Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-12-21
ROMANCE OF THE WAR.
Mrs. Gen. Pickett Tells How She Joined
the Blue and the GRAY.
An Exile in Canada, and Pathetic Struggle
for Bread-A School Marm's Test in Latin.
and How 1t Secured Place.

ana nOH II c0CuIcu u 1l6Ce.
In the United States pension Office
there is a lady employee frst-class
clerk-whose history is not only excep-
tionally interesting, but in a sense
nationally so-for to her belongs the
honor OF bringing about the union of
the blue and the gray who survived
the late war of the rebellion. The first
interest attaches to her as the widow
of the late confederate general, George
Pickett. whose bravery and manliness
both sides concede.
All mankind-and we grant at once
that they only are judges of what con-
stitute womanly beauty-consider Mrs
Pickett beautiful woman. She is
above medium height, and she is still
in her early forties. and as charming
as when she became a bride at fifteen.
Win that additional grace of manner
which comes only with maturity and
experience.
On recent occasion Mrs. Pickett
was persuaded by the writer to 90 into
the details of the fact so often stated,
that after the close of the war Gen.
Pickett and wife sought safety from
possible arrest for treason by an in
cognito residence in Canada. She
said:
'As | told you once before, l was
only fifteen when | was married. NV
home was in the possession of the
Yankees. My lover was on the other
side-Gen. Pickett. Our wedding day
was at hand, and he could not come
for me, but he managed to communi-
cate with me. All stratagems are fair
in love and war. My family got per-
mission to go through the lines, and
Gen. Pickett with a guard came as far
on the way to meet me as he dared
We met half way, and were married
at Petersburg. We went at once into
the field, and must say / was happier
in the midst Of wars alarms than |
was when at home with absence and
anxiety for companions.
Il was as arrant little rebel as the
south ever provided. | did not believe
a Yankee could be as refined and in
telligent gentleman as those on our
side; nor did | think them as well ed
ucated or as brave. | would scarcely
look at one, much less shake hands.
All this amused my husband, for he
was educated at West Point, was a
cosmopolitan, aud looked upon my
opinions as the Informed ideas of
mere girl. A change in my sentiments
came about after the war in this wise.
We had become self-imposed eXiles,
because we supposed all the active
participants, such as officers, would be
punished for treason. We fled to
Canada under my husbands mothers
family name of Edwards, and we were
as poor and obscure as church mice.
Well, after various vicisi tudes, and re-
manning there year and half, Gen.
Grant heard of our case and he tele-
graphed to Gen. Pickett that he could
return 10 the states, as the terms Of
the surrender would be carried out.
We returned to New York and "A recep-
ton was given to my husband by old
comrades in the city, and 50 many
Union officers came to see US and
treated us so kindly, were so well edu-
Gated, so refined, | was heartily
ashamed of my former estimate of d
Yankee, especially after Gen. Grant
offered to make my husband marshal
of Virginia.
Returning to our Canadian expert
ence as ] said, we were without any re-
sources. Our home, our country, our
cause. each was lost. | was only six
teen and one-half years old and | felt
our situation deeply. l had young
child, a voice and tolerable educa-
ton. These last | looked upon as
capital My husband could not get
enough to do to support US. One day
Isaw an advertisement in Il daily paper
for a school teacher. Being a gradu-
ate of Lynchburg Female College, L
presented myself as a candidate. An
old Scotch servant admitted me, and
conducted me up stairs to the prlncl-
pal She turned me over to him as a
Miss who thinks she can teach school,
His first question was to ask me II l
could read Latin. On being assured
that could, he proceeded with my eX-
animation right before the school, and
| answered questions, or finished ques-
tions which he began. Finally he
wrote on the black board, Preside mt
Lincoln says nobody is hurt. Quick
as a flash | wrote. and as quickly
erased, But somebody was tie
turned and clasped my hand and said:
Madam, you have passed the ordeal
the situation is yours | filled 1T for
six months, when we felt free to re-
turn to the states by the assurance oil
Gen. Grants recall. Even now l can
not recall my experiences without
mingled emotions. They were pathet-
ic, and vet, in some respects. at this
distance of time, l can laugh at them
Yes, | have seen great variety OF
life-had as many ups and downs as
the heroine of romance; but L was
most touched by my reception at Get
tysburg, July /, 1887, when the soldiers
monument was dedicated, and the Blue
and the Gray veterans met there My
husbands old comrades, and the courte-
sizes shown me by the Pennsylvania