Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-12-19
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
GENERAL PICKETS WIDOW.
Glimpse at the Romances and Reality OF
Life During the War.

In the United States Pension Office of
Washington there is lady employee
! frst-class clerk-whose history is not
only exceptionally interesting, but in a
sense nationally so, for to her belongs
the honor of bringing about fraternal
union of the blue and the gray who sur
vived the late war of the rebellion. The
first interest, however, 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-
stitutes womanly beauty-consider Mrs.
/ Pickett a beautiful woman. She is
above medium height. Her figure is all
soft lines and curves. Her eyes and her
hair are black, the first large, melting
or flashing, as is her mood. Her hands
| and feet are small, and her taste in
dress is good. She is still in her early
forties, and as charming as when she be-
came bride at fifteen, with that addi-
| tional grace of manner which comes only
with maturity and experience.
On recent occasion Mrs. Pickett was
persuaded by the writer to go into the
details of the fact so often simply stated
| that after the close of the war General
Pickett and wife sought safety from
possible arrest for treason by an incog-
nito residence in Canada. She said:
las l told you once before, was only
| fifteen when l was married; my home
was in possession of the Yankees. My
lover was on the other side-General
Pickett. Our wedding day was at hand,
| and he could not come to me, but he
managed to communicate with me. All
strategems are fair in love and war.
| My family got permission to go through
the lines, and General Pickett with a
guard came as far on the way to meet
roe as he dared. We met half way, and
were married at Petersburg by Rev. DIR.
Plat. We at once went into the field,
and 1 must say 1 was happier in the
midst of wars alarms than l was while
at home with absence and anxiety for
companions.
Il was as arrant little rebel as the
South ever provided. l did not believe
Yankee could be as refined and intelli-
gent gentleman as those on our side;
nor did think them as well educated or
as brave. 1 would scarcely look at one,
much less shake hands. All this amused
my husband, for he was educated at
West Point, was a cosmopolitan, and
looked upon my opinions as the i'll
formed ideas of a 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
active participants, such as officers,
would be punished for treason. We fed
to Canada under my husbands mothers
name of Edwards, and we were as poor
and obscure as church mice. will tell
you about that directly. Well, after
various vicissitudes and remaining there
a year and half, General Grant heard
of our case, and he telegraphed to Cen
eral Pickett that he could return to the
States, as the terms of the surrender
would be carried out We returned to
New York, and reception was given to
my husband by old comrades in the city,
and so many Union officers came to see
US and treated US so kindly, were so we'll
educated, so refined, 1 was heartily
ashamed of my former estimate of
Yankee, especially after General Grant
offered to make my husband marshal of
Virginia.
ITO give some expression to my feel
ings, on our return to Virginia thought
1 would have my husbands watch,
which was an heirloom, engraved I'M
known to him and present it to him on
the anniversary of the battle of Gettys-
burg, to indicate to him my changed
sentiments. thought by giving all the
battles in which he had fought during the
Mexican war and as Confederate, and
by crossing the flags to symbolic the
union of the blue and the gray, that
could do So No jeweler in Richmond
would engrave such piece of 'treachery
to the South Public sentiment was
against any such feeling being ex-
pressed, and had to send it to Balti-
more to have it done, after which 1 had
the pleasure of giving it to my husband
on the anniversary of the battle of Get
tysburg, as had planned.
Returning to our Canadian expert
ence, as l said, we were with
out any resources. Our home,
our country, our cause, each was
lost. 1 was only sixteen and one-half
years old, and felt our situation deeply.
1 had young child, voice, and toll
cradle education. These last looked
upon as capital. My husband could not
get enough to do to support US.
Zone Sunday was desperate. Invent
IL to- EHi1oD,0a1 =
We were at Montreal. 1 had on my
wedding dress, which was dove colored
luster, with a dove cOlored, drawn silk
poke bonnet with pink roses under the
brim. / wore a wide, turn down collar,
and a large, black silk visite, and 1
looked like a guy, but it was all the
finery had since the war, and close
turbans had succeeded poke bonnets,
while visites had gone entirely out of
style, and high linen collars only were
worn. Still 1 was too proud to make any
sign. 1 walked daringly into that
church and up into the choir loft, and
sat down in the singers seat. When the
service began began to sing, and pretty
soon the chorister noticed me- Coming
over he asked me to take the contraltos
place, she being absent that morning. 1t
was simple service and not unfamiliar
to me; so sung my very best and had
the satisfaction of seeing the faces of
the congregation turn, one by one, until
at the close of the service-well, the
chorister engaged me on the spot. felt
as if my going there had been or was a
special providence, for it kent the wolf
from the door.
81 must tell you an incident connect
ed with that morning. At the close of