The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-14
rhs Tender Mcrcles or secession.
srtrac'o ,No1 Cor sly uno,)

SPIN E''l0 lM'l 'or y. I limca1
The tender morcies OF secession are
cruel. ! have just heard the sad story Of
a widow who has buried two sons and a
daughter since the outbreak Of rebellion.
Her three children all fell by the hand
Of violence.
She lived in the White River country
a land Of hills and Of ignorance. In
that country, she and her family stood
almost alone upon the side Of the National
Union. Her neighbors were advocates
of rebellion, even before the arrival Of
our army in Springfield, all loyal citizens
were warned that they must leave their
homes or die. II was little that the poor
widow had to leave-A miserable log
cabin and a small patch of hill side
but, such as il was, she was preparing
to abandon il, when her son Harvey left
her, in search Of employment. She pack
ed his bundle with q heavy heart, took a
silk handkerchief from her neck, gave il
10 him, and kissed him goodbye, never
expecting to see him again.
lie had not gone many days when her
persecution began. Her little boy was
one evening bringing in wood for the fire,
when a shot was heard-a bullet struck
the log under his arm, and he dropped IL
with a scream. The ball had just missed
his heart. JOY at his escape from death
was henceforth mingled with gloomy APP
prehensiOn.
Next, she heard Of the death Of Har-
yey. He had found a home, and fancy
ing himself secure, was alone at work in
the field. The family with whom he
lived were absent. When they returned
at noon, they found his dead body in
the house, pierced by a bullet. His torn
cap and other signs witnessed to the Sc
verify Of his struggle, before he yielded
TO his murderer.
From this time, the family Of Mrs.
Willis lived in constant fear. One day,
a gun was fred at them as they sat at
dinner. Often they saw men prOwling
about with guns, looking for the young
men. One man was bold enough TO come
into the cabin in search of them. At
night they all hid in the woods and
slept. The poor woman was n day
gathering corn in the garden, and Will
liam was sitting upon the fence.
"Don't sit there; William" said his
mother, you are too fair a mark for a
shot"
William wentto the door and sat up
on the step.
William said his sister, "you are
not safe there. Come into the house,
lie obcyed. lie was sitting between
two beds, when suddenly another shot
rang upon the air, aud the widows sec
ond son, Samuel, whom she had not no
ticed sitting by another door, rose TO his
feet. staggered a few steps toward his
mother and fell a corpse before her.
81 never wished any one in torment
BEFORE she said "but did wish the
man that killed him was there
Her three oldest sons at once lett the
cabin. and He'd over the hills. They are
all in the National army to-day. Sam
uel's sister washed the cold clay, and
dressed it for the grave. After two days
the secession neighbors came to bury
him. At first the frantic mother refused
TO let them touch his body. Az last she
consented. The clods were falling upon
the coffin. each sound awakening an echo
in her aching heart, when awhippoorwill
huttcrcd down, with its wild, melancholy
cry, and settled in the open grave. The
note so terrified the consciencc-stricken
supcrs,itious wretches, that for a moment
they fed dismay;
Two Of her children were now in the
tomb. Three had'escaped for their lives.
The unhappy woman was left with her
two daughters and three small children,
HELPLESS aud alone. She was obliged TO
90 thirty miles upon horseback to the
mill for food, and aGterwaTd to return on
foot, leading her horse by the bride, with
the sack of meal upon his back. On her
return she met her children, about a mile
and a half from her own house. In her
neighbours yard, her two boys, aged ten
and twelve years, were digging another
gravc-thc grave Of an old man, murder
cdin her absence, for the crime of loyalty
to the Union. Together with a white
headed patriot, who tottered with age,
they placed the corpse upon a board,
| rolled it, un~prepared for burial and I'M
| coGined, into the shallow pit, and then
covered il with earth. Such are the trials
| of loyal citizens in the Border Slave
States, and wherever rebellion has been
in power.
The widow now escaped for refuge to
this city. And here, to crown her sor-
rows, in the absence of her three oldest
remaining sous, a drunken soldier of the
Fifth Kansas Regiment shot her daughter
Mary, as she was standing in the door
of her house. Is il any wonder that this
woman's hair is gray, her forehead full
Of wrinkles, or that she should say, with
tremulous tones, 81 feel that | shall not
live long. The only thing which sustains
me ia the love Of Christ