Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-11-09
A LETTERS WANpERINes.
Aaer Twenty-Five Years It Beaches tho
Purty Ii Tx Addressed to,

Aaer Tycnty-nvc Years II Beaches tho
Purity 1t In Addressed to.
Among the many curious things
that occur in the handling of the mails
none are more curious or out of the
ordinary than a story related by Mr..
John Shoemaker a saddle and harness
maker at l34l North Broadway, and
member of Ransom post G. A. r. At
the beginning Of the late war, Mr..
Schomalser was living at Fort Madison,
H.. where lie enlisted as q member OF
the old Fremont body guard, and
came to ST. Lot;is to Camp Ashboth.
lie went south. and after Fremont
was superseded by Gen. Hunter the
body guard was tlisbunded. and the
members joined other companies. MIR.
Shoemaker became member of COM
pany L, FiftllsIowu cavalry, which
was attached to company &. Of the
Fourth Michigan cavalry lie was
under Gen. Thomas. and as mem-S
Der of the headquarters courier line.
carried dispatches on the Chicka-
ni;,uga battle slied. and also acted IN
the same capacity ON and around
Lookout MoullailJs and Missionary
Ridge, and wen ,sass far. east as Jones'
boro, Ga, ol Ger: aShcrmall's march.
TO the sea. On April. III, 1864, John.
H. Scl0nlaker, .fullicr of:tlie soldier,
directed letter To him from Fort
Madison. la. and, thinking he was.il
Tennessee, wrote the following adj
dress on the envelope:
JOHN scHoMAKEls
Co r, Fifth Iowa t.iyairy. with Go. g.
Fourth Mich Cavalry. via Nashville
The letter reached Nashville in due
time. and was forwarded to tile Fifth
Iowa cavalry, lying near Clatta-
rooga, Tenn. But Mr. SchomalserShad
been detailed on the headquarters
courier line. and was gone a fewdays
before the letter arrived at the camp.
Tile letter wasScnt back to Nashville.
where it remained few days while
the mail officials were looking up the
whereabouts OF tile Iowa company. 1t
seems that Company +. of the Fifth
Iowa cavalry, had about thistime gone
honlelon a veterans furlouglf to see
tlleir,wives and sweetllearts. and were
afterwards thrown among two Iowa
companies. The lettcrswas forwarded
FROM Nashville to the Third Mime
sofa cavalry at ST. Paul,1Minn. But
Dir. Shoemaker, instead of taking adj
vantage of the Through in his Iowa
company in Tennessee. had gone on to.
Georgia with Sherman, and OF course
the letter did not reach hin i'll Mime
sofa. However, the ST. Paul postofiice
officials, thinking that Mr. Shoemaker
was among the Iowalls mixed up with
the Minnesota companies, redirected
the letter as follows:
On detached duty CT Fort Smelling. Mimi.
And the letter now found its way
to this outpost iii the north, while the
soldier to whom it was written was
fighting far away in Georgia The
letter was finally advertised, accord
ing to the postal laws at Fort Smelling.
but on July 81, 1864. was sent to the
dead letter Office, III Washington.
Up to this time the ncarestin time and
space that the letter came to Mr.. Scllo:
maker was the distance from NASH
vile to Chattanooga, and tile period
OF one day. He left Chattanooga for
Georgia one ,day.before the letter ar
rived, there But-tiIes letter;was again
sent 10 the eXnct-pluce.he had left Only
few days before it arrived. Mr..
Shoemaker visited his home in Fort
Madison. La, for one month in 1864.
and few days after he left tile letter
was returned to its writer, John II.
Schoniaker, from the dead letter Of
fee. Tile envelope and letter were
enclosed in a new envelope. 1t was
thrown into a bureau drawer among
several old letters and relics, and was
forgotten by the family.
Mr. Shoemaker, of this city, never
visited his home again until last Sep
tember, and while there lie was nosiug
around among some old letters and
ran across this identical letter which
his father had written to him during
the war. Tie envelope was covered
with the mold of twenty-five years.
and the ink had faded into dim lines
at places. Yet the sentences were en-
tjrely iegiblc. and Mr.. Schomaker read
the letter for the first time, with as
much avidity as if lie had received it
twenty-five years before when ii ar
rived in Tennessee, and had then per-
used it by the ilickerinS light OF the
camp fire. I;ut he read it at this late
date with very different phase Of in
terest than if he had seen it i'll 1864.
Then it would have been fresh news
from the loved ones at home. Now it
was read with only al cagerness that
recalled the thrilling scenes Of 4 quar-
ter century ago. Received at the
camp long ago the letter would have
been fresh news, Reau at this time it
was memento.- a "reminiscences. Mr..
Shoemaker brought the letter home
with him and has placed it among
quite collection Of war relics which
lie has obtained to satisfy his anti
quarian tastes. The letter is held
dear by him, and it could not be pur-
chased by gold, grcchbacks, or an
African diamond mine. = st. Louis
Globe Democrat