Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-11-09

ening in its Details that I vii, not a.
tempt to transfer them to these columns |
:. :. l, was OF course painfully interested
III tne sight Of the corpses. In none
was so much interested as in that of
Union Major. Imused beside him
ana gave careful note to the sad snec-
tacle ''''" 'pee-
1t was the body of finely built.
well-proportioned man of not less than
TWO hundred pounds in weight. The
weather was not over-warm: ii was ton
early after death for corruption to have
set IN. The face was not blackened
nor dlscolored yet, and the handsome
contour Of the features was perfectly
preserved. He was man Of about
thirty, L should judge He was clad
IN full uniform, and his two rows of
buttons on the breast and gold leaves
on the shoulders were conspicuous.
He lay extended on his side. look
ing as if in gentle sleep.
Three buttons midway of the row
on his coat We're unbuttoned.
from his pockets within a stream Of
Letters seemed to have poured out on
the ground. examined them; the adj
dress was the same upon all: "Major
John Perkins, -th Regiment
Volunteers. looked at the contents
of some of them. The larger number
We're from his wife, dated at her home
in the North, and filled with such ten.
der and affectionate language as wa.
common to the letters that came to the
| field.
The case powerfully touched my
sympaties: gathered up the letters
and placed them in my pocket. I wrote
off on slip of paper the name, rank
and regiment of the dead Major and
gave it to one of the men who was SUI.
perintending the burial.
"See that this brave officer is prop.
erly INFERRED" 1 said, land put up
board at his grave, with all this plainly
written on it, so that the body may he
identified and reclaimed by his wife"
After the great torment of Antietam
was over, I found a line-oficer Of the
regiment named on these letters.
believe it was on the very day that
President Lincoln was at General Nc.
Clellan's headquarters on the field.
4 1 made myself known to the line.
officer; described to him the touch.
ing scene I had witnessed on the Other
slope of South Mountain. 1 described
the spot as nearly as 1 could. "Here
are the letters" said. "Do you take
them; send them home to his deal
wife. Tell her how found them, and
where she can recover the remains o,
her late husband"
The Captain looked me in the eye
with an expression of disgust. "He1
brave husband!" he repeated. "Yor
mean Major Perkins?"
"Of course"
well, he is not dead; he is alive to
day, at home, as we have learned since
the battle He was the worst coward
in the regiment; he actually ran Of
from the first artillery-fre we met al
we went up the mountain. We neve
saw him again
was almost knocked down will
amazement. the body-ant
the letters" said.
"The body was that Of some othe
Major; it was not Perkins. 1t is cas-.
, to see how the thing might happen
This wretched shoulder-strapped COW
ard, skulking on the field after it hat
been won, and the troops wer
far in advance, came across til
corpse Of Il brave man Q
his rank, and formed the ide
of fastening his disgraced name upo1
, !, him, for his own safety and escape fror
= the enemy. The plan seems to hay
worked pretty we'll, so far. L onl
I hope the Provost Marshal General vii
. find Perkins, and shoot him."
The hope. was never fulfilled. Th
Army OF the Potomac probably saw n
more OF Major Perkins. Perhaps h
E was dismissed the service; perhaps,
, he was, he has obtained reinstatement
: to his rank in these piping times Q
peace, when military history is made t
: order. Perhaps! 1 do not know.
q The picture is disagreeable one
, But now, when the people want t
> know all about the war, should it j
.Il1.l.1o <sI,l..uun oI0or