The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-06-25
A PRISONER OF WAR.
BY BERT BRUCE.

BY BERT BRUCE.
A few weeks before the war OF the re.
belllon broke out, my eldest brother,
Wlll, left the paternal roof to seek
his fortunes i'll the west, and took in,
on his way, a largeand thrifty townin
Ohio, in which resided some influential
relatives OF my mother. While rest
ing on his oars" enjoying the society
OF his bright and pretty cousins, and
prospecting" for a good location for
business, the tocsin OF war was sound
ed by the attack on Sumter, and With
other young and patriotic men, hewas
quickly enrolled in the LIST Ohio reei-
ment, which aiterward, with the I'd
Ohio and I'd New York, constituted the
brigade of General Schenck. They
were Immediately sent east for equip
ment, Philadelphia being their tempo.
rary headquarters.
Here Will made his home with me,
the barracks in Suffolk Park being un-
comfortable and dirty, and in my
house he met u winsome Rose, my
husbands ward-goiden-haired, blue
eyed, white and red OF skin, q 'little
maiden just from school," but the
maiden Of all the world in Wills eyes,
ii n could judge by the way they
followed her every movement.
When marching orders came, we had
rolls Of bandages, bundles of lint,
flannel havelock, all ready, and filled
his knapsack with all of USE
less, as well rs useful things, in the
blissful ignorance OF those first days
OF the war, that eight marching Or
DER meant the carrying OF nothing
not absolutely necessary.
1t is needless to say that every edi-
ton OF the daily papers was eagerly
scanned for news of the movements OF
the LIST Ohio, or that mybusband was
beseiged for news from ''thc 'front.' as
soon as he entered the house. Our
restlessness and apprehension were
wrought to fever heat. ana when the
news OF the battle Of Big Bethel reach
ed us, and the Homecoming in his
coffin OF one OF II bravest and best
young officers made us realize that
war vas no holiday soldering, but n
hard and terrible reality, VT wonder
ed at our W courage and confidence
in sending our dear brother from us to
be food for powder" The sound of
marching feet, OF beating drums, and
piercing flies, never seemed 20 be out
OF our ears, and | often found myself
wondering if it were not all a irightful
dream. Watching, waiting, fearing,
we passed our days and nights, until
the second battle Of the war, Bull
Run, with its crushing defeat,
warned us that the foe we had
to fight with neither children nor COW
ards, but men like our own, desper-
ate and resolved. When my hus.
band came home, laden withthe latest
afternoon papers, Rose and l parcel
ed them out, each going to q quiet
corner, to scan the lists OF the killed
and wounded; page after page, column
after column was eagerly read, the
only item which especially concerned
us being II to the effect that General
Schenck's brigade had covered the re-
treat from the field, and wns therefore
in q position Of much danger. My
husband, wearied and worn with the
excitement of tho day, had gone to
bed, and sat under the gaslight, still
turning over thepapers, while Rose sat
in an adjoining room, each conscious
of the occupation of the other only by
the occasional rattle OF the newspa-
pers.
Suddenly I heard q low cry from
the other room, and runningin, found
Rose pale and rigid; she looked up at
me piteously, as l entered, and point
ed silently to a line in q column OF 1.-THE
paper.
Tread there among the killed, evil.
liam Marsten, I'd Ohio, Schenck's
brigade, killed by cannon ball, on the
retreat" The room swan for q few
minutes, but, recovering myself, Tread
it again, and then I perceived it was
the second and not the first Ohio.
The hope was a slender one; that there
might be q William Marsten IN each
regiment / knew was scarcely proba-
BILE, as the name was not common,
and it seemed much more likely that
a mistake had been made as to the
number OF the regiment, than that
there would be two men OF the same
name in the two regiments. The LIST
Ohio, commanded by Colonel McCook,
of the fighting McCook's." had not
suffered much, and hadreached Wash
ington in good order.
Arousing my husband, I begged
him to 90 to the nearest telegraph
office, which in those days was down
in the heart OF the city, and telegraph
to Washington for information.
Not until he vas gone did | think OF
Rose, and returned to find her I'M
conscious. The days and weeks since
Will left us had been SO full OF excite
ment that l paid little attention to
the dear girl, and did not notice that
she had eagerly devoured all ews
from the front, or if I did observe it,
I ascribed it to her natural sympathy
with me. Now, however, l had a
revelation; her terror-paled face when
"a found her first, and her now uncon-
sccious and limp little figure, betrayed
the well-kept secret.
Poor little thing, I thought; how