Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-08-03
Wilsnn'a Craak.

Maj John N. Edwards, in st. Joseph Gazette
Isolated, obscure, among blackjack
ridges, more of aIduels than a battle,
having in its factors birds of prey
whose down was about to exchanged
for beaks, this battle went iuto history
as skirmish.
1t was one of the saddest outcrop-
ings of the civil war that any man or
woman ever knew in Missouri. The
combatents were just fresh from the
pursuits of peaceful life. You could
hear the song of the harvest singing
amid the trees. The water, as it ran,
wanted to go where the sunrise was, the
dawn and the dew. You could smell
the very earth, it was so perfumed with
green and growing things. The lazy
tapping of the woodpeckers sounded
far away, and as the ghost of
Drummer boy drumming a tune,"
Just look at the bronZed, boyish faces.
Who knew: there what sort of trage-
dy war would soon put on the stage?
Some laughed lightly as though coun-
try dance was being danced. Some went
from mess to mess, as people go to old
fashioned cuttings. Some sang little
Some did not sing, but they felt that
they were in love with the earth. the
air, and the sky. The bare breast of
August was painting amid the corn.
Summer layEalong the hills, a crowned
queen, because of the red in her cheeks
and the red in her hair. Some few
bronzed men fitted in and out among
the farmer boys. These were the sable
fingers of the blood red tide of the COM
ing battle.
Some few laughing women were about
most of them sweethearts, and few of
them wives. These were the cruciGxes
men held in their hands when they
went down holly to the coming battle.
Do you know that battle is bene-
diction? War, lifting its mighty hands
above those who advance, and those who
retreat, says: HOLLY absolve all who
die in the fore front of the fight. No
matter for what cause, or king, or creed
or country the poor soldier falls, so only
he is sincere, bury him i'm holy ground.
Attention! All the bugles rang out
suddenly; all the drums beat; all the
fresh, farmer faces blanched suddenly.
and then grew hard ,lall the men dream
ing OF home, farm, household, and little
things, naked to the knees, children
fashion, rose up giants.
Thereafter there was hell. The Mic.
sourians died there. SO did the Iowa
people. So did the Kansas people.
Bloody Hill was so wet with blood that
crimson roses might have been grown
there. The powder cloud made gloom
from which spectres emerged. Lyon
was one of them. He rode down to the
fight like man who suddenly felt some
sort OF an inspiration coming out of the
sky He appeared three or four times
through the gloom, with his hat off and
his men all behind him.. When gener-
ais come face to face with death, most
generally they desire to head column.
1t is there that dirges are sung, and the
laural trees give up their earliest and
greenest leaves. It took three bullets
TO Kill Lyon. Another evidence of the
old Vikings blood which was in him.
1t also took three bullets to kill
Weightman. This man was fairhaired.
1t is known that he prayed at times. |
Over him was the scene of terrible
tragedy at Santa Fe, New Mexico. He
had a brigade of Missouri boys-Eay an
average of 18 years for the whole lot
and they worshipped him. He took
them to the crest of Bloody Hill, and
when the bugle blew. it was doubtful
whether there were enough of the liv-
ing to bury the dead. Poor Weightman.