Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-30

Without speaking the others watched his
movements There were the pen and ink IA
gooso.quill which Johns own knife had sharp
ened. The old man brought both back to
the table, and sitting down again dipped the
/ pen into the ink
Father :" called his wife distrcssfully
half rising from her seat.
But he did not hear or if he heard he was
not to be moved Across the last name, that
] Of his absent and apostate son, be drew Il
/ wide black line. In the margin he wrote the
/ word TRAIToR. And then when the ink had
driCd-the interval of waiting was like Il fun
eral while the services are not yet begun he
turned over the pages ms he had done before
and solemnly read, as if justifying his deed,
"And the Lord said unto Moses, whosooycr
hath snned against me, him will blot out of
my book"
| 1t was not without doubts of Johns SINGER
/ ity. and hardly with any expectation of his
/ doing active service. that the kcrshaws con
sented to receive him as companion in
/ arms. That they did receive him was due
mainly 10 Nathalie's porsuasious and these
in turn were chiefly prompted by concern
for Johns personal safety. She was anxious,
of COURSE that he should commit himself to
| the Confederacy for the sake Of the cause.
but she was even more anxious that he should
! do it for his own sake.
| With John, however, this motive aynilcd
! little. care for his own safety was the last
consideration that would have linked him to
the cause which he abhorrad. And when
! Nathalie ventured to suggest, "a day or two af-
ter the first fire upon Sumter, when the ex-
citement was at its hottest and every Yankee
was n prescribed person. that lie should Join
the Guards for solf-protection, he answered
more sternly than ever she had heard him
speak
IF | am driven into the Confcderacy.
| Nathalie, it will be for loves sake and not
| because of fear
think that then, seeing how much it cost
him, and having given herself to him. she
would with her woman's generosity have
freed him from his pledge but for her appre-
tensions of what might befall him if he re-
NAMED a civilian. To join the army seemed
to be his only chance of safety: chance,
however, of which he would not avail him
self unless compelled by his promise. And
so for his own sake though it wrung her
heart to exact it of him, she held him to his
word.
As for their marriage, there was 10 thought
of that until the troubles should be over
With respect to this the Colonel had put his
foot down and Nathalie had acquiesced. II
am TO win my spurs first, ] suppose John
had said half bitterly one day and Nathalie,
who bore tonderly with lis occasional petu-
lance on account of the self-reproach which
she herself felt answered, then it won't be
long to wait John"
Notwithstanding the Kershaws' apprchen-
sions to the contrary, he proved II valuable ad-
dition TO the Guards. His tact, GOODNESS and
executive talent stood him in good stead, and
it was not long before the Yankee" as he
was designated, being the only one in the
regiment, had measunbly overcome the sus-
picion and distrust with which he was mt first
regarded. by a curious irony of fate, and
perhaps with some malice aforethought on
the part Of his commanding officer he was
promoted to be color sergeant and when on
his way to the front the regiment stopped
before Colonel Kershaw's door to receive
from Miss kershaw stand of colors, it was
John Winthrop who stepped out from the
ranks to take them from Nathales hand
Nobody think had prepared her--i, was on
ly that morning indeed that John had got his
promotiou-for she turned white when she
saw him. as though she would faint and
leaned for support on the friendly staff. II
was only for an instant though. Her face
flushed more rapidly than it had paled.
Drawing herself up to her full height, she
raised the standard and shook out its silken
folds
ITS the flag of my country :" she exclaim-
ed with almost fiery eagerness IF you ever
desert it, repeating perhaps unconsciously
the language she had once before used
don't come back to me :" and then throwing
herself and the flag together into Johns
arms, she sobbed out a passionate farewell.
The music struck up; with one parting
embrace John gave Nathalie into the hands
Of the old nurse, and fell back himself into
the ranks the flag caught by the wind
strcamcd out over his head. its crimson bars
awakening the cheers of the spectators and
the answering shouts of his comrades Only
in Johns heart there was no response. In
voluntarily his thoughts went back to the
man whom they compelled to carry the cross
Of Christ out of Jerusalem, and he wondered
bitterly if the accursed tree weighed more
heavily on Simon the Cyrenian than the hated
flag on him.
Over the next year of John Winthrops life
| must briefly pass. At Manassas, the first
engagement in which he took part. the stand
ard of the Palmetto Guards waved in the
thickest of the fight No one after that day
ventured to doubt Johns fidelity to the cause
he had espoused. They would have commits
stoned him captain or even a colonel if he
would have taken it, but he expressed him
self contented with his position. which, while
it was one of responsibility, did not require
him to lift his hand against his own people
And 30 through all the engagements of that
first year and into the Peninsula campaign
which opened with 1862, he bore with un-
shrinking fortitude the symbol of his shame.
How much of a humiliation it was to him not
even Nathalie ever knew. His letters to her
were bright and tender, sketching the pictur-
esque scenes of camp life without alluding TO
their priNations, and describing the thrilling
transactions in which he took part with an
avoidance of their more terrible aspects. The
year had passed by without his seeing her
He would not ask for a furlough, lest they
might think that having put his hand to the
plough he was looking backward, and would
not take one when il was offered him, for the
same reason. IF you will consent TO your
daughters marriage" he had told Colonel
Kershaw one day, II will go home for that
purpose, and not before" To this PROPOSE
ton the colonel at first objected, but finally
after some correspondence it was arranged
that the event should come off early in the
fall, and that the colonel and Winthrop should
then go back to Charleston together on q
two weeks leave.
Towards the end of June, however, the
campaign before Richmond developed fierce
intensity. The battles of Alechanicsville,
Beaver Dam, Ellisons Mills and Frazer's
Farm followed one another in almost daily
succession. "We have had terrible fight"
John wrote to Nathalie on the night after the
last of these conflicts. God knows how
many of us will live through tomorrow"
This was the thirtieth of June The morrow
which John apprehended was to witness the
fatal battle of Malvern Hill.
The eminence which gave its name to this
bloodest of conflicts was held by the Federal
troops. Half a mile or more away was a line
of woods sheltering the Confederates. Be
tween the two was a long rise, then level
plateau, then the Yankee breastworks. Over
this place, unprotected by single tree, ex-
posed to the enemy's fire from the moment
they left the woods, a Confederate detach-
ment was ordered to advance, the Palmetto
Guards being in the forefront.
The result was inevitable. A murderous
fire from the hidden guns moved down the
attacking force like corn stalks before a storm.
Before they had gone half the distance they
had lost half their men. The thinned ranks
wavered the colonel looking behind found
that no support was coming from the rear,
and reluctantly gave the order to turn back.
At the moment they turned a volley cut down