The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-09-13

gcs"
90! Now you've stopped the bleeding,
sha'n't die. / 'front.' die,--it would kill
| mother If did
And 80, you see, the Southern lad, even
then, thought Of his mother and 30 do all
brave boys, whether well or wounded They
think of her first, and of her last for no
other hand is SO gentle, no other voice is 50
tender, no other heart 50 true and faithful az
hers. No boy ever grew to be n great and
good man, who did not love and reverence
his mother. Even the Savior Of the world,
when he hung upon the cross, thought of his,
and said to John, Behold thy mother!'
With so many needing help, Robert could
do little more for the Southern youth. He
saw him covered warmly with blanket, and
heard him say. whether | get well or not,
| shall never forget you" Then he left him,
not to see him again till long afterwards.
The surgeon was kindheartcd man, and
told Robert he should not go again upon the
battle-ground so he went about among the
wounded in the hospital tending them, writ
ing last words to the loved ones ut home, or
reading to them from the blessed Book which
God has given to be the guide Of the living
and the comfort of the dying.
SO the day wore away, until the red tide
Of battle surged again around the old mill at
the crossroads. The Rebels came on in
overpowering force and drove our men, as
! autumn leaves are driven before the whirl-
| wind. Numbers went down at every yolley !;
| and right there not hundred yards away,
u tall stalwart man fell, MORALLY wounded
A Rebel bullet had entered his side, and as
the fallen man pressed his hand upon it, u
dog which was with him began to lap the
wound, rs if he thought he could thus stay
the crimson stream on which his MASTER
soul was going TO its Maker.
Robert saw the man fall, and the dog
standing by amid the leaden storm which
was pouring in torrents all around them.
Admiring the bravery Of the dog, he stepped
out from behind the tree where he had stood
out Of range Of the bullets, and went to the
wounded man. Gently lifting his head, he
said to him, ''Can do anything for your
Eyes y gasped the man. ''Tell them that
| died-lke man-for my country"
''ls that all? Nothing more!" asked
Robert quickly, for he saw the soldier was
sinking rapidly.
The dying man turned his eyes to the little
boys face. clasped his arm tightly about the
neck Of his dog, made one or tive efforts to
speak, and then, murmuring family, 'Take
care of-Ponto!' passed upward to that
world where there are no wars and no fight
inEs.
The battle by this time had surged away
40 the northward, and small party Of cav
airy men had halted before the doorway of
the hospital Robert had closed the eyes of
the fallen soldier, and was Strengthening his
limbs upon the blood-dampcned ground,
when one OF the horsemen called out to him:
- What tny little fellow what arc you do
ing out here, SO far away from your MOTHER"
Robert looked up, and, amid the group of
sshcers, saw tall, broad shouldcred grave
docking man, with handsome, regular feat
.urcs, and hair and beard strcaked with gray,
Arit almost rs white as cotton. He wore a
high felt hat, m old gray coat, and blue
trousers tucked into high-top boots; and
rode a large, handsome horse, whose skin
was as soft and glossy ~ u leopard's. lie
carried no arms, hut the three dingy stars
on his collar showed thai he held high rank
among the Rebels. All this Robert had time
to observe, as he very deliberately answered:
II came out here, sir, to help fight the
wicked men who are trying 10 destroy their
country
The officers placid face flushed with an
ger; and, turning to an aid, he said, in a
harsh, grating tone: take that boy to the
rear. Send him to Libby with the other
prisoners.
Robert did not then know that this was
the famous General Lee.-the man who
neither smokes. drinks, nor chcws tobacco;
who has, in short, none of the smaller vices.
hut all of the larger ones; for he deliberate
ly. bascly, and under circumstances of I'M
parallelcd meanness, betrayed his country,
and, long after all hope of success was lost,
carried on a murderous war against his own
race and kindred.
Il was nearly sunset before Robert was
sent off to the rear. and meanwhile narrow
trench was scooped i'll the ground. and the
dead soldier was placed in it. Robert set
small stake at the head of the grave, and it
stands there still; but no one knows who
rests below. and no one will know till the
morning of the resurrection; and yet II may
be that even now, in some far away Northern
home, hearts are heavy, and eyes are red,
with waiting and weeping for the father and
the husband who never again will return to
his loved among the living.
Early on the following day, with about
three hundred poor fellows, one half of whom
were wounded. Robert was marched off to
Richmond The soldiers dog. when he saw
his master laid away in the ground, howled
and took on piteously, but soon afterwards
grew friendly with Robert, and the two made
all the weary journey together.
1t was in truth weary journey, and
cannot find il in my heart to tell you about it,
for do not want to make you sad; and it
would draw tears from the hearts Of stone TO
to know all that the poor boy endured. 1t
seemed more than human nature could bear, .
and yet il was only what thousands Of our
tired. tootsore, wounded, and starving men
have suffered on their long, dusty, and mud
dy march to the Richmond Bastile. Time
and again the little boy would have fallen by
tho way had not the poor dumb dog sustain
ed him. They shared their meagre crust to-
gethcr and often when Roberts spirits
dropped on the march, Ponto would gambol
about him, and make him cheerful in spite
OF himself; and often, too, when he lay
down to sleep on the damp ground. the dog
would stretch his huge paws across his
breast, and cover him, rs well as he could
from the cold mir, and the unhealthy night
dew
At sunset, on the fourteenth day Of May,
haggard faces and Mncombed hair, was set
down from the cars Of the Virginia Central
Railroad, and marched into the city of Rich
mond. Down the long, grass-grown streets
they were hurried with clouded faces and
heavy hearts; but when at last the cold.
brown walls Of the Libby rose before them
darkly outlined on the gray sky, they almost
shouted for joy,-for joy that their toilsome
journey was over, though it ended in prison,
If they had known of the many weary months
Of cold and hunger and misery which some
Of them were to pass there, would they not