The Portland daily press., 1883-01-02
Lafayette and the Old Soldier.
Corporal Blood and His War Stories

Mr.. William G. Prime in the New York
Journal of Commerce tells this interesting sto-
ry OF Lafayette and the old soldier of Brad
ford:
They tell in Bradford story about Lafayette
which is worth preserving. Before his 1924
visit to America there was in Bradford an old
soldier of the revolutionary war; Corporal
Blood, who as times grew modern and his eaI-
ly life farther away, was given, as old soldiers
are, to telling stories of his campaigns; and
the ineredulous and taithless (who are uni
YeTsal nuisance around tellers of good old sto-
ries) were given to doubling the corporals
yeracity. So that, while in the village bar
room and on the front steps of the village store
1t was the common occurrence for knot OF
people to surround the old soldier and lead ont
out his "reminiscences, it was equally common
to express not only to one another but to him
the wretched unbelief of the profane modern
generation. Corporal Blood was especially de-
voted to the memory of Lafayette, and not
only told stories of the ilustrious Frenchman,
but often when sorely beset by dlsbelievers
affirmed with emphasis that he knew Latay-
cite and Lafayette knew him, and II any one
would go to- France and question the general
there would be ample verifcation Of his stories
But this appeal to an apparently inaccessible
supporter served only to increase the prevalent
skepticism, and the old man gradually became
an object of ridicule in the town.
When Lafayette visited America in 1924, his
route of travel brought him to Concord in New
Hampshire, whence he was to cross country to
Burlington in Vermont, and Bradford was as
tonished and excited by notice that the guest
of America with his attending suite, would
pass night at the hotel the same one now
occupied by Mr.. Gillis Great preparations
were made, and from all the country around
the patriotic people poured into the village
and in the evening were received by Lafayette
in the large ball room of the hotel. For in
the north country every inn of Importance has
a ball room, which in winter time is used by
sleighing parties; and balls are an established
New England country custom from old post
Puritan times
The room which might hold two hundred
people standing, was densely packed, and a
crowd who had passed in and out were around
the HOUSE and in the halls, and among them
the old soldier, silent and altogether neglected.
One may imagine the solitary man, looking
into the crowd in the light, seeing the glitter
of uniforms and hearing the babel of voices
honoring the stranger whom he had honored
in very much darker places. And row it oc-
CURED to some of the turbulent people to have
little fun out of the old SOLDIER Heres
the corporal who saws he knows Lafayette;
let's take him to the general" and they
pressed in with him through the crowd and
pushed him In at the door of the large
room, and the people inside, thinking it a new
arrival of importance, parted little, OPEN
ing a lane to where Lafayette stood with a
group of officers. Two or three led the gray
haired veteran, shrinking at first, but sudden
ly Strengthening up his tall form, and said:
General, here's an old man who says he
knows you" Whether Lafayette heard " IN
| derstood the words of this rude presentation is
| not known, but he fixed his eyes an instant on
| the soldier, stepped forward with both hands
| outstretched and exclaimed: ut is Corporal
Blood. Then the old soldier soke down, and
| the general comforted him with kindly words
| and the American and French party gathered
nd the and than md Of
| told the same story that Corporal Blood had
told so often to incredulous people, how in one
of the most trying times OF those memorable
| times of soul and body trial. when food was
very scarce and officers and men were starving,
| the o. ders sternly forbade taking any provisions
| from the inhabitants without payment. aud al
| supplies for love or money were exhausted
| The general had accidentally overheard sol
| der Saying he knew where there was cow con
| cealed, and but for the orders he could get it
| The general sent for the soldier, who was Cor
| poral Blood. and questioned him, and as the
case was one of starvation, gave him orders Il
| seize the cow, and money to pay for it. The
| relief, small as it was, when the Corpora
brought in the beef, was SO sensible that the
| general thanked him and often afterwards
recognized and spoke to him. Forty years lat
er he had not forgotten the corporal or the
| COW.
1t is needless to add that Corporal Blood
| went out of the ball room that night mighty
| man OF yalor and verscity. 1t is not stated
that he ever presumed on this triumphant vim
dication of his word. But il he had chosen te
| say that he had dined with George Washing
ton, George of Cappadoeio and George King
| of England, while Islander Bey served wine
| for the three, he would have been backed and
believed in his native town.
| have written the story for preservation be.
cause it is beyond dispute that need in
America personal anecdotes of our great histori.
| cal characters Such incidents have in
all ages made the subject of illumination
| in art and song.
Ward, with his pure and powerful concep
| ton, and his skillful fingers, is moulding fol
Burlington statue of LAFAYETTE If only La
| fayette had met Corporal Blood at Burlington
| what group Ward would have delighted t.
| produce in stone or bronze as the eternal mem
| orial of the bond which holds between Lafay
cite and the American people.