The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-06-22
Amenities of War.

Mrs. II. b. Washington, in Philadelphia Times
In the summer of 1862, when General;
Mcclellan and Joe Johnston were com
handing the two opposing armies in the
attack and defense of Richmond. q freak
of fate or decree of destiny ordered q
singular coincidence in the situation OF
the northern and southern cadets. Custer
was acting on General McClellan's staff
and his former friend on that of Gen.
eral Joseph Johnston, each rs aide to
the commanding Generals of the
Northern and Southern armies On the
day of the battle of Seven Pines, or
Fair Oaks, the Confederate commander
was severely wounded by a she'll, and his
place afterwards filled by General Lee.
The same day Johntson's aide was cap.
tured by the enemy while in the dis
charge of his duty, and taken to Gen.
McClellan's headquarters as u prisoner
of distinction. He had been known to
the Federal General when Mt West Point,
and being courteously recognized was
treated with much consideration. Here.
too, he met several young officers who
had been cadets at the same time with
him, by whom he was welcomed with
much cordiality and gleo--kindest and
most cordial was Custer. 1t was sin
gular, striking scene; one that merits
description among the incidents of a
sectional war. The blue jackets greeting
the gray, foes meeting rs friends, hands
casping kindly that were armed in
deadly strife against each other. just q
small green spot in the dreary desert of
war To Clusters care Mcclellan es-
pecially consigned the young Confeder-
ate officer, with the charge, given in a
serio-comic tone, that, "The prisoner
should not be treated very severely, but
allowed a cigar and other refreshments
occasionally"
So that night there was rather a jolli-
fication in one of the headquarters tents
which the party occupied. Rehearsing
scenes at West Point in which they had
mingled, skylarking at Benny
Ravens and other hap-hazard frolics,
stories for friends scattered south and
north amid the ranks of the contending
armies. Afterwards, when the Con-
federate prisoner was ordered to be sent
to Fort Delaware, in parting with his
acquaintance again, Custer, his generous
guardian, suddenly struck with kind
thought, exclaimed impulsively: "You
must have some money, jim; those pic
lures in your pockets Confederate cur
rency) don't pass up there" and in
spite of the earnest protest of his friend,
who assured him he could readily draw
on relati yes in Baltimore for needed
funds, finding it impossible to persuade
him to take the money he offered, stepped
up and stuffed some notes in his vest
pocket mol lens uotens. Such acts are only
prompted by a noble heart.
During this detention at General Nc
Clellan's headquarters, while one day
the Federal and Confederate officers were
seated together under tree, an timer
ant ARTIST seized on the striking effect of
the singular situation, and soon portrayed
them in photograph. As an amusing
and appropriate addition to the scene,
Custer had negro boy seated at their
feet; putting, as he said, laughingly,
"the irrepressible conflict between
them" This picture attracted much
notice from the press at the time with
the singularity of the circumstances
and incidents attending up the meeting
of the two young men.