The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-08-28
WEEPING LITTLE LOU.
a Touching Incident in the Panorama
the Great Rebellion.

Touching Incident in the Panorama of
the Great Rebellion.
1t was in January, 1863, the wind min
glcd with rain and slect, swept mourn
fully through the forest of cedars that
bordcrcd Stone river. The roads, called
pixies down there, deep-scamed and fur
rowcd by the wheels of heavy army
wagons were soft or sticky with tough
clay and almost impossible, yet artil-
lery was moving to the front, cavalry
and infantry soldiers hurrying forward
silently, but with n stern purpose, to
check the expected attack on our left.
Not a campfire chccrcd the dismal sur
r~oundings, not n bugle note or Il loud
word of command, for Rosecrans was
quietly massing his forces on the left
center to NOV down without mercy
the thousands who were soon to fall
q sacrifice in the dreadful harvest of
battlS.
Long rows of dead. side by side, lay
alongside the pike for Identification, n
sad commentary of the axiom that the
bullet is no rcsrcctor of persons and a
mournful illustration of the soldiers un-
kncllcd fate. Nor were these all. Alone,
~ S'lb'l' NllIl lo NolG Hdliu " SlllbOll
his war-worn brow, or breathe 4 prayer
for his gallant soul, hundreds of miles
from the proud, loving circle of his
home, in the dense ccdars of that bloody
battlefield lay many a soldier dead or
dying for the cause he gave his life to
win-the splendid flag he died to save
from dishonor. Elsewhere, across the
field of the still unburicd dead. from
their rain-sodden, muddy-trcnchcs, the
shivcring sharpshooters kept up Il dcs-
ultory firing that BODIED no good to any
rash enough to expose his person to
their aim. No fires to warm, no r~ations.
but dry field corn. Men slept wrapped
in wet blankets, in the cold, ~clinging
clay, while their leadcn hearts were as
gloomy as the lcadcn skies above.
OF near another pike, and out far from
the scene where the glorious Phil Shcri.
dams division saved from utter ruin the
pantc-stricken veterans of that grand
army, stood n small house, used as a
temporary refuge for the wounded,
marrcd and splintered with bullets and
shell, one cannOn ball having plowcd
over the floor, scattering the room with
its rcd work of destruction, it was
scarcely the place to find an old woman
and a little girl eight years of age. She
was standing by the house with an OH
Ger. He found her sobbing as if her
heart would break. Her father, like
many others in that region, had fled to
the Confederate side with his rife as
soon as our army drew near. A prisoner
had told her hat her father lay dead
between our pickcts and the enemy, and
indicated to her quite plainly Just about
where he fell on the skirmish line. She
was sobbing and pleading to go to him.
In vain tho officer warned her she could
not pass the lines-or, if she did, tho
danger of being shot, but she cried she
must go find her father; that her man.
ma was dead, and papa had mammals
picture with him, and if she did not &c
and get it some one would steal it. The
officer, deeply affected by the poor little
creatures distress, hurried away from
the spot.
Then might have been seen n strange
thing. With a little old faded shaw.
about her wan-pinchcd face, her cold
stOckingless feet in wet, Undiscovered
shoes, fitting from tree to tree through
the dark cedar aisles to the front of tn,
line, this little CHASTITY spirit sped along
on her mission of love. On past tn,
trenches, while the spinning bullets
whirlod and sung above her head, sh,
soon revealed herself to the opposing
s~harpshooters, but was she safe? Safe
MOI in the halls of wealth, in the guard
ed thoroughfare of the most peacefn
spot on earth was ever a child safer ant
frcer from danger than that poor littl,
orphan Of war, as with anxious look ant
hasty tread she peercd about among tn,
clay-disigured faces for the feat
ures of her dead father. Lik,
the lull before a storm the rife
ceased thoir wicked crack, and
know that many a powder-blackene,
face was streaked with n hot and un
checked tear, when at last they saw thi
little maid hasten to one body and he'll
to raise it to a sitting posture, and the,
saw the gentle, tender motion of a child
ish hand wipe the coarse stains fror
the dying soldiers face, saw her place
canteen to his feverish lips, saw hir
fold her to his heart and Their fall bac.
to earth, saw her stoop and kiss tn
silent lips, and taking something fror
his hand, silently drew back to the she
tering cedar grove once more.
The soldiers called her Little Lou
but, like the Genes and events of thos
trying and soul-thrilling days, she to
lives, but in the memory of tho past
faint, fantastic NTH in the panorama @
the great rebellion. Major Il, w. Hui
bell. in American Tribune.