The Richmond palladium., 1869-06-29
A SAD STORY.
) A U.s..-n.s,e Soldier and His Dead Wit

"A AcoYreepondent Of the Boston 'rrav-
eller, writing from Vicksburg, met Z
strange character wandering over The
old battle, zelda. The writer tells the
story as follow: We told him that We
were anxious to see where the Federal
lines were located, as we were from
Massachus6tts- stsses
,.Oh, yes. from Massachusetts" said
he strengthening up. II have been in
Massachusetts,, and was born inVermont.
Then, after . pause, he clenched his
hand; and said sadly, II wish ! was vas dead e
"Why so7r said we, feeling pity for
such wretched creature as he appeared
to be.
''If you are going out towards the
bayou, will show you," said he, 1aad-
ing the way. We began to think the
man insane, and after following him
nearly mile, we halted, and asked how
arhe intended to go. He stated that we
were almost there, and so we kept on
He soon turned off from the main road
into an open field, surrounded by a
growth OF fyonng timber and after pass
ing the barren spot which appeared to
have been Ct some time tho site of a
building,he suddenly stopped, and point
ing to bunch of rose trees, said, in q
low tone s.There /! In that grave lies
the, reason Why ! wish was dead. She
was my wife, sir. rrg.,g,-es
<'sHow long has she been dead7" asked
we, sympsthetically as we could.
well, seeing you have taken interest
enough in me to come along SO far, I'll
tell you the whole story" said he, tax
ing out his knife to trim the rose bush.
HIS sro1x. -sls'at s 'ss'7a'
"She was twenty nine years old, sir
and she was "a Southern lady, too ]
came down here long before the war,
and had a nice bit of land here. l fell
in with thisslady at the city up river,
and we were married in 1862 kept
out of the wsrsas long as could, because
Ididn't like Aghting anyhow, as was
happy at home, and because felt more
like lighting, if / fought at all 4, among
my native sVermonters. adI hated the
Confederacy, and said SO, and it got
them down on me. So one day COM
pany Of infantry camc along and said
they would shoot me on my own thres
hold III didn't enlist at once in the Con-
federate ARMY lived right then, where
you see the weeds. couldn't get away
from them; and finally, with gun at
my breast, said would enlist, and
went off leaving my wife crying at the
door. I can see just how she stood
with her handkerchief up to her face,
this way, and left her O. waving like this.
But no use; had to enlist with the
Missourians, and so did, with the
mental reseservations that would run
away the first opportunity. But didn't
get any chance, Tor they watched me as
a bloodhound does q nigger. Finally,
when Grants army came down here, our
brigade was sent out to kind ~o'hold
them in check. / hadn't been home
since went away, and my wife wrote
me trying to cheer me up.
zssThe second day we moved up in
plain sight Of my house, our lines being
along where that fence issy onder. Then
the Yankees, they come ont of the woods
over there, and began firing. wondered
what had become of my2wife, FOR the
bullets from both sides began to knock
the shingles off the ho1se. One. side
there, where you see the cellar like!
Well, that,4 where she went to get away
from the shot, che and her waitergirl.
Allnight I stood out there by that tree,
Wishing might go aud see my wife.
But she didn' know that I was there at
ALL But determined to desert to the
Union lines the next night. So Iarran
gedsit to be on picket, and 1 was. sent
out there IN the corner Of the field. just
as it was coming dark, I lay down on
the ground, So that the other pickets
might not see me, and crawled along
slowly toward the house, and when
got within few rods dumped and ran
for the house. m - |
"When I came round the corner q
picket discovered what / was at and
fred at me and the bullet went over my |
head. Iscreamed. MARY, Mary and
she knew my voice, and said, % dear,
dear George, let's hurry away from
here,' and 0pend her arms to put them |
around my neck and kiss me but some |
Of the Union pickets thinking there was
anadvancedn the direction Of my house, |
opened Are just then-and-and-shot
my wife theouGh tire heart and she fell
before she had Kissed me or / her
The bullet that killed her went through |
my arm right there. 1 took her up and |
ran for the Union lines, shouting Tam
q desertre,' and they finally let me in, |
but my wife was dead. The batteries
over there, hearing the mlss about the |
house, began shelling it,and set it on fire,
and how the maid got out Of the house
I don't see. but I came back here |
when the Union lines advanced, and |
buried her next day, an Illinois chaplain |
saying tke,-prayers. And that's just
why Wish was dead. can't do any
thing, nor think Of anything but her
Oh, she was such a good wife" D |
Here he paused and wiped his eyes
with his sleeve, and went on trimming |
the rose bush. So sad tale and SO real, |
being in the very place wkere it hapen |
ed, brought tears to our eyes in spite of |
us. We could not find it in our hearts |
to disturb him with more questions after |
finding out his name, and SO left him to |
pursue onr search in the fields beyond |
As we were getting over the fence at |
the outskirts Of the plantation, we look |
ed back and saw him still bending over |
the bunch Of rose trees. After travel |