The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-31
Gen. Clusters L0ve-Maklng

roSfeC CnaC Jlef0 WASH t a smaller coin.
Gen. Clusters Love-Maklng
Was attended, 1t seems, with more
than the usual difficulties, but after a
long and persistent suit he gained the
consent of the Obdurate father. His
biographer says:
owe cannot suppose that any one
would desire this love-making by
proxy to continue any longer. We
have brought our hero through his
love troubles, as interesting as those
of novel hero, in safety. Henceforth,
he was formally engaged. The close
of this last letter, is however very
symptomatic of the curious fact well
known to ladies of all time that there
is mo satisfying these men, A little
while ago, his only aspiration was for
an open engagement and permission to
correspond; now that he obtained both,
his petition is changed to something
else.
81 am glad you incline to my way of
thinking, in regard to my little girl
coming to the army this winter. Why
shouldn't she? 1 have been pleading
earnestly with her in my last letter to
tell me when L can come for her. I
can come whenever she bids me do so.
Now don't you think she ought to tell
me to come soon You know if I
don't come this winter, it is not prob
able that [ shall be granted leave be-
fore next winter. Cannot you threaten
her, or use your influence to induce
her to do as she ought. If was there,
how would talk to her! She would
be glad to say yes to get rid Of me:
Ills petition was nearer to being
granted than seemed possible a few
months before. While the army Law
quiet that winter, Clusters commits
sion was confirmed in the senate, and
he obtained leave of absence to 90 to
Monroe, where he was formally mar
ried, February 9th, 1864, in the Pres
| byterian church, by the Reverend Mr..
Boyd, pastor and schoolmaster, to
Elizabeth, only daughter of Judge
Daniel S. Bacon.
"What a wedding that was. Mrs.
Grundy talks of it to this day; and all
Monroe that could get inside the
church crammed the pews and filled
the aisles to suffocation. The Monroe
papers were full Of the wedding of
our distinguished townsman,' and de.
tails Of personal appearance.
| ''Custer was attended bv his staff,
and wore, perhaps for the first time,
his full uniform as a brigadier-general,
sash and all. His hair had been cut,
and he was no more the boy general
with the golden locks of the report
ers. How often he and his friends had
laughed over that name, when they
read it!
"The bride, with veil and orange
blossoms, q white figure of timid pur-
ity, won all hearts as she came into
church on her fathers arm; the Judge
tall, stalwart. with his grand old
Webster head towering above the
crowd, proud of his daughter, and
now also of his son.in-law, yet had
hard struggle to choke down the des-
olated feeling which comes over a fa-
Their giving up his only child forever.
''It was beautiful, romantic wed.
ding, such as seldom occurs in these
could then occur, for there was only
one Custer, only one knight of TO.
nance, brave and loving, famous and
tender. No wonder Monroe was proud
of him.
But what WAS the pride of Monroe
to that of the brigade, 4 few days later,
when Custer returned to camp, bring
ing with him his timid, child.like
bride. with her innocent dark eyes, de-
lighted and astOnished at the novelty
of everything. All, Custer was wise
man, and patient one, to wait for his
reward as he did, but it was worth al!
of his trials at last, and proved the en-
trance, for him, to life of perfect
happiness thereafter. The gentle,
timid girl, SO scrupulously obedient to
her father, proved to Custer a jewel
above all price when she became his
wife. With a fidelity and devotion
rarely parallelled, she followedShim to
long as it was possible, in all his subse-
quent career. Only when the troops
were in actual and fierce campaign and
her presence might have proved an en-
barrassment to her husband, did she
consent to remain behind, and then
she was always ready to hasten to the
front as soon as there was the first
sign of a long halt.
''Her influence over the state of So
ciety at the headquarters Of the Michi-
gan Brigade, and subsequently in all
The different commands to which Gus
ter was assigned, was traceable in every
instance, in a refinement Of tone, an
absence of the usual roistering, scenes,
too common in the army, in standard
of morality such as prevailed nowhere
else. Before Mrs. Clusters arrival at