The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-09-14
War Relics,

mercial Gazette, can show more inter
esting collection than can General A. L.
Pearson. His opportunities were wid-
ened by his active career in the war,
and his friendship with other officers
enabled him to add to his store, until it
grew to goodly size. In the corner of
the room silk guidon was standing, 1t
is tattered and torn, the blue field is al
most all gone, and the stripes can scarce
ly be distinguished. 1t was the first
Union flag carried into Richmond after
the surrender, and was presented to
General Pearson at reunion held in
Washington after the war At the same
time he was givenanother guidon, which
stands facing the one mentioned 1t is
a plain bunting flag, on pole surmount-
ed by wooden acorn. Black with dirt
and full of holes it looks commonplace
enough, but when the remains of Presi-
den Lincoln were borne out OF tho White
House for the last time, that guidon
moved on the right of the line and on it
the column dressed. Above the nd
ons are two artillery sabres
crossed. One of them Gen. Griffin, as
gallant soldier as ever threw his legs
across a saddle, carried at Malvern Hill,
when, with his artillery, he fought that
famous battle. 1t is plain sabre OF
the regulation United States pattern,
steel blade, a wrapped leather hait and
brass handle, with an iron scabbar. Gen
Griffin wore it Through the battle and Of
ter it was over presented it to Gen.
Pearson. The other sabre was taken
from oHs Il Lees wagons after the sur
| render. Below these sabres are two
| crossed muskets, illustrative of the old
| and the new. One of them. flint-lock
was used against the red-coats in the
war of 1912, the other is breech load
er with all the improvements. A car
tridge-b box and bayonet picked up at
| Gettysburg complete the group. Stand
| ing against the mantel-pnce are two
guns, one Spencer carbire, the othera
| dered at Appomattox, the Sharpe Gen
eral Pearson captured himself on a
| sllirmish line at Gettysburg. Il got that
rifle, the general said, while obeying
| orders to feel the enemy considerably.
| The adjutant general told me to throw
my men out as skirmishers. giving me
| certain points as boundaries.
went out and found the ground
covered, so fell back to
hold my con- mand for an emergency,
| We laid there all night, and in the
morning | was on worm-teIce, wish
ing that the cold rain that was falling
would cease. Just then up rode a
group OF officers, and one of them asked
answered my men," "What are you
doing here? Sitting on this fence" "Do
you know who l am?" "No, and l
don't care" He was pretty mad, and
he threw back his coat, and | saw he
was general officer. He told me he
was General Sykes, and crawled off the
fence. We bad just been assigned to
his division, and SO | did not know him
even by sight, and | explained to him
why we were there and how | saw no
use in covering ground other troops
were on. He answered sharply: "l'll
do the thinking; take your men and
feel the enemy considerably, and keep
on feeling until | tell you to STOP" !
was as mad as he was, and | started
The enemy was retreating, and we kept
| gobbling up men and sending them
back until | hadn't a handful of men
left. | rode up to a house, and three
rebels sprang to the door. One of them
had that gun and pulled it at me. He
had it cooked and up, but l called
dead man, reaching
for my revolver, and one of the meI
with him Knocked the rifle down, saying
they surrendered. Just then an aide
role up on gallop and asked what
| was doing l told him Sykes had tolt
me to feel the enemy considerably, anc
l was doingit Where's your regiment?
he demanded. Most Of it's gone bach
with prisoners How many have yol
with your Half dozen We'll out, 70
you're too far ahead That did me, nd
went back. The rifle should hav,
turned in, but it had been pulled on me
and | gobbled it," AS he finished thi
story of the Sharpe's rife, General Pear
son produced sand-box. 1t was
little tin box, showing traces ofthe greer
paint that it once bore, when sand-boxes
were used instead of blotting paper
THAT box" said the general, was uset
at the surrender OF Lee at Appomattox
General Griffin, who was one of the thre,
officers appointed by Grant to arrang,
! the terms OF capituiation, gave it to me-
With the sanl-boX was q pair of siIve
epaulets found in his headquarters wag
on. They are very handsome, an,
probably the only thing of the kind il
| A,oarioo