The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-07-28

Before separating, we all knelt upon til
snow, and Joined with our whole heart
in fervent prayer, offe red by one Of tn
party. There were sad scenes at parting
: for several of the forl orn hope were leav
ing wives and children; but none affected
me so much as one noble young fellow
who was leaving his mother. He would
have remained with her, but she insisted
on his going, and with many tears and
embraces, they parted. Ills last words
were " Mother if God spares nv life, I'll
save you'll"
I need not give a detailed account oil
our Journey indeed was so worn down
with fatigue and hunger, that was at
times almost unconscious, and reeled
along instinctively. Our progress was
very slow; fearfully slow when we re-
membered that the lives of our friends
behind depended on orr soon bringing
help. That thought kept us up, and we
toiled on. The aveiling became some
what easier, but our strength was failing
i fast. We frequently fell and lay for
some time insensible, then rose, and
struggled on little further. AT last,
on the evening of the third day, as we
were staggering along, our guide in front,
his keen eye espied something which he
thought looked like the fort. Cheered
by the hope, we quickened our pace
when the object became palmer, and our
guide exclaimed "We're saved, boys
that is the fort see the fag!" No one
/, who has not been in the same situation,
: can realize our emotions there were hard
rough men among us, but think there
was not one there, whose heart did not
: utter thanksgiving to Him who. had
v sustained US through all our sufferings
' We hurried forward as fast as our feeble
limbs would Carry us, and soon we coulc
: plainly see rude stockade, surrounding
s log cabins. AS we approached, we coulC
see officers and soldiers accommodating
US. A few moments more, and we wer,
: IN the stockade, surrounded by an cage
q crowd, anxious to hear our story But i
It was some time before we coulG tell i
r coherently the reaction of feeling, work
ing upon our feeble frames, was to,
= much for us, and we were completely I'm
e manned. We were hurried into tn
e quarters, and stlmulants being furnished
. we were soon able to give an intelligibl,
: account of our condition. 1t was Listened
= to with breathless attention, and say
n tears trickle down the swarthy and beard
- ed face of more than one hardy soldier
: The Captain who was in command callet
% for volunteers, to 20 for those whom w
e had left. Every man Immediately stepped
: forward, and offered himself. Twe:v
: were selected, and they immediatel
J began to prepare food, and other neces
a saries. All hands, officers and private
d We'd with each other in making us con
: Portable.
At daylight the relief party started
y with several stout mules to carry til
II women and children. The young ma
d whose mother had been left went wit
h them as guide. There were others anon
us stronger than he. but he would NJ
- rest while his mother was suffering, pc
haps dying. The men and animals beln
d fresh, and the path partly broken by u
= the rescue party were enabled to traver;
- in one day the distance it had taken l
three to get over, and little after suns
they had the pleasure of finding OF
- party all alive, though terribly reduce
W by cold and hunger. give the Major
re account of the rescue.
70 "After you left us we were unable
make any progress at all: two or thrt
&c made an attemp; to do so, but had n,
it. gone mole than few rods, when The
rs, fell insensible, and it was some tin
- before they could crawl back to u
= You know that OR food was exhauste
ne before we separated, and for some tin
to we had had barely enough to sustain Lii
no As last resource, we took to chewir
. our belts, or other articles of leather v
= had, and in this way we passed the day
ly lying listlessly about the fire, waitir
our DEATH Hunger almost drove
:. frantic and / began to fear that '
~ might, in our madness for food, be driv,
re, to that last awful resource, cannabalisn
re I shuddered at the looks men, aye, al
!; women too, cast upon one another; th
= wild, guilty look, With an instincti
eh twitching of the jaws-I could que
re what it meant, from my own feeling
in O God it was horrible! How the tir
70 passed hardly knew; but pass som
how it did. As is usually tie case ct su,
he times, our minds were continually haur
,ir ed by visions of food could rememb
no distinctly various good dinners I hs
q eaten, and would regret that had n
eaten more. Then / would amuse myse
us by imagining splendid feast, and q
in ranging the most rare and costly dishe
- Strange as it may seem, actually fe
Us somewhat relieved by these imaginai
en feasts. 81
l~ 1
ng 1--WE had very little, I might say ,