The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-11-04
Brsvst Widows

engineer have taken him All over the
country, and being close observer, his
opinions are entitled 70 respectful con-
siderstion. As We sat smoking on the
wide piszzs and watching the growing
moonlight gradually discovering the
grounds ofthe adjoining mansion. saw
a nrmher Of ladies' boxing eastward and
heard them commenting in loV. me'o-
dio1s voices on the gio-ies Of the night.
-Four maiden sisters, whispered the
Colonel, -znd they are the owners and.
with the servants, the sole occupants Of
that fine old mansion"
1T is evident that your wife has IN
bounded faith in you" I laughed, -or
she would not leave you alone IN this
nsighb0rhOod-7
she Is good friend 70 the widows
and she feels thst am quite safe with
them within call said the Colonel.
But I thosght you said they were
maiden sisters ?"
80 did. and when said widows
I meant widows BY brsvet. Those ladies'
are roE between 20 and 80 years Of age.
Friends tell me that as girls they we're
very pretty. They are the best educated
women ever met, but they are neither
pedsntic nor misanthrOpic They are
above want But their husbands were
killed
Their husbands killed - Interrupt
ed.
~Yes, killed in tie wAr; bat al ofthsm
may not know il. Let me explain North
and south there were killed in battle or
died Of diseases fully 500.0O0 men. not
ons-tenfh Of whom were married. OF
the men Al the front who bore the brunt
OF battle, fully nine-tenths we're under -
years Of age. Nov il Is law Of nature
i that every male must have his mate. and
every man who Is killed or who dies
pre1atIirsiy and unmarried, forces some
woman in some place 70 remain single
This subject interests me, and 50 have
made a study q IT, I started out with
theory 70 account for the number Of
single women over 10 whom meet with
unvarying regularity in the South as well
as in the North, and ny theory is cor
rect that Is Why I call them, not cid
maids, but widows by brevet
1T i true that many Of the widows By
brevst may never have met the man they
might have married had there been no
war, but in the great majority Of cases
they knew the man. for they bad been
neighbors, friends and schoolmafes.
wss single man when, in 1861, I took
command Of my troops at stanton, ".
Va OF the 10 men in the company
there Was not one married. was then
. and was the Oldest man in the troop.
I Our youngest men were about IS, but
was told, and believe il, thai, from the
captain down, every man who rode with
Us for Bull Run that July morning had a
sweetheart and was engAged-
when the war ended I checked of
with friend the original muster rjll Of
that company. Thirty one survived The
rest had gone down before the bullet or
the more fatal diseases Of the camp. Bus
that meant 50 girls in and about Staun-
ton whose sweethe4rts went away 70 die,
There never was a soldier, worth the
Lead that killed him, that didn't have
some woman az home, mother, sister or
sweetheart, oftener all three, 70 mourn
his taking on. The bullet seldom stop
ped in the brain or breast Of the man il
struck down on the battlefield, bur wing
ed is way over river and hill to lind rs
6nal resting place in womsn's beart-
But Of all the people who have suffered
By the war, the brevst widow most ex-
cites my sympathies.
4 10 not think regard her from the
standpoint Of a sentimentslisi bat I felt
when the last Congress was looking about
for something % pension, that, instead Of
wasting 50 much money on Home Guards
substitutes and Others, who either did
not need a pension or we're unworthy Of
il. il would have been q stroke Of states
manship and an evidence Of chivalry
had the breyit widows been pensioned-
You laugh VIII yOu let me cite case
in pOint2
Il know night here in New York state.
lady Who deserves 4 pension for her
brevit condition far more than do many
Of the widows Of foil rank. This lady
vas engaged 70 be married to young
man, a member Of the seventh Regiment
Who belonged % a good family, and who
held a position thGt would have made
him rich in few years, had he keP-
close TO business The day SCI for his
marriage was that on which the reg
ment marched 70 Washington He saw
the lady the night before, and said be
would remain back and join the regi-
menf, she accompanying him, the day
after rs depar ure- Bot her pride and
! her patriotism were As strong As her love
I She said. We can wait Jack, but tht
danger 70 the Capital VIII not be post
poned on account Of our wedding The
thought Of standing by yoar side al the
altar has been IN my mind by day and
frightened my dreams by night eveT
since you asked me % be your wife, but
feel. Jack, that it is your duty 70 march
With the regiment.
" The next day she saw him througl
Z her tears al the head Of his company, 70
= he Ezs an otiicer, marching down Broad
way. up which he was never % return
Jack, a. / viii call him, Was offered
= higher commission in a new regiment be
fore the three months, for which ID
: Seventh had gone out, had expired an
: after consulting his hancee and getiii,
her consent he took il. Al the same tim
: the lady went 70 Washington as nurse
This was certainly a great sacrifice, ou
I doubt II the Colonel or the Eurse look
, ei az il in that way they simPiy sa'
their duty and did il.
Before The eehoof the guns had die
. ont 81 sharps5urg, or 'Autietsm.' A. you
~ side calls II, the nurse was in charge o
L the hospital that had been establishe'
J. in the village Among the very first Z
'e the wounded 70 BE- brough 70 that hos