Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-06-14
aS "JIMMY TEAR-DRoP."
Tho Touching Little Story of Poor Bat
tle-Eiold Waif.

ySy OlNImI EAn-DhOfs
Tho Touching Little Story of Poor Bat
tle-Fiold Waif.
We had been skirmishing with
Stuarts cavalry, and at a bend in the
road we had shelled them vigorously
with our light artillery. As we passed
this bend, still following the enemy, we
found four dead men, threo or four dead
horses, and a boy about ten years old
sitting on n stone, so white-faced and
scared that he could not speak a word.
We spoke kindly to him, and tried to
comfort him, and finally he began to
cry. When we asked for his name he
gave it as Jimmy" Jimmy what?"
He was crying so that we could not make
1t out Then some one suggested that
it must be Jimmy Tear-drop," and the
name at once became his.
The soldier of the civil war was a
curious being. While the heat of bat
tie was in his blood his heart would
grow soft at sight of poor rabbit fright
ened from cover by the awful din. We
had not second look for the dead lying
there, but half dozen troopers tangled
as to who should be guardian of that boy.
He was legitimate capture-one of the
spoils of war. AS a compromise he was
sent to the wagonmaster for the time
being.
In time "Jimmy Tear-Drop" told us
that his mother was dead. His father
lived on the road by which we had
marched, and as Stuart foil back he took
his boy by the hand and fell back with
the soldiers. In the confusion father
and son had become separated, and they
were never to meet again. Our camp was
thirty miles away. and the boy went
there with us, and once within our lines
the father, even if alive, had little
chance to hear of him.
Every company of soldiers had its pet,
if not dog, or cat or goat then some
thing else-even 'possum or raccoon.
1t was late in the fall when we captured
Jimmy Tear-Drop, and by spring he was
known to most all the men in the bri-
gade. He was quiet little chap, SEEM
ing to have q great sorrow in his heart,
and it was only when he heard us talk
ing about the end of the war, and how
he intended to find his father and bring
about reunion, that he laughed and
seemed boy-like. The officers tried to
send him away, but we kept him hid
den and treasured him as if he had been
a gold nugget. Our tailor made him
clothes, and we foraged him pair of
shoes, and when we got him rugged out
we all felt proud of him. don't think
Jimmy Tear-Drop learned any wicked
ness from US. We taught him to dance,
and he could sing song or two, but the
boys were careful of their hard words
when he was near, and no one would
teach him any thing about cards. On
the contrary, "Old jack" our company
teamster, got some books and taught
him his A, b, Cs, and called us in to
hear him spell dog" and "hen" and
shat" and other easy words.
Well, the spring came, and one day
our whole army corps moved. Jimmy
went along with the wagon train, and at
certain point on one of the highways
the enemy made dash and cut off a
portion of the train. We got it back
after sharp fight, and when we came
to look around we found about twenty
dead and wounded men. If there had
been nothing more we should have
wheeled into line and jested over it. A
soldier takes his chances, you see. If
he wins he gets no credit If he falls
there is always earth enough to hide his
body from sight
We were getting ready to move on
when there was an excitement among
the wagons, and we pushed into the
train to find "Old Jack" bending over
something lying on blanket on the
grass. He was crying like woman,
and some of our boys were brushing
tears from their eyes and others hotly
vowing vengeance. That something on
the blanket was our boy-our Jimmy
Tear-Drop. A stray bullet had whis-
tied through the cover of the wagon and
ended his life as quickly as you could
blow out the flame of n candle. And as
he lay there on his back, white-faced
and dead and his eyes half closed, we
ssw through our own tears q great tear
on his cheek-a pearl glistening in the
southern sunshine which streamed down
through the smoke yet hanging about
the tree-tops. Then in our sore hearts
we felt that we had rightly named him
Jimmy Tear Drop, and that the hand OF
God was in it.-Detroit Free Press.
Strength of the Grand Army.
The membership of the Grand Army
| lin good standing) as given in the de-
partment returns December 81, 1889, is
shown as follows: Alabama, 2s1; Ari
zona, 3O2; Arkansas, 1,S5O; California,
1856; Colorado and Wyoming, 2, S37; Con
| necticut q 2aO. Dakota q h15. Delawnra