The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-06-12
uJlMMY ~rEAR-DROP,"
The Touching Little story OF q Poor Bat'
tte.Fleld waih

Vta -
We had been Bkirmishing with
Stuart's cavalry, and at a bend In the
road we had shelled them vigorously
with our light artillery. As we passed
this bend, still, following tho enemy, We
found four dead men, three or lou dead
horses, and a boy about ten years old
sitting on a stone, 80 white4faced and
scared that he could not speak q 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 1t as Jimmy" Jimmy what?"
He was crying so that we could not make
it 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 tho heat of bat
tie was in his blood his heart would
grow soft at sight of a poor rabbit fright
encd from cover by the awful din. We
had not a second look for the dead lying
there, but half a dozen troopers tangled
as to who should be guardian Of that boy.
He was a Legitimate capture-one Of the
spoils of war. AS a compromise he was
sent to the wagon-master for tho time
being.
In time Jimmy Tcar-Drop'' told us
that his mother wa dead. His father
lived on the road by which we had
marched, and as Stuart fell 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 IL alive, had little
chance to hear of him.
Every company of soldiers had its pet,
If not a dog, or cat or goat, then some
thing else-even a '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 bril-
gado. lie was a quiet little chap, SEEM
ing to have a 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 a reunion, that he laughed and
seemed boy-like. The officers tried to
send him away, but we kept him hid
don and treasured him as il he had been
a gold nugget. Our tailor made him
clothes, and We foraged him a pair of
shoes, and when we got him rugged out
We all felt proud of him. don't think
Jimmy Tcar-Drop learned any wicked
ness from us. We taught him to dance,
and he could sing a song or two, but the
boys were careful of their hard words
whom he was near. n no on would
teach him any thing about cards. On
the contrary, "Old Jack" our company
teamster, got some books and taught
him his A, Is, Cs, and called us in to
hear him spell dog and hen" and
hat and other easy words.
We'll, the spring came, and one day
our whole army corps moved. Jimmy
went along with the wagon train, and at
a certain point on one of the highways
the enemy made a dash and cut off q
portion of the train. We got it back
after a sharp fight, and when We came
to look around we found about twenty
dead and wounded mon. If there had
been nothing more we should have
wheeled into line and TESTED over it. A
soldier takes his chances, you see. If
I' Nii iV SSbo Nv Si'uip' / nv i"iin
there is always earth enough to hide his
body from sight.
We were getting ready to move or
when there was an excitement among
the wagons, and W. pushed into the
train to find 'Old jack bonding ovel
something lying on a blanket on the
grass, He was crying like II woman
and some of our boys were brushing
tears from their eyes and others hotl,
vowing vengeance. That something OF
the blanket was our boy-our Jimmy
Tear-Drop. A stray bullet had wills
tied through the cover of the wagon anc
ended his life as quickly as you coult
blow out the flame of a candle. And O
he lay there on his back, whito-facet
and dead and his eyes half closed, W,
saw through our own tears n great tea
on his check-a pearl glistening in TIT
, southern sunshine which streamed dow
l through the smoke yet hanging abou
l the trec-tops. Then in our sore heart
We felt that we had rightly named hin
Jimmy Tcar-Drop, and that tho hand o
7 God was in it.-Dctroit Free Press.
. Strength of the Grand Army.
The membership OF the Grand Arm,
= lin good standing) as given in the dc
!, partmcnt returns December 81, 1889, i
shown as follows: Alabama, Gel; Ari
IONA, 802; Arkansas, 1850; California
!, 1866; Colorado and Wyoming, 9, 1877; Con
nccticut, $50; Dakota, 3,515; Delaware
. 1,215; Florida, 40; Georgia, 355; Idaho
442; Illinois, 80, 3l3; Indiana, 25, l6t
Iowa, 20,23l; Kansas, 1882; Kentucky
, 5,G03; Louisiana and Mississippi, no RI
= port; Maine, 1864; Massachusetts, 81
COZ; Maryland 2,224; Michigan, 21.25I
> Minnesota, s,40S; Missouri, 10, S3s; Nor
tana, 674; Nebraska, 7,443; New HAM
shire, s, 043: New Jersey, 1879; New Me,
leo, 1871; New York, 40, 75S; Ohio, 40, 21
Oregon, 1,7lS; Pennsylvania, 44,61i
!. Potomac, 2,077; Rhode Island, ass
> Tennessee, 3,061: Texas, s13; Utah, IA
> Vermont, 5000: Virginia, 1918; Wasl
!, ington and Alaska, 1,742; West Virgins
3, 1855; Wisconsin, 49, 44. Total, 397, 81
: Gain for the last three months Of 1888
. 1l,27S.
!, GRAND ARMY NOTES.
! MINNESOTA has 1888 Grand Arm
, posts.