New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-07-14
SOUTHERN WAR STORIES.

Ire ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1elllnS {SIaleS OF
tire Great War-A Budget of Mighty
Good Stories.
3Washington'Specia1 TO Cincinnati CONNER
cial Gazette.
During the jeff Davis progress across
Alabama and Georgia recently, the
private car OF Manager Gabbett, was
the scene OF a great deal Of war gossip
and Renaissance, and In the genial
party and in gatherings at Montgon1-
cry, Atlanta and SAVANNAH a great
many good stories OF the war, we'll
worth preserving, We're told.
At one time there were in party,
spinning old war yarns, eight persons.
Six of them had been in the southern
/; army: and two in the northern. Ev-
8 cry man had been wounded There
were two arms and one leg and one
foot missing from what should be the
regular quota of limbs for a party Of
eight, and there were plenty of ugly
scars.
Colonel Tom Jones, ofMontgomery,
the Colonel of the Second Alabama
Regiment, which includes the famous
Montgomery Grays and True Blues,
told of his experience: II went into
the war with no idea that there
could be any other side of the ques-
/; tion. I had been reared in the belief
in:iState rights, and theidea that nay
State could not go,out of the Union If
s>she. pleased was preposterous. The
I; action ofthe North seemed to me tine
most monstrous and wicked ever
known on the face, of the earth. Il
: thought the Yankees a horde of
'brutes, and fought for my State and
rpeqple and everything sacred, as the
Romans fought against the Goths and
Vandals.
elm an early enga cement a prisoner
was taken and brought to my tent. [
recognized him at once us a Pennsyl-
valian who had been at school with
me. i said to him What do you mean
rby"ooning down there wearing that
uniform?' He asked in return What
do you mean by wearing that uniform
and fighting against your Govern
,ment?'
II replied 'My-state went out of the
Union and / went with her
1'sWeli, said he, my State proposes
TO stay in the Union, and | am staying
with her.
,'rThe answer was like a block to me
and / had to acknowledge to myself
that he had replied to me on my own
ground of state rights. 1t was my
tirst.Hldea Of another,side of the ques-
ton; I'VE are fighting to destroy the
Union, they are fighting to preserve it.
| did "a great deal Of thinking after
that. How strange to think Of the
change and the result OF that war we
entered upon for the4right to leave
the .UH40p. Now anna citizen of the
Union,,sn officer OF Unien militia, and
in my state constitution is a clause
forever denying to q state the right to
secede. #@
"Anotier thing occurred that made
adeep:impression onane. Two letters
were given ,me-one follni5 on the BODY
of a young Union soldier, the other on
a young confederate. Mhey,were both
written'by their mothers. and were so
near alike I'm language and sentiment
that twas.Wonderful. Each told her
boy teaatIheswas fighting an a. just and
holy c;a,lsesassd told thecn Fbe brave
and trae; to give their Evesifneed be
!. for theic country land called Gods and
a mothers, blessing upon them. Near
those two brave boys, cold indeath,
with those two letters in highland,
sat for along bzme in deep Thought"
Another. gentleman said: ~ will
tell you an incident that occurred in
our towra::: Old Judge B. had two-aons,
and when rSSsle Wa broke GUS he .salade
!; a speech Gasaieating them both, along
: with himseM, ito tie cause. EIe,was a
e1ierce seceasionist,. land when one ofthe
GDoys (who WAS iassa military schoar
sjoined the Unios': army he publicly dis
,@wned him, and visited a. Gathers
,atsrse upon {Asm. Both boys wsne
tklsed. Aftertase wal he broughthome
sthe body Of THE son who fell ton.the
'Ca@ndederate side, and buried it IN the |
ltaasly lot. The alne of the othar ;he
nseEaz.. mentioned or allowed to be
i'll hisipresesace.
Wac" yCe1lS &oS*O ll6lsASctppGGdrGOa anOt
reetarIed with the body OF the Other
sean, ssFaich had lseen |puried in tae
Nsational Cemetery ;at Chattanooga,
,tmd !bHried it beside she brothss.. 4
tlTlaan be put up q pk1innnarble MONT 4
l N 'oWer the two graves. Upon it !
are Ims@'I)edthe saaanes .and ages OF
the tMo ti2oys, one killed at 8 E redericks~
burg, the esther killed at Mission Ridge,
and below us the inscription: God
knows MlIdn was right -
zone OF the oldest accidents YOU
can ina ginefJook place an,our town, T"
said q gentleman fr0aaa Northern
Georgia.
eve got Hlp1ay sham battle atone of
the State ealcan1pments atnd divided
by lot into sXanks' and tJohnnies,
the one dressed ial blue and theeether
IN gray. It haEpened that an oold
Union soldier became commander Of
the confederate side and an old Con
'federate soldier commander OF tle
Union side. Tste fact turned the fight
L l. Il, . i