That afternoon she passed away. Thiswas another stroke to our whole family. Jennie, her mother, was nearlyfrantic. This was the first misfortune of any sort that had happenedin David's family. We were all cast down in grief, as we loved littleSarah. She had been named for my wife, who had made the child a specialpet. Little Mary and Jennie were almost heartbroken by her death.They cried continually, and could not be pacified for several days.I telegraphed her father, but it seems my dispatch, for some unknownreason, was not delivered for three days. When it was he was almostcrazed by the unwelcome news. It was too late, however, for him to comehome. This seemed to sadden him. He was never himself any more duringhis life. Little Sarah lies in the cemetery at Allentown."
Here the old man broke down and wept bitterly for a time. When herecovered he said:
"My friends, it seems to me strange that I should weep now. My sorrowsare passed. I am only waiting here below for the reward that truedevotion must bring in the other world. There is no recompense for ithere. At least, I have only found that which comes from the affectionsof a loving family. Oh! why should my family all-all have been takenfrom me as they were? Who has had such a hard fate as mine? Yes! yes!when I come to reflect, many have. Yes! when all are gone--one ormany--that is all; we can lose no more. My country, O! my country, itwas for thee they died."