The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-01-12

venerable forms carried one back to tn
time of the Pilgrim Fathers, with bar
rel and few primitive cooking utensils
completed the stock Of earthly good:
within this cheerless dwelling. One
small window Of four panes of glass
emitted feeble, gloomy light, too weal
to penetrate to all the corners of the
room. The rough -hewn logs were ce
mented with clay, or, more properly
speaking, Virginia mud, and the inter
ior was whitewashed.
found the tears coursing down the
cheeks of eight orphans, two boys and
six girls, ranging in age from five to
twenty-five years. The three youngest
were barefooted, and the eldest girl in
formed me that they had never worn
any shoes. After l had quieted their
fears as much as possible, Brig. Gen. w.
D. Terry, commanding Sd division 9th
Corps, came in, and upon beholdipg
their destitute condition, he very hu-
namely ordered Capt. Davis, his efficient
provost marshal, 10 place strong guard
around the house, and not allow rail or
any portion Of the property to be dis
turbed. He generously detailed sever
al men to chop quantity of wood for
the use of the family, and our soldiers
volunteered to do it freely, when they
learned of the deplorable situation Of the
family. While sitting there before the
log fire, which burned brightly on the
open hearth, casting its wierd like shad-
ows on the wall, we ventured to ask
some questions, as usual with Yankees,
whose inquisitive bump is acknowledged
to be considerably larger than the rest of
the human family.
Not book or newspaper could be
seen, and upon inquiry we learned that
not one of the family could read or write.
We asked them how they managed to
occupy their time, and were told IN spin
ming and sewing Not one of the fami
ly knew what we meant by the Ameri
can flag, and not till pulled from my
pocket small illuminated almanac
adorned with the Stars and Stripes, had
they ever beheld the emblem of their
country. The eldest boy of fifteen, who
performed all the hard labor of the small
farm of thirty acres, had never seen To-
comotive, and did not know what lem
on was. When asked il they ever heard
offs God, they replied they had-but
none could tell where He was Meat
they had not tasted OF any kind for two
months. Tea, coffee, butter, rice, SUI
gar, and molasses, they had not tasted
for over two years. George Washing
ton they never heard oil until we inform
ed them. AS the family huddled togeth-
er in one corner of the room gazing at
the strange and warlike group around
them. while the artillery hoarsely boom
ed. and the musketry along our picket
line ratified, it was a iableaux whose dis
NAL shades tinted the steeled hearts pres
ent with compassion and deep pity.
More than one '' Yankee" eye glistened
with the moisture of the briny tear,
which unnoticed stole slowly down from
the windows of the soul. A tomblike
silence prevailed for moment or two,
broken only by the sobs of the terrified
children and the peal of the enemy's
cannon.
The mother had been dead two years,
and the father had been conscripted into
the rebel army. where disease overlook
him and laid him in his grave. The
next morning at daylight we broke camp
and resumed our march. Before leaving,
Gen. Terry and Capt. Tilley. Quarter
mrster of his division, gave the family
500 in payment for few split rails
which our troops had burned.