The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-25
"MoLLY's" TRIP TO THE SEA.
The Glory Which Fell to the Lot of q
Cow During the War.

The Glory Which Fell to the Lot of q
Cow During the War.
When the veterans of Gen. Sherman's
army marched along Pennsylvania avenue,
Washington, in that memorable parade that
marked the close of the war, a placid old
COW tied to the rear of an ambulance
became burdened under a constantly
increasing weight of garlands and flowers
piled upon her by the enthusiastic specta-
tors along the line of march, says the New
York Euening Post She bore her honors
meekly. for sac had won them by steady
d avotion to the union cause, through the
'Vicksburg and Atlanta campaigns and in
Sherman'S march to the sea. She belonged
to that class upon whom greatness is thrust,
for she was drafted into the army for no
nobler purpose than to be transformed into
beef but fate reserved her for three wears
of campaigning and soldiers burial at the
end.
Early in 1862 she was picked up in some
quiet pasture of the north and sent with
many of her kind to the army of the Ten
nessee, then operating in Western Tennessee.
AS the commissary of subsistence surveyed
his herd he discovered one mich COW among
them that, even to his official eye, was unfit
for beef. He reported the matter to Gen.
NJ. d. Leggett, who was in command, and
| asked him what to do.
| who had been reared in the dairy regions of
| Northeastern Ohio, where the COW is the
| chief purveyor of the household; 81 will
| pay you her value for beef"
The transaction was officially completed,
and "Molly" was member of the generals
| family thenceforth.
"Uncle Joe," the colored cook, took her
in personal charge, and the comradeship
thus formed was severed oaly by the dra-
matte fortunes of war, to be related further
| on. She was tied to the cooks wagon, and
so easily adapted herself to soldier life, that
| in few days the ropes were cut off; yet
| she still held her station and seldom allowed
| the wagon out of sight She was generous
| in her wed, portion of which was always
| reserved for the sick or wounded, an ar
| rangement that secured her immunity from
| the fate that befell nearly all army cows, as
| her milk was never stolen, and no effort was
| ever made to confiscate her for beef, even
when the men were in the worst stages of
| beef hunger. She became SO popular with
the soldiers that when forage was scarce the
boys would CLEAN for her whateve- could be
found along the line of march and bestow i t
| upon her when settled in camp Gen.
Leggett always kept one horse les than
the regulations allowed. and the extra
ration was drawn daily and turned over to
the COW.
Much travelling made ''Mollyn sootsore.
and she was taken to the blacksmith and
fitted with as neat a set of, shoes as were
worn by any horse in the army. The sec
ond day out from Atlanta, on the march to
the sea, an aged confederate with patri
archal mien, came to Gen. Leggett and
complained that his men had taken his last
remaining COW, the sole support # two in
valid and dependent grandchildren. The
general told him that of course she had been
killed for beef as soon as taken, and that
there was little chance for redress The
man replied that she had not been killed.
but was even then being driven along with
the procession.
When asked for a description, he hit
| "Molly" off very neatly, aud when the gen
eral rode back with him uutil they met
headquarters, and the COW was seen, the
claima It pointed her out and declared posi-
lively that she had been confiscated from
his barnyard
Willing to see how far he would go. the
| general said:
Examine her closely and see If there
are any marks by which she can be iden-
| titled"
He did so, and recognized several minute
marks that made him positive she was his,
! even pointing out some scratches she had
received from the brush a day or two
before. The general then lifted one of her
fee and showing her shoes, asked if his COW
was shod.
Yes, l always keep my cows shodn
This was too much for the general, who
had held to the possibility of the mans
being honestly mistaken. The old man was
placed under guard, while mounted squad
was sent to the address he had given with
special Instructions to look after the grand
children. The detail soon returned and re-
ported. They had met an old lady, and
discovered the man was her brother, that