The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-02-08
A sad ssory.

a sad story.
The following touching relation is extracted
from private letter Of Lieut.. Col. Joseph r.
aawley. 7th Connecticut, dated Tybee Island,
Dec. 29th. silssl =
"Poor Dolphl Do you know the Dolph. tina,
live near you: Well their son, who belongs to
20. D, got news that his wife, two children
and sister had all died Of diptheria. How he
cried! Poor fellow We comforted him all
we could. Ispoke pleasantly to him when we
met, and hoped he was getting along well.
believe he heard the other day that hismother
was sick, too Somebody came to the supper.
table last night, and called for the doctor to see
q crazy man, soon after a man said that Dolph
wanted to see me. / went to his tent. There were
half dozen of his comrades there. One dim
candle, stuck in bottle, showed me the rifles
stacked around the center-pole, the cartridge.
boxes, bayonets and knapsacks. The ground
was covered with splendid long moss they had
pulled from theiliv oaks. Dolph sat squat on
the ground, his face and hands very dirty, his
fingers constantly picking something, his body
moving, his head turning wildly from one side
to the other, his eyes dreadfully swelled With
weeping. Halo, Dolph, how are your And
he peered up toward my face. Col Hawley, :
said somebody. YES, said he, that is Col.
Hawley,' and he took my hand with a tight
grip. Col. Hawley, look at my baby, poor,
sick baby He had little pile of moss, and
on it lay his cartridge bon, carefully covered,
all but one edge, with his blanket That was
his baby! And he turned the blanket down as
tenderly Is if the cartridge-box were delicate
little baby. eoa
He spoke brokenly and at intervals, and
with quick but mournful voice,-tPoor baby
both babies sick-sister sick land he pointed
to where he supposed they lay)-poor baby
very sick. Give baby some water, And he
leaned on one elbow and affectionately held a
leaf up to the cartridge-box, rs if baby would
drink. He seemed to consider himself in his
own home, and the family sick but living, but
then he would say: Won't let me go home
no-no-no,-(waiting a few seconds)--
won't let me 60 home, his hands constantly
fdgeting over something. Then he considered
them all dead and he by their graves. Sister,
and laid his hand down on one side; .baby,'
hands down again to mark each grave; baby
-wife-mother. Oh, yes, mother Is dead won't
let me 60 home kept his hand ten minutes,
and sat down with him, and put my hand on
his shoulder, and tried to compel him to listen.
told him his babies were happy and his moth
er was not dead lis shss) and II he would be
good boy, and sleep, and get we'll, he should
60 home. Mothers here and she says she didn't
get that money. You didn't send it to her.
%, yes, ! did, Dolph; here's the receipt of the
express company You told me to send it to
your wife right there at Col. F. -----'s, you
know. She has got it before this time.' well,
poor baby, and he put trees over their graves,
etc. had to work some time to get him to
take some medicine-aD opiste--but il had lit
tie effect. I've built six FORTS said he, and
mounted six cannon. I'm going to take down
that fort to .morrow-that one over thsre-Pu-
laski, / mean Four men were going to watch
(ths tears came into all our eyes, sometimes,
think and told them to move out the rifles
and bayone.s. He caught them at it, and
shouted, let my rife alone! Give me my rifle
And ! lot him take it, seeing that it was not
loaded, and he went furiously to work cleaning
It. Finally he passed it to me to inspect, and
slipped it away. ig .75sa zisi4
II think it is the most effecting case Of in
sanity ever saw. could not make him be.
lieve that We should send him home, but We
shall. don't know whether to have you tell
his friends or not. The men take as good care
Of him as they can. He has slept but an hour
out Of the ty-four. and is as ceaselessly
active - canary birdhopping about his cage.
He sent for me again to-day, but he cannot con-
6ns his attention to anything. Poor baby 10
his principal remark, and he still tends his car
fridge bog, "a soldiers life is always gay
the song says. A sad story; isn't i'll Cali again
on Dolph's mother. Tell her he will be we'll
treated. We hope his insanity is caused partly
by fever, and, il we can get him quietly sick
with that, perhaps he will come out all right
II not, I'll see that he goes straight to the In.
sane Retreat ct Hartford, and with him money
enough to keep him awhile s,l
sit was his comrades and friends aWho con-