The Worthington advance., 1881-10-06
A RECONSTRUCTED REBEL.
How She WAS Reconstructed.

RECONSTRUCTED REBEL.
! How She WAS Reconstructed.
1t was during the war times. Grant was
! laundering Mt the gates of Richmond, and
Lee was pressing back the enemy. The
battle days of the Wilderness had Just been
passed. and the Federals were swinging
around tho circle, looking for a weak spot.
The Confederates were moving on IN in
ncr line, closing up the gap. On our side
great wagon trains, heavy artillery, droves
OF beeves, and munitions Of war were
moving to the left. From the front new
regiments were advancing to the battle
ground; fresh horses, cavorting in fields of
Virginia clover, were smelling the battle
| from afar. On every side were movements
! OF great army-cavalry, artillery, infantry.
| endless trains of wagons, tremendous parks
of guns, hospital tents with the yellow flag,
ambulances Carrying the wounded to the
| rear. The base was White House. There
stood the two lone chimneys of tho Wash
ington mansion, that had been burned.
There was left the spring house of stone.
! and from the bubbling fountain soldiers,
tcamsters, and stragglers were filing their
canteens. The river was jammed with its
| fleet of ships of all kinds. There was the
heet OF the Sanitary Commission, there
were the hospitals, there thousand tents;
reporters from all the northern journals:
excitement on every side, apparent confu-
| sion every where, every man intent, how
ever, on his duty, and every one with some-
thing to do. There was the great commits
sary fleet, bringing stores, provisions, and
ammunition, moving out in column, pro-
tected by cavalry; wagon trains passing on
| to the front, whence came the noise Of re-
verberating cannon.
This beautiful spring morning found
| myself an un- noticed unit in this multitude,
| mounted on comfortable horse, with can
| teen and canvas bag we'll filed brandy in
he flask and bareback in the bag-furnish-
ed by the Reverend John Anderson, once
clergyman ut Stockton, and now member
of congress-, then captain of one of the
sanitary commission's we'll provided steam
ers lie knew l would give my brandy to
a wounded soldier, if found one. And
did. For on the third day thereafter,
found, walking from out the hell of conflict,
soldier of Baldy Smiths brigade, his
arm fairly orn from her shoulder by a she'll.
gave hima drink, and, clinging with bis
1nwounded hand to tho pommel of the sad
die, l Turned him over to the operating
surgeon, saw him tossed upon the table. a
sniff of chloroform put to his nose, and in a
MON ent the cleaning knife had done it's
bloody work, and q one armed soldier was
placed in comfortable ambulance, and
driven to The rear. with my brandy flask.
went to the front in company with a regi-
ment from Mainc-great, handsome
Americans from the pine North; broad
shouldered, thin-faced Yankee stalwarts.
enlisted for no bounty, going out to give
their lives If necessary. in defense OF their
native land. / am writing this to tell a
love story an incident of those heroic days
and SO hasten on with my tale. Some
ten miles on our way I came to Vir.
ginia farm. From field there came
a young two-year old colt, thoroughbred,
too young for the saddle. He joined the
cavaicade, and would have gone forward
to- the battle-ground had not the
him back and close the gate. This was
done, and I tell the story to illustrate the
kindly feelings of Northern soldiers.
reached the farmhouse-a nice, spacious,
Old-fashloned Virginia mansion, with a
broad porch, standing in grove OF trees.
Cherries were ripe, the orchards being full
OF the red, ripe fruit. and it was guarded by
Yankee soldiers from Yankee spolation.
Had been the colonel, would have saved
the colt, but would have given the boys all
the cherries in Virginia. Behind the house
was well-an old-fashioned we'll, with
sweep and iron bound bucket-and here
the soldiers were drinking from gourds and
filling their canteens, falling out of the line
rs it went marching by. Soldiers were not
permitted to enter the house. vas not a
soldier, and entered. I sat myself, unin-
Vlted, upon the porch. I was asked to
enter the house by one Of the sweetest of
Virginia girls. AS she saw was not a
soldier, I think she wanted somebody to
whom she could vent her rebel indignation
against Lincoln's Yankee hirelings. She
was genuine rebel. saucy and splendid,
have no doubt genuinely sorry that she
could not go out to fight the invading bar
barian Northnen, to come home as her
brother had-whom I saw-minus a leg
and with his right arm in a sling, mutilated
for life. Taken into the drawing
room, with tho mother, daughter and
rebel soldier, I spent an hour in
conversation over tho war, its
causes and its consequences. AS
Californian, l was treated as a neutral.
The rebel soldier was willing to admit the
gallantry of northern men. He admitted
also their generosity. 1t was northern
soldier who had found him on the skirmish
line, wounded and bleeding to death. and.
carrying him out from the carnival Of
strife, had hid him in clump of bushes,
given him water, bound up his wounds, and
after nightfnll had stolen to his hiding
place and carried him into tho rebel lines,
at the peril of his own safety. The mother
good, -pious, loving soul-looked upon
her handsome, pale-faced and wounded
boy, and dropped tear as again he told
the story of his rescue; but away down in
her unforgiving heart was hatred of the in
vaser; hatred of the men who had saved
her sorrel colt, for on the sire of this colt
nor husband was away with Gusts Ice, in
the Virginia Black Horse Cavalry, fighting
for her loved south. But the girl! How
her black eyes flashed in rebel indiqnation:
how she tossed her head in audacious def
ance of the Yankees. Sweet seventeen ia
brave. In answer to my bandinaqe. that
when the cruel war was ended the northern
officers would return to Virginia and marry
all the girls, she vowed and declared. with
all the resoluteness and confidence that is
negotten OF youth, beauty, and patriotism,
that indeed she, for One, would not marry
the best man that ever was born north of the
Potomac. Filled with cherries and adpin-
ton OF the saucy rebel beauty, 1 mounted
! and overlook my company.
AS moved to the front, heard the puns
| answering each other with the challenee of
war. Yesterday had been battle day. To-
DAY there was only an occasional report. as
It from some great sleepy gun, waking m
to the consciousness Of duty unrer.
formed. All day, till evening, I was amid
the moving mass of Trains, and marching
regiments, and anbulances. Then followed
week OF battles, eliminating in the bloody
struggle of Cold Harbor. While the battles
raged, it seemed as though hell had been
| loosed on earth; and when the strife ceased
the crickets were heard singing in tho ouiet
groves: During the night the stiffness
seemed oppressive. Tree toads chirped.
and the cuckoo called to it's mate with lovinr
note. Suddenly the siillnass ,1aa h.ol-o