The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-10-18
A ROMANCE OF THE WAR.

Everybody at all familiar with the MS
tory of the lato war remembers the siege
and final capture and pillage of Corinth,
Mississippi. The military maneuyer-
ings of Generals Grant, Beauregard and
others have probably been written in de-
tail hundreds OF tines. The flight of the
inhabitants of the burning city, the scat
tering of women and children, and the
destruction of homes and firesides, have
all become matters of. history, and are
familiar to every child in the.land. One
incident of that terrible day of fright and
alarm, however, has never been chroni-
cled by any of the many historians OF the
war.
The town was in flames, the alarm bells
were ringing, and people in hot haste
hurrying to and fro, maidens with dis
heveled hair and streaming eyes hurry
ing faster and faster as the muskets of
the advancing foe ratified, and the roar
OF the cannon could be heard in the dis
tance. Mothers, with their children
caught up in their arms, flying with the
rout, Fastening they knew not where.
The great mass, spurred by instinct
more than reason, took the only safe
road from the ruins, fleeing along the
railroad track leading from the southern
part of the city,. taking refuge in the
| fields and woods along the route. In less
time than it takes to tell the story the
town was deserted, and out OF the thou
sands who but few moments before had
thronged its streets but one soul re-
NAMED, and that a little child, boy,
who had been left in the hurry and con-
fusion of the flight. The flames OF the
burning buildings cracked and roared
about his ears.
The wildness of the scene naturally
frightened him, mere child as he was,
and he ran first in one direction and
then in another, until, nearly exhausted,
he finally took refuge in an old freight
car that had escaped the general confa-
grafton. Shortly afterWard the Union
forces began to pour into the burning
city, and among others was Captain al
terwards Genera. Hickenlooper, OF the
Filth Ohio Battery, who discovered the
boy and took him back to camp with
them. He soon displayed remarkable
intelligence for a child of his years, and
became q general fayorite throughout
the camp. The boy stated that his name
was Frank Foster, and that his father
and brother were in the rebel army, his
brother being an aid under Gen. Beaure-
lard; but as all search for either proved
unavailing, it was concluded taat they
were dead. The General, out of pity,
: adopted the boy, and in August, 1862
sent him, in charge of Sergeant John
f Burner, to Cincinnati, where he was
. taken charge Of by the Generals father
5 and mother.
:. Shortly after he was started to
pG n cnhn1Qr
= Eleventh District public school, or what
| is more commonly known as the Texas
5 school-house. Here he ploded along
much in the same manner as other boys,
and finally grew to be a man-Serving an
: apprenticeship in the Surveyors office
under his patron the General, with
; whom he finally became tirst-class
civil engineer. During all these twelve
or thirteen years he never ceased, when
t an opportunity offered, of making dill
: gent inquiry with regard to his parents
= and family, but IN vain; all he remem
+ bered was his fathers and mother
: name; and with only this End nothing
more to guide him it seemed hopeles:
n t sk.
e lie wrote repeatedly to his old home
:, but the letters were all returned, no on
. having called tor them. He inserted
l. monthly and yearly advertisements II
the Memphis and other Southern papers
O. but they brought no response; and
from the day that he was hrst taken I
=, the Union camp, nearly fourteen year
=, ago. wrapped in an old army blous
a. t6at reached to his ankles, until Satul
;. day of last week did he ever hear oil
a SYLLABLE with regard to father, mother
friends.
One evening in March, year ago,
10 company with some friends, young Fo
J, ter Visited the theater in this city an
,e chstted and joked with the party, as
70 the custom OF other folks, when suduen
10 the leading comedian OF the company q
u peared upon the stage, according 10 u
,e programme, to sing one OF hls populs
10 songs. The rest OF the party laught
10. and applauded the meritorious perforI
ance. but Foster never moved a musol
rs and when questioned as TO his silenc
a nnIy said. "that man looked so mu'
re like my mother, that it starts me
ne thinking" The party not being famlli
& with his history, laughed at the idea, al
,e- finally they left the theater, thinkil
a nothing more about the matter, he
NJ peclally, as the stage wss the last pia
y In the world where he expected 10
any OF his relations.
70. Again the matter passed from
l.. mind, and the hope that for brief spa
ot mad been rekindled as quickly di
ns- away. But one night of last week
IA. again, with his friends, visited the sal
;er taeater, and, to the astonlshment OF
ns. this same comedian made his appe
ev ance. This time it made such an
I'm preston upon Fosters mind that
II. could not sleep. The name ON the p
gramme was the same as his own, ana
determined that this opportunity sho'
not pass. Yet he feared lest, as w
all former occasions, he should be dlsi
pointed and the sad reality be fully
tablished that he was indeed alone
the world and without single relat
in existence. lie remembered, as
have said before, only his lather 9
mothers names. With these facts O.
i'm their possession, two friends Wis!
the theater on Saturday morning OF |
week and found the comedian above
luded to at rehearsal. They question
him closely; the names OF both 1at
and mother corresponded exactly,
he had no brother.
-. His only brother, Frank, was los'
said when child, on the battle nell
Corinth, and all search for him for Il
teen years had proved unavailing,
Lhe had finally been given up as dt
His mother, now poor old heart-bro