The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-03-04
For the BULLETIN
Our Confederate Orphans
AN INTERESTING LETTER.

letter written by most worthy LADY to a
little nephew of mine. The lady is in charge
of the Asylum. Let US devoutly pray that
the reading of it may stir the very depths
of many hearts, as it has those of my fam-
lily, and cause an abundance of aid to be
forwarded to the home prepared for the
helpless ones left by our dead heroes.
Any sums of money will be received and
forwarded by Mrs. Jno II. Polk, at the firm
of Messrs. Bills L Hills.
CLARKsvILLE, Dec. 80.
My dear little Friend:
have just received letter from dear
Miss W, of Nashville the friend of
your mama, informing me that you had sent
her eighty FIVE cents, the entire contents of
your Savings Bank since last aGtumn, for
the Confederate Orphans. What a dear,
sweet, good boy you must be. I would
love to see and know such selEdenying
little fellow. Surely the good and beauti-
ful angels must have made you strong to
resist mptatiOn-whispered to you in
your dreams to remember the Orphan
to think OF, help, and care for these desc
sCme of those dreadful battles of the cruel
war, or sickened and died in some loath-
some prison.
Little boys and girls, generally, love to
hear stories. Let me tell you about two
sweet little twin girls we have in the Asy-
wintry day, their father, stout, brave
young man, went to Carthage, Tenn, to
hear the war news. Late that night he re-
turned to his home, little cabin in the
wild, mountainous portion of Smith county.
Pretty soon he said, wife, am going to
leave yOu-there's no getting around it.
The enemy are at Bowling Green preparing
to attack Donaldson. General Johnston
needs every man, and must GO" She fell
almost fainting ut his feet. ooh, my hus-
band, my husband don't leave me, don't
leave me" she cried. "Here am alone in
these wild woods with no friends, mo money,
these two little babes not two months old,
to take care Of" "Oh," said he, "wife, you
would not have me drafted, would you?
Let me 60, and trust to my coming back
before long. We will whip the enemy, then
my State will remember and honor my ser.
vices, and all will be we'll" "But, husband,
suppose you do not returnl Obi those
dreadful battles-what then2 If 1 should
get sick, what would become of our precious
babes ?" "Oh, never fear I IlCiI Leare them
to God and my Country they will not let
them suffer" In few days, with his gray
jacket and knspsack on his back, he kissed
wife and babes a hurried farewell and was
gone. Alas for them it was last farewell
Never more was he to cross the threshold of
his humble home. He fought bravely for
several years, but at last fell in defence of
his State. The poor mother was often sx-
posed to cruel hardshIps, and during the
winter of '64 fell sick with lung disease and
finally became its victim She had heard,
however, of the Confederate Orphans
| Home, at Clarksville, and when dying she
called kind neighbor to her bedside, and
begged him to take her two little girls, Net
tie and Lettie, and bring them here and ask
the ladies to take care of them for the sake
of their soldier father, who was filling some
lonely Georgia grave. This duty we are
trying to discharge, but would sadly fail
were it not for the generous people who hear
and respond to cur appeals. These little
girls often show me the picture of their
father, and lock of their mothers hair;
that is all they have in this world-no
father, no mother, no. sister, no brother
SO God and the angels must care for the
Orphans.
would like to tell you of our little lame,
girl who has not friend in the world, and
our little dumb boy, who had been SO long
neglected that he was almost wild, and cries
now whenever stranger approaches him,
but fear will tire you with my long talk
about the Orphans. If have, beg your
pardon, and hope you viii think of these
poor children, and never regret in your
Whele life that you listened to the Angels
whisper. Mrs. A.G.M.
This is enough Tired Of hearing her ?
Regret his actIon2 My life for it, if the
:, child to whom the above was written should
live to be a hundred years old, his ears will
!, ever retain the sound Of her tale, and his
! heart grow warm at the recollection of his
own action. Let our people fail not to
/. Remember the Orphan, and give heed to
! the angels whisper" If a little bow
] kindly gift, small in amount but precious
= in the sight of God as the widows mite
\ could call forth snch touching letter. how
! much pleasure we could derive from being
D the cause of having many more such writ
4 ten. +&#P
, The Printers LlGany.
} From want of gold, from wives that seold
| froTo rnoidans old h.