New-York tribune., 1888-08-26


We had to hide great many things, for they
went through the house in search of vanaoles, meat
and money Our hams had on sort OF a shei tha'
projected the inside OF the two large chlmncys win
open frcplaccs and they were not toucheo. i'h'
we had brought from the MILL few days before the
battle thirty forty barrels of flour ana where 70
hide them was the next question, We had just haa
an immense pe of wood sawed for our winter ue ana
looking at the barrels and then at the wood We h' on
a plan. The back Of the wood-shed was Doardca UP
and by putting the barrels after row against TINS
back and piling the sawed wood closely In front ana
all over them wc had innocent looking wood plie'
but very valuable ono to us-wth -four selling for
| a dozen dollars a barrel.
| The hiding Of the horses is sore point with me.
Under fle barn there is kind Of cellar room, and
there is a door leading into It from the foddernG
room and the inside low door, high enough ior
sheep to go in and out; for we used IL ior shecp
| stable. We madc a deep bed of straw In there so
that the horses could not be heard and aftcr we
| had taken them In we filled the inside door with
bundles of straw putting the cut ends out so 1t would
look asif place packed full Of straw. Ana
there they stayed safe could be, unui near me
close OF the third days fight. You see tho men ieo
and watcred them before daylight and after late bed
time That evening" about dusk there were no rcpeis
| 10 be seen and my brothcrn-law went toward the
outside door with bundle of hay. Just then rebel
soldier stepped up and demanded the horses. ihere
was no use daying long; we were under thelr RUE
| and had to show them how to get the horses out
Dear me 1t hard to give them up Why farmer
| needs horse as much house and what were we
to do with those fields Of uncut grain without our
horses They had taken cows and our shcep'
but We felt we had still left what we priced most
until we saw horses led out by strangers stolen
| right under eyes. We felt badly enough aoou.
them all, but when that soldier led out Neihe-"eh'
can hardly tell Ii now
aWe had had six sons, but one daughter When
she was tiny bit of girl, her father came IN one
morning and said Daughter there's nice little cot
at the and 1t IS TO be yours and you must give
name' So she called 1t "Ncllie,' and II was the
incest little animal We ever had swift as bird gentle
as the sound of her own name, and so Kind always
Our little girl had sckened and died the March before
the batte-it was dphtheIia-and while our hearts
were yet sore 1t not easy to see her Nellie
taken away. We all cried and pleaded hard with the
man TO leave her.
"she was our dead chid's pet sald and you
can have anything the farm II you Will not rake
her. .
At last he threw me the rcin saying, MADAM, II
you have a parlor lock her in it, for you VIII lose her
IL YOU don't" We stood around her rejoicing and
pcttinc her. when few minutes later the same soldier
came up and pointing 10 some officers down by tho
fence said "Madam l am sent back for her.
despise this whole business, and I'd leave her II
could My brother was shot down by my sidc
this morning and could not stop even to give him
kind word They say soldiers must obey" And Of
he walked with "Nelle."
All day Wednesday, when the firing so active,
was concerned for the wounded, and the reoeis
several times asked me why did not see after my
wounded I" II were such a great Union woman"
"Dont taunt me-, said d" for am going as soon
as I cann So on Thursday morning Confederate
officer said Now you can gopS asked him wherc
our wounded were to be found, and he pointed to
a largo barn a neighbours farm; but Knew octer'
for that was filed with their wounded
There had been fighting between our house and
town and he Conederates held the ground and their
wounded had been cared for. I saddled the old
blind horse, packed market basket full OF bread
and butter and wine and old linen and bandages ana
pins for belonged to a society in town that pre-
pared such things Just as was starting, one OF my
nicces said sho would 60 too; she jumped up behind
me and / fixed the basket In front. l went the
straight road toward town and stopped at friends
house to find out where the Union wounded were
Just then the Confederate General jenkins rode up
and told me to come with him and he would show
mo We rode on to the top of Kccklcrs Hill do you
remember the long, steep hill, with the pretty view
from the top7 That is the hill, and when we got
there and saw that valley confess felt little dis
couraged and my niece begged me TO SO back Be-
fore we reached tho foot of the hill courier came
for General jenkins and never saw him again. But
on went as far could there were men. living
and dead and horses and wagons and guns and can
non and confusion everywhere You know there was
no fighting that morning. Getting down into the
valley began calling: "Wherc are our woundedi'
and soon I heard Here !" Here !" and all about
hands were lifted up and bcckoned me to come.
had found them, lying in the broiling sun, where
they had lain for twenty-four hours-with no food
and water
zgzag fence standing on the side OF the
road and in its angles were many who had taken
shelter there from the and to avoid being ramped
on told my niece to give bread and butter to all
who could cat 1t and wine to the faint and would
| look after their wounds. You wonder, as do many
Others how could attend to them The very worst,
| of course, needed surgeons care, but did the
| best l could for the rest. / would cut open
| rouscr leg or a coat sleeve-anythng until found
the wound and then clean 1t and put fresh cloths
| One of the first touched poor fellow badly
hurt in the back 1 cut open his coat from the
waist up and found that the cloth he had put on the
wound to stanch the blood dried that l
| could not loosen it-and had no water wounded
comrade lying near said Madam. there is little
| tea In my cantcen that I've been saving; maybe
| you loosen II with that"
| I had been hearing tho pitiful cry OF Water"
| Water" all around Inc, and when I found these
| men had had for twenty -four hours rose up
| in my wrath, and turning to the rebels who were
walking about. I said: :" Is 1t possible that none Of
| you will bring water to these poor fellows -
Our officer heard me- and finding that what said
true, he ordered lot Of men to mount and bring
all that necessary. They said tho wells at the
nearest houses pumped out; but in strong Eng
lsh with some stronger words thrown in, he sent
| them of with canteens strung all them, and /
directed them where to go find good spring Soon
We had plenty Of water
While busy at my work German surgeon camc
along saying he had been directed to look after the
Union wounded. AS he could not speak English, and
I could not speak German, wo got a chung OF
boy to act interpreter, for wanted him to look
the wounds had dressed and see II they were right
| felt very proud when heard him say Gut" Gut
| TO many Of them. He gentle as a woman In
his touch and It did me good to see how tenderly he