Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-05-28
CHARLES WALLACE,
AZ
CONFEDERATE SOLDIER
WHO
WANTED TO GO HOME,
But I COULDN'T TAKE HIM.
LILA REYNOLDS.
CHARLES WALLACE,
LILA REYNOLDS

den at home.
The summer of 1864 brought the sad
intelligence to Judge Reynolds that his
son. soldier in the federal army. had
fallen in an affray with guerrillas near
| Memphis. Harry Reynolds captain
wrote to the judge that Harry had
| been buried in village cemetery a
| dozen miles from Memphis, and a
cedar plank, upon which his name was
carved. had been placed at his head.
| Lila passed through tempest of
grief over the death of her brother, and
| then said:
| Maybe some little Tennessee girl
| that hates this wicked war like / do,
will take care of brothers grave; SO I'll
keep poor Charley Wallace's grave nice,
anyhow"
| The tide of war flowed here and there
throughout the south. As rule, the
women of the south were engaged in
the sterner duties of life occasioned by
the absence of so many of the male
population The terrible reality of war
was ever near, and they, in many cases,
| became Injured to the bloody scenes of
those times No sympathy could be
wasted upon even their own dead, and
| Oh course iLeV udu lllCIc 10 spare 1OI
the northern troops
In the town of Barrett, Tenn, where
| the remains of Harry Reynolds lay, the
ladies were especially vindictive against
the federal troops. Capt. Leslie had
| buried Harry in the village graveyard,
because he wanted to leave a well de-
| fined clew to his resting place. by
| which his friend, Judge Reynolds,
| might find the grave of his son. The
act was bitterly resented by some of
the ladies of the place, and few even
talked of removing the body. One OF
them said:
After all we've suffered from the
ruthless tramping of northern soldiery
over our homes, they place their dead
alongside of ours. l say, take the
Yankees body up, and put it off to
itself"
a little child with dark brown eyes
here spoke:
But, mamma. this Yankee can't do
our dead any harm. The Yankee cap
tain said his people will come some
day and take him away. If he is left
where he is, his father can find him
easily. Captain Minter wrote from
Chicago where he is in prison, that
Charley was killed in the Morgan raid
through Indiana. Maybe he was buried
in some graveyard, and perhaps we
we will some day find him. l should
feel awful if we treat this poor Yankee
boy badly, and then find out that my
brothers grave had been cared for by
northern people"
The ladies gathered at Mrs Wallace
We're touched by these tender words OF
little Cora Wallace. She saw her ad.
vantage. and continued:
Il think you might let me take care
of Harry Reynolds grave. l was
standing by when they put him in the
coffin. He was an awful pretty man.
Not the same kind of pretty that my
brother Charley was. His hair was
light, but it chung to his forehead in
the sweetest curls. Brother was dark,
and used to play with the coal black
hair on his head as it clustered about
his temples We think the northerners
are wrong, but suppose they think we
are wrong. Anyway, this poor Yankee
soldier and brother Charley cannot do
any harm to either side. Let's treat
the Yankee right, and maybe some one
will treat Charley right"
| One OF the visitors here said:
Cora is right, Mrs. Wallace. We
cannot afford to carry our resentment
into the graves of our enemies Let
US remember that once we were Chris
tian people, and the day may come
when we can again be such; and let US
not do too much now, that we may re-
greet after awhile
Under the mellowing influences OF
talk like this. Mrs. Wallace softened,
and her little daughter asked:
May / fix up the Yankees grave
mammal"
Yes, dear, do as you wish
So it transpired that Cora Wallace
performed the same sad sweet offices
for the grave of Harry Reynolds, that
Lila Reynolds had been performing for
the grave of Charles Wallace.
The war closed. thank God. The
soldiers of both armies returned home,
and purple pinioned peace spread her
beauteous and benign wings over the
| land. The nobler hearts of both Sec
tons set steadily to work to heal the
| wounds of war. Among these peace
makers were Col. Wallace of Tennes-
see, and Judge Reynolds of Indiana
The Judge had been deferred by of.
fetal duties from visiting the south
and removing his sons remains until
the summer of 1865. He started about
the first of July, accompanied by Lila,
upon this sad errand. He arrived in
the middle of an oppressively hot after
noon. Lila insisted upon proceeding
Immediately to the grave. Getting
directions from the hotel keeper. they
passed down the shady streets and out
to the cemetery. Entering the in
closure, they saw little girl about
Lila's age arise from a grave, from
which she had been pulling the weeds
Lila whispered:
20. papa, that little girl looks like
| my rebel
AS Cora gazed at them she thought:
How much like nv Yankee that lit
tie girl looks.'
My child, can you show me the
grave of a northern soldier named Har-
ry Reynolds"
Yes, sir; this is it, was the low
| sweet reply.
The strong man and the little girl
| knelt reverently by the grassy mound
Cora drew back a few PAGES, and
| viewed the scene. She understood the
case, and was in thorough sympathy
| with it. After the judge could control
| his emotion. he asked:
.'Nho has cared SO tenderly for my
boys grave?"
4 g; 1890 J.,x-