Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-08-02

| iHIee WeehS vi happiness followed AM
then the bolt fell. Any one who was a
division headquarters then will recall i
aH-the appearance of this superb wo.
man along the line, her daily rides, hel
nightly receptions, and the wild enthu
slasm OF the troops at her marvelou.
beauty, as she rode among them, sitting
her horse ike the maid of France
l remember the military honors palc
| her when shereviswed the division with
General Lee on her right and Generals
Longstreet, Hill, Gordon, Anderson anC
Heath, and column of glittering staff
officers In her train. How the rich coll
or mblazoned her cheeks and a rare
light illumined her eyes as she rode
down the lines, standing with present.
ed arms and gazing upon her as if she
were the goddess of battle. Her soul
was fired with the triumph of the mo-
ment and the horrors of war were for.
gotten. Before the week was out the
deadly reaction came. On the 9th day
of February, at Hatcher's Run, while
leading brigade into action, the Gen
eral fell, shot in the breast, and in a few
minutes he was dead in my arms. Who
would tell his wife? "YOu must do it.
Blank" said General Gordon. "Heav-
ems General, not I. I'll lead forlorn
hope-do anything that is war-but not
that" >H5Es.d to be done, and was done
as gently as possible. Here let the cur
tain drop; the grief which lies beyond
it is sacred.
The Confederacy fastened to its close,
gloom and disaster thickened about us.
the army was reduced to a thin defen-
sive line, hope of success was abandoned
by the Intelligent, but marrying ceased
not. The home of the Grands was the
social headquarters of the right of the
army, the evening rendezvous lf cavnl-
ry generals and staff officers. Hours
were spent in precarious flirtatiOns,
while orderlies held horses without,
ready to mount and ride at the first
alarm. Miss Bena was pressed with
skillful siege from various quarters, but
she did not surrender until after Gener-
al Lee. And so with Minnie Queen and
Ellen Starr and her coterie of female
guests; sparring with feminine skill and
fascination, I observed all the social
strategy, meanwhile doing some little
skirmishing myself.
The end came, the lines were broken,
Petersburg was evacuated, wives were
hurried off from the army, except the
heroic wife of General Gordon, who had
a son born that day and was left in the
hands of the enemy, while her husband
marched away at the head of his corps,
with an unquestioning sense of duty
Soldiers gave hasty farewells to friends
and sweethearts.
AS rode out of Petersburg 1 stopped
to say goodbye to one of my friends,
now the wife of distinguished Confed-
crate officer, and my wrath was as Bit |
ter as it was helpless when I saw great
tears filling her eyes as she looked upon
the army marching away and heard the
fearful mOckery of shot and shell
screaming through the air above u.s.
And yet, that morning, one officer got
leave, hastened to Richmond, was mar
ried at noon and back again at night, |
leaving his new wife to whatever fate |
might Defall the capital of the Confed
eracy.
The next day as I rode along in COM
mand OF the rear guard of the army on
our retreat to Appomattox, saw few |
faded flo y ers still pinned to my uniform
"a sad souvinir OF serenade to Gener-
al Lees daughter few nights before.
This was the matrimonial side of the |
Great Rebellion"-Cupid in alliance |
with Mars, and yet woe is me, II am
bachelor still.n