Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-06-20
A WAR REmIN1scEEcE.


! A rather interesting story OF the
war was told by Joseph -R. Perry, at
the National convention OF soldiers,
which was held in Indianapolis last
summer; but, as the reports Of the
session were necessarily abridged,
it escaped publication at the time.
at was sometime in the summer
of 1861" Mr.. Perry said, "that the
lTwenty-first Ohio regiment was
down in West Virginia, in the Kama
wha river region. The regiment was
composed of men gathered up prom.
iscuously in the Black swamp region
of Ohio. There were one or two
companies Of gray-haired men, too
old to bear arms, who had gone into
the service to fight for principle
not merely toput down the rebellion,
but to emancipate the slaves. They
were very religious, and they would
hold prayer meetings at night. They
would pray for the freedom of the
slaves, and that the negroes might
have equal rights with the white
people. Their prayers were very
interesting to us young fellows who
would go there to listen to them, be-
cause they were asking for something
more than the issue Of the war prom
ised at that time, but everything
that those old fellows asked in their
prayers came about afterward, and
it is out of those results that this in
cident | am telling you about came
to a conclusion. We camped one
day near little town called Red
Bank, on the Kanawha, and after
our coffee bad been prepared we
found that we hadn't a spoonful Of
sugar in camp. There were lot of
negro cabins over on hillside op-
posite our camp, and agreed to 60
over and try to get some sugar from
the negroes. There was but thirteen
cents in money in the whole camp,
but took that and started over with
a tin can to get the sugar. l enter
ed one Of the cabins and found
buxom negro woman with two little
pickaninnies hanging to her linsey
dress. They drew off into a corner
of the cabin, half frightened when
went in, but / told them that they
needn't be afraid; that only wanted
to get some sugar, and that l had
the money to pay for it.
"I,se kindly feared o. you 'uns,'
said the negro woman; mastah told
me not to have anything co do with
you Yankees, cause you'se gwine to
take us off to Cuby and sell lis to get
money to carry on the wah.'
MMy good woman / said to her,
giving her a little blarney, because /
wanted the sugar, You don't under.
stand what this war is about. We
Yankees are fighting for you, and if
this war comes out the way we want
it to, You will be free, and You won't
have any master, and will have all
the rights that white. people have.
Your little boy there will be sent to
school, and he will have just as good
a chance to become governor OF Vir-
ginia as any white boy
"Fo' de Lord, you don't say so p
she exclaimed.
81 went on to tell her then about
how the black people were just as
good as the white, and how they
would be benefited If we were victor
ious. Before quit talking she
brought out an old can and gave me
what sugar l wanted. She didn't
want to take the money, but l told
her that she'd better,and she accept
ed it. 1t was only an incident of
the day, and after / told the boys in
camp how | got the sugar / thought
no more about the matter. had
forgotten itentirely until about three
years ago, when ! was returning
from the city hospital one night,
when the car stopped for an old ne
gro woman with a basket of clothes.
1 was sitting near the door, and
helped her to lift the basket into the
car. She sat down beside me and
remarked: mighty cold tonight.
don't have any such cold weather
down whar' my ole home u.s.
Where was your old home r +
inquired.
asAt the little town of Red Bank,
down on the Kanawha river, in Wes'
Virginyah.'
"Did you live in a cabin, with a
well beside it, and opposite a big
white house = I asked her.
Right dar was whar / lived
"And do you remember when the
Yankee soldiers camped over in the
meadow, near your cabins'
"Deed | do, SIR, remember that
mighty WE'LL