The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-10-21
A Singular Story of the Battle Of Chicka
mauga.

A gentleman who witnessed the play
of Eaoch Arden at DeBars Opera House,
relates circumstance very similar in its
details to the sad story of the cast-way
sailor. We give the statement IN his
own words:
"That play recalls to my mind cir
cumstance that happened in my o.n ex-
perience. A sergeant in my regiment
was wounded at Chickamauga, and was
reported dead. He was seen to fall in
the heat of the engagement, and our lines
being pushed back, the body was not re-
covered. until next day. When the poor
fellow was found he was so mutilated by
being trampled on by the cavalry that
his face could not be recognized. "A com
rade, however, found in his breast pocket
miniature of his wife, and sent it to her.
with an account of his death. 1t turned
out that the body was not that of Tom
c., but Sergeant of another compa-
nv. Tom, desperately wounded, fell into
the hands of the enemy, and was sent to
Andersonville, where the rebel surgeon
cut off one of his arms and one of his
legs, and, in spite of bad fare, he recover
cd in due time. L never knew why they
kept Tom 30 long in prison, except it was
for the purpose Of exchanging him for a
sound man.
"When poor Tom returned to his home
in Pennsylvania he was a mere wreck of
his former self, and nobody IN the village
knew him. His wife had removed to llli-
nois with her parents, more than year
previously. Without making himself
known to any of his old acquaintance in
the village, Tom started for Illinois to
hunt for his wife. When he arrived in
the neighborhood where she was living,
he learned that sue was married to an
old friend of his, who had followed her
from Pennsylvania. His first impulse
was to make himself known to her, and
claim her as his own but when he saw
the snug cabin in which she was living,
and heard how kindly she was treated by
her husband, he changed his mind. Sup
pose 90 and claim hor,' he said to him
self, 'how can support her, with only
one arm and one leg, and body weaken
ed by months of suffering at Anderson
Vile? No; she is happy and contented,
and thinks me dead, and | Will not de-
stroy happiness and become q burden to
her.
"Tom acted upon this resolution, and
worked his way to New York, where he
set up o small business as o curb.stone
merchant, selling nuts, and cakes, and
soda water, and getting along prosperous
ly. He soon made money enough to buy
him an artificial leg, and after while he
got patent arm made, and to see him
walking along the street, you would not
suppose that he was but little more than
half man. He was good business man,
and in the course of q year enlarged his
stock in trade and opened u regular re-
tail grocery. He made money fast, and
became prosperous merchant, respected
by all who knew him.
"In his prosperity, he never forgot his
wife, and always cherished a hope that
she would be restored to him. lie was
regular subscriber to the village paper
published at the town near which his wife
lived, and read it with great interest.
One day he saw in this paper the an
nouncement Of the death of the man who
had married his wife. He lost no time in
starting for Illinois He found his wife
in deep mourning for Der late husband,
and she had added another infantilc link
to the family circle. Tom made himself
known to her, and was rejoiced to find
that she still loved him as fondly as ever.
1t was some time before he could convince
her that he was not q ghost returned from
the other world. In order to make things
sure, the parson was called in, and Tom
and his wife were married over again.
They went to New York, where they are
still living, as happy couple as you will
find in Gotham. They live in brown
stone front, and the family, when [ saw
them, were preparing to add another lit
tie link to its circle. Of course, they do
not tell everybody about their family mat
ters, but you can rely upon this story as
strictly true The ending is rather bet.
fer than that of Enoch Arden, and |
think Adams would do good thing if he
would depart from the version OF Tenny.
son, in the last act get Philip Ray ground
up in his own Enthusiastically, of course
make poor Enoch step in ard enjoy the
Wl1o ana Lne lOrIuuc iclO Ooiiihu.
"What about the picture of Toms wife,
found in the pocket OF the dead soldier?
"Oh, 1 forgot about that. Tom says
when he was wounded and left upon the
field straggler camo along, and he
stopped him. Supposing he wonld bleed
to death, he gavo the picture to the strag'
gler, with message for his wife. Tho
rebel cavalry made g charge soon after,
and killed the stragglor, with the picture
of Toms wife in his bosom, and carried
Tom off to Andersonvillc. That accounts
for the picture being foand and causing
everybody to believe that Tom was Kill
ed.n-St. Louis Republican.
The Norfolk (Va.) Old Dominion has
the following: Southern ladies do not
|