Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-10-09

upon our way to Richmond and Belle
Isle. We were taken by way of East
Strawberry Plains, Richard told me
he had reason to believe he might hear
something Of his brother, as he lived
lin that vicinity before the breaking
out OF the war.
Itwas q beautiful morning, and we
stood in the door OF the box car as
the train stopped at a small station
called Mossyside. Richard clutched
my ARM convulsiyely, and / can never
forget the look Of Joy, mingled with
sorrow, as he cried in a broken voice,
I5s.My brother! Oh! my brother."
In the vast crowd gathered there to
see the Yankee prisoners there was a
rebel major 81 commanding presence,
that ] knew intuitively must be Rich
ards brother. Calling @ small boy
and pointing the major out asked to
have him come to the car. ,5.#5s s.
As he came toward the car, uncon-
scious of whom he was to meet, I could
not but admire his handsome and
dashing appearance. He came close
up without recognizing Richard, who,
pale as death, seemed unable to speak
but reaching forth his hand seemed
the signal OF recognition, and the ma
jor stopped short as though a bullet
had entered his heart. 20.
NO" he said, 'Fyou are no longer a
brother OF mine. l donot know YOU"
Poor Richard could not speak for
tears and choking sobs. r.. =. :. :. ...s
major" said, you will break the
boys heart by your cruelty. 1t would
be the part Of humanity at least, to
take his hand" q ~ Il.
"What Yankee hireling are you who
presume to dictate to me? tell you.
No! I would not pollute myself by
the touch of hand, though it be a
brothers. that brings devastation and
death to a land where, our dead father
and mother lie buried"
What more he said was lost amid
the noise of the moving train.
|. sought our corner of the car and
tried to soothe the poor boy bv tell
ing him it would all be right, our war
would soon be over, and then all
differences could be righted. But
my task was no easy one, and it
was late at night before he fell asleep
i'll my arms. :a,., -
Our prison life, fortunately, was Of
short DURATION. We were exchanged
that same summer, and gladly bid
adieu to Belle Isle and it's horrors.
We were sent to the front that same
fall, and in the winter of 1864 found
the remnant Of our regiment collected
in Nashville, where Gen. Thomas was
organizing an army to oppose Hoods
advancing forces.
The battle ofNashville and thegrand
and glorious victory t'Pap" Thomas
achieved over Hood is matter of his
tory. The brigade to which we had
been assigned fought upon the left the
first day, and night found us in terri
bly, decimated ranks. had been dis
abled in the afternoon and taken from
the field, but my wounds proved to
be of no serious nature, and Irejoined
the regiment just at dark; and learned
with grief that Richard. who had fought
like hero all day, was missing.
The following day witnessed the ut
ter rout and defeat of the rebel army,
and our next duty was to care for our
suffering wounded and the dead.
It was up over the hill, on the site Of
the old cemetery, where the dead Of
both armies lay in the thicket, that
we found poor Richard, his :bridle-arm
shot off at the shoulder. He lay be-
side O. horse with a rebel soldier be-
Meath, or partly under it, and not un-
til we raised him up did we notice that
their hands were clasped and stiffened
in death, and not until then did
recognize in the pallid features of the
dead rebel the brother. of Richard:
Nearly twenty years have passed
since then, and the then grizzled
hair has grown whittier than snow,
but that hour comes back to me
tonight with a reality that humans
me. There are bright pictures upon
my walls, Of landscape, history and
flowers, but There is a picture ever
present with me upon the wallis of
memory. The dead boy-my boy, for
l loved him as my own-and his rebel
brother, with the dead horse and bro
ken ammunition wagon as O. back
ground, upon the field of death and
carnage.
We buried them in one grave where
they fell; and upon the little slab we
put at the grave is inscribed, "George
and Richard Moss, united in death,
1861