Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-11-21
Incident of Army Life.


During the spring of1se5 was on de-
tail at Gen. Ord's headquarters, and fire.
qnently carried dispatches to Gen. Grant.
lie Knew me as one of Gen. Ord's order
lies. When the latter was transferred
from the north to the south side of the
James River, and operated with General
Sheridan i'll the rout and capture of Lees
army. | was often compelled to ride
through the greater part of our own
troops before could find Grant and de-
liver my dispatches. ,..,. ,.-..--. ,.-
One morning in April l received some
captured letters and orders, and some
copies of reports of scouts and rebel de-
serters, and was directed to find Gen.
Grant and deliver them to him. After
riding several hours, l found him between
our lines during one of the front and rear
attacks which the enemy had made upon
our left, and near the Dinwiddie Court
House. This rear attack produced not
little confusion in our troops. Here and
there was hurrying to and fro, riding in
hot haste, giving and changing orders,
taking new positions, or changing front.
As yet the firing was desultory; few
had been killed, and several wounded.
Gen. Grant, accompanied with one staff
officer and an orderly or two, was assist
ing the division and brigade commanders
Ill the suitable disposition Of their forces,
he having come upon that part of our
line soon after these simultaneous attacks
were made. ....5.-- -.....
While engaged in these arrangements,
three soldiers passed near the General,
carrying a dead man, wrapped in blan-
ket, from the skirmish line. Grant rode.
up to them, and ordering them TO stop,
said: "Whom have you there ?''
One of them replied eve have the
body of our captain. We are taking it
to the rear. He was just now killed on
the skirmish line" They were young
men, rather tail and fine looking, and
appeared from eighteen TO twenty-four
years OF age.
"You remember, my brave boys" says
the General, 'that the first duty of sol
dier in the hour of battle, is to secure the
victory that acquired, there will be suf
ficient time to care for tie wounded, col
lect the captured property, and bury the
dead" ...
"We know that, General" said the
oldest, glancing at the stars of the Lieu
tenant-General "but he was our father,
too. When we all set ont for the war
we all promised our mother and sister
that whoever should die, the survivors
would send home to be buried on the
banks of the Kalamazoo"
alt can make but little difference to
your brave father where his body lies"
said Grant, 'while the more than Spartan
patriotism and selt-denial of you mother
and sister will not permit yOu to leave
the post of duty at an honr like this.
They nodded assent but were toe deep
ly affected to reply. They laid the body
of their father at the roots of pine tree
which stood near by, and halt run
ming, half walking, returned to
their regiment. Tears glistened in
the eyes of the commanding general
as he remarked their earnest though sor-
rowful resignation, and he often turned
to catch a glimpse of them as they sank
in the little valleys and rose on the hills
hurrying back.
Within less than two hours the battle
for the day was won. The three broth
ers came out unhurt; the body of their
father was embaImed at City Point, and
sent to ParmA, Michigan.
A little more than month afterward,
when that part of the army passed thro'
Richmond, the two youngest brothers
were the junior officers in their fathers
company and the elder was the adjutant
of their regiment.