Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-12
"Mammy's Boys"

ont of column 10 SCOuU "
nick up the stragglers from the con.
federate ranks who were lodging ABOUT
20 oet home. Half a mile from the
main column we ran upon the blacken,
ID rims and tall chimneys of an Ola
VIRGINIA mansion. One could see py
olancing over the grounds that people
of wealth and refinement had hveu
there. and in the ruins one couid reau
another page of the book Oh wal.
Those GREAT chimneys, standing grim
and silent and alone, with blackened
family hearth-stones for pedestais' anu
with apex a resting place for the great
h,yzards which flew hither and yam,
always told of the tears and heartacnes
of war. Peace has removed them Vi
hidden them behind the climbing rose
or WV. but the hearts of those VINO
still live must ache as memory goes
hack to dates and deeds of blood ana
destruction.
A few rods below the ruins was
frame barn, which had been converter
into a temporary dwelling. A gray
haired man and woman had taken
shelter there, and close behind 1t on
tbe sun-kissed hill, was a new-made
crave. Less than week ago daugh-
fer had been buried there-a daughter
who was also wife and mother. Sherl-
dan had moved swiftly. We had come
too soon. In the house, as we rode
mn. was the stricken husband or the
dead wife, Drawing all dangers to re-
turn as soon as word reached him, but
arriving too late. On his knee he heid
his chubby, yellow-haired boy of four,
and beside him stood old black "Mam-
my,v the tears streaming down her
aged cheeks as she laid hand on his
shoulder and smoothingly said:
"She's better of in Heaven, Mars
Gauge-heap better. lie dun broke my
old heart ober it, but faint no good.
You's got little Tom left, an, thank de
good Lawd, lie got boat my boys to
live furl"
She had sung the father to sleep
in his baby days, and the father and
son were "her boys'-her big and lit
tie boy.
An escort had come with the father
and husband, for he was major.
There were six men in the orchard on
the hill, and we had come up so quiet
IL that we were unnoticed until al
most upon them. Then they did a
gallant thing to favor their chief.
They were outnumbered three or four
to one, but they advanced on foot aud
opened fire to check and hold us until
the major could get ont. They did hold
us for five minutes, killing one and
wounding two men, but they had
better retreated like cravens or sur
rendered like women. We soon drove
them back, killing half their num-
Der, and as we swept up to the house
old mamma appeared in the door,
threw up her hands and walled out:
"May de Lawd nebber forgive We
fur what ye hev dun TO dis pore
family"
The fight had been sharp and quick.
We were on the march, under orders
TO move swiftly, and the idea was to
kill or capture aud report to the col
umn as soon as possible. None of us
knew that the barn was tenanted by
the people driven out of the house fur
Their up the hill. 1t was in the line of
fire, and our bullets went through it.
When the fight was over the major lay
dead under peach tree near the back
door, killed as he came out to direct
his men, and in the house was a sight
to break our hearts. Mammy's 'little
boy" was corpse, horribly disfgured
by carbine ball which had struck him
in the face. Grandpa and grandma,
white-haired, aged and bent, sat mute
and helpless, their hearts telling them
that we were murderers and old Nam
my, her black face looking as hard as
marble, ana her eyes blazing like a
tigers, stood before us and pointed to
our horrible work and cried:
elf de Lawd cher dun furgives one
of We den l nebbcr want to go to
Heaben.'
What could we do? What could we
say? 1t was war-horrible, murderous
war. Those helpless people were not
our enemies, but war deals its evil
blows to the armed and unarmed. In
our hearts we grieved and sorrowed
with them, and there was not man
who would not have given an arm &c
undo that bloody work.
And we rode on TO slay and wound
and make yet other hearts wonder
why a mcrciful God would permit
such a cruel thing as war.
The Good Old Mans Disappointment.
A genial smile played over the be
nignant face of the kind old man as
he wheeled his chair up to his desk
and wrote few lines on sheet OF
paper.
cit will make some poor widowed
mother happier" he sand to himself,
elf | can give her boy good situation
l .