The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-26


From the Milwaukee Wisconsin, May 10
In the spring of 1861, when Fort
| Sumter had surrendered to the mob
which had surrounded it, there was a
| feryor Of excitement in Charleston, re-
lative TO raising troops to invade the
North. A company Of young men be-
! longing TO the first families in the city
had been organized, and the ladies be-
| longing TO that circle had made it their
province to raise the money necessary
to equip the company, furnish 1t with
arms, and send it to the seat Of war in
a style which should reflect credit upon
the patriotism even of the first families
of Charleston. The excitement was in
tense, and the young lady friends of the
soldiers were in fever heat ~ to
which should do the most toward aid
| ing the cause and firing the Southern
heart. A fair was held, at which the
beauty and chivalry were present, and
| from this large sum was realized
One young lady, beautiful and well
| educated girl, daughter of a New York
merchant, who had settled as a cotton
factor in Charleston, some twenty years
| before, threw her whole soul into the
work. She forgot her relations at the
North, forget that her father was there
born, forgot everything but her deep
interest in aiding the cause of the
South, and with q foolish romance
which only the excitement of the times
could explain, at the fair spoken of, Of
| fered her heart aud hand, as a prize in
the rattle, the only stipulation being
| that the person who drew them should
be ofrespectable parentage and a sol
| der. The novelty of the proposition
added great interest to the fair, and
an immense sum was realized, aided by
the rattle, she being petted child of
! Southern society, young, gifted, beautl-
| full and wealthy. The holder OF the
| prize ticket was a young man, gam
! bier and spendthriit, who had run
! through his fortune, and civil war was
an excitement just suited to his ner-
vous temperament. lie was member
of the company-the Charleston Tigers
which the ladies were fitting out, and
was a scion Of the family of Rhetts.
After it was known who the lucky
man was, his well-known propensities,
Notwithstanding his family connections,
caused every inducement to be offered
by the lady's parents to make her re-
! cede from the promise she had made.
! No. she had given her word, and her
mart of the contract should be reli-
! ciously kept With great eclu the par
! ties were married-the occasion was
the theme of much talk for few days,
and then disappeared before the sterner
realities of war.
War brings strange revolutions The
father of the young lady saw his pro
perry wasted, and he died in poverty.
! Poor now, the fol and romance which
| had once been the theme of all praise
was laughed al; but the most singular
thing of all was that the young lady
! loved the object upon whom she had
so strangely placed her heart. He had
| zone 10 Virginia with his company
! She heard of and from him regularly,
! until the summer of 1864, when all
| traces of him ceased The Tigers
| were broken up as q company Organi-
zation, and the few of them left were
scattered through other regiments.
Her ceasing to hear from the man led
the lady TO believe that he was dead,
and rs a martyr TO the cause she loved
was he mOurned. When, however, war
had ceased, and the scattering frag
ments of southern chiValry came stag.
gering back, she learned that her hus
band had been taken prisoner at Nor,
folk. and had enlisted in Company oil
United States volunteers, composed of
deserters from the Southern army, and
had with them, been sent up into Min
nesota for duty on the border.
This was q tragical termination to
her romance, but it did not quench the
love which had grown up from moth
. ing in her heart, and a few months age
I she left Charleston, selling what little
l of her iewelry was left to raise the ne
Cessary money; went to Washington
! searched through the rolls, but could
not find the name of her husband in
+ the list, and if he had ever been Their,
r il was under an assumed name. Sht
had expected this, but, laying her Cast
: before President Johnson, she was fur
nished with the necessary Instruction
( to the commanding officer of the de
r partment in which her husband Nigh
!. | be. to secure his release from service
I and she came West with the intention
of proceeding along the track tn
troops had taken, until she could OBJ
i tain some information of him.
/" Arriving in Chicago, she was fortu
nata enough to meet there man whom
, She had known in Charleston, whel
she was the belle of that city-a mai
who had deserted the rebel flag an,
Joined the Union army with her hui
7, band. From him she learned tina
/ what she had heard was tTue-tha
Il both had been mustered out on sur
d geon's certificate of disability, and ha,
come back to St Paul, after the India,
y campaign was over. Both had to
. much pride to return to their HON
now. and while he had come to Chicl
- 90. the husband had remained at s
Paul. 10 pursue his reckless course {
Gambling. under the assumed name {
b. Burke Grantley, and was either Their
u or travelling on the river. Unpleasant
AS was the intelligence, it was welcom
n to the poor woman, who at once set on
m for St Paul. While al the depot /
Chicago she had her pocket picked {
nearly all the money she had, and whe
id she arrived IN this city, on WEDNESDAY
n IL was in q destitute condition.
Yesterday morning she went to tn
Office of Mayor Tsllmadge and told tbs
at gentleman of her situation, and Of th
OF desire she felt of at once proceeding
al st. Paul, in hopes that she might theI
is find the object of her search. She sal
she was here without q friend to sppl
m 70, and, as humiliating as il was, the
n was no other course left for her. 81
Of satisfied the Mayor by letters who 81
r. was. A slip cut from the ChariestC
H. Courier gave the incident which v
fa have related above. Although in old,
wears than when she was guilty of tL
romantic act, and exhibiting eve
e. trace Of sorrow, she stdl looked beau
, G1l and her sincerity OF manner, sti
As controlled by a remnant of Souther
hauteur and pride, spoke the truth
4 her assertion. IL is needless to say tE
p she was provided with the necessaI
a means TO reach ST. Paul and we tru
she will find her husband who, if
r. has one remnant Of humanity left
al him, will take care Of and kindly tire
a. thic once proud but devoted and u
" happy vie
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