New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-05
After Many Years.

An evening paper Of this city, says the
Cincinnati Commercial, publishes roman
tic story of the loss of little child at tbs
capture and pillsge OF Corinth, Mississippi
by the Union forces in the late war, and OF
his restoration to his family after thirteen
years had passed and the little boy had
grown to be a man. In the flight of tae in
habita1ts from the burning town. most OF
the people hurried down to the railroad
track leading from the southern part of the
place, and took refuge in the woods and
fields along the route. Soon the street;
were deserted By all except the little boy
who became separated from his trienus
and stricken with terror ran hither and
thither in his bewilderment, and at last
hid himself in freight car which
had escaped the general coatagra-
ton. Among the Union soldiers who
soon poured into the city was Captain
(atterward General Hickenlooler, of the
Fifth Ohio Battery. who discovered the boy
and took him back to camp. where by his
youthful intelligence he became great ia
vorite. The boy stated that his name was
Frank Foster, and that his father anu
brother were in the rebel army, his brother
being an aide TO General B.auregard; but
as all search for them had tailed, il was be-
lieved they were dead, The General, out
Of pity, adopted the boy, and in August,
1862, sent him to Cincinnati where he was
:
mother. He was sent to school, and after.
ward served an apprenticeship in the sur
veyor's office under his patron, the General
becoming at length good civil engineer.
During all these twelve or thirteen years
he never ceased, when an opportunity Of
fered, OF making diligent inquiry with re-
gard to his parents and family, but in vain;
all he remembered was his fathers and
mothers names, and with only this to guide
him il seemed homeless task
He wrote repeatedly to his old home, but
the letters were all returned, no one having
called for them. He inserted from time to
time advertisements in the Memphis and
other Southern papers, but they brought no
response; and, from the day that he was frat
taken to the Cnion camp, nearly fourteen
years ago, wrapped in an old army blouse
that reached to his ankles, until Saturday
OF last week, did never he hear one syllable
with regard to father, mother or friends.
One evening year or two ago, youn 9
Foster, in company with friends, visited a
theatre in this city, and while all were
affected with merriment by the performance
of a particular comedian, Foster was silent
and serious, and being afterwards asked the
cause, answered, That man looked SO much
like my mother tha. it starts Inc to think
ing"
Again one night last week young Foster
visited the same theatre, and to his aston
ishment the same comedian appeared on
the stage. This time il made such an i'm
preston on Fosters mind that he could not
sleep, On Saturday morning of last week
two interested friends visited the theatre,
and found the comedian alluded to at re.
hearsal. They questioned him closely; the
main of both father and mother CORE
sponded exactly, but he had no brother.
His only brother, Frank, was lost he said,
when child, on the battlefield at Corinth,
and all search for him for thirteen years
had proved unavailing and he had finally
been given up as dead. The history OF the
family was then related in detail, how, after
the siege and burning OF the town, they had
returned to the old town in Dunkirk, New
York. finally moving to Cleveland, where
they have remained ever since the fathers
death; the now heart broken old mother; the
struggles of the only surviving son TO earn
living for his mother and sisters, and his
final debut and success on the stage; the un.
availing search for the lost brother the ad-
vertisemeRts in papers in Eastern and
Southern cities, the journeys, many of them
on foot to distant places, of the distracted
mother, still searching for her lost child.
The brothers, as soon as they we're salts
fled between themselves that they were
brothers, dispatched message of good news
to their mother in Cleveland, and followed
the message in person together.