Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-11-12
Portland Transcript
Josephine Miller.

in bis "reminiscences Of Gettysburg. pub
| llshed in The North american Rerieto for
February, Gen. Henry W. Socum narrates
this Interesting incident: We called at
! The house which has always been an object of
interest to all who visit this field. Near the
line occupied by the brigade under command
| OF Gen. }. b. Carr of Troy, n. Stands little
one-story house, which nj the time of the battle
was occupied by Mrs. Rogers and her adopted
daughter On the morning Of July 3, Gen.
| Carr stopped at the house and found the daugh-
| ter, girl about eighteen years OF age. alone,
| busly engaged in baking bread He informed
| her that great battle WAS inevitable and ad-
| vised her TO seek place OF safety at once.
| She said she had batch of bread baking in
/ the oven and she would remain until 1t was
| baked il WAS given TO our soldiers. and de-
roured SO eagerly that she concluded to re-
main snd bake another batch. And so she
continued 10 the end OF the battle, baking and
| giving her bread 10 all who came. The great
| artillery duel which shook the earth for miles
around did not drive her from her oven.
Picket"s men who had charged past her house
| found her quietly baking her bread and dis
tributing it 10 the hungry. When the battle
] was over. her house WAS found to be riddled
with shot aud shell, and seventeen dead bodies
were taken from the house and cellar; the
| bodies Of wounded men who had crswled to
| the little dwelling for shelter. Twenty Years
after the close Of the war Gen. Cars men snd
others held a grand reunion at Getty ysburg
| and learning that Josephine Rogers was still
| living. but had married aud taken up her resi-
dence In Ohio they sent for her, paid her pas
sage. from her home to Gettysburg and back
and had her 20 to her old home and tell them
the story which they all knew so well. They
decorated her with a score OF army badges.
and sent her back happy woman. Why
should not the poet mmortalize Josephine
Rogers a. he did Barbara Frie,chie:
The wareoud is gathering DER Getty sburg
vale,
Portending hosrse thunder and death-dealing
hail
The solid earth ,rembles. and rent is the air.
With The rushing OF squadrons, the loud trum-
pets blare.
The clanking of arms, and the shouting Of
men,
And the ueighing Of steeds from each cch ling
glen;
But uuheedug the din and unhindered by
Josephine Miller is baking her bread.
Now the battle is on. and they warn her away.
FOR her cottsge 1t stands in the sweep OF the
fray:
They -, 'tw i'll be shattered by shot and by
she'll
But She answers by quenchin; their thirst from
the well.
And breaking her bread for the blue-coaicd
men.
hh ~ itill- htl thtis aLA udhliA
Alone in The house " hence the owner has fled
Josephine Miller is baking her bread,
She hears on the roof bullets parter like rain
Bombs burst IN the road and the dooryard.
The slain
b. score and b, hundreds on every hand lie,-
The wounded craw into the cellar to die.
" Ith her cup OF relief she is here. she is there;
No cry j. uuhesrd, but with tenderness rare,
Alone. all slOue With The DIVING and dead.
Josephine watches " bile baking her bread.
All through th, long night and the long weary
day
She nurses the wounded. the blue and the
gray;
And tears silent fall-for sweet visions Of
home
And Of faces heoyd to each soldier " III come
When the maiden draws nigh. And the dying
rejoice
In the touch of her hand and the sound of her
voice.
And pray for blessing 10 rest on the head
OF Josephine Miller while baking her bread.
How Wild, soeyer the tempest may sweep
In its pitiess wrath DER The land and the deep,
| There's centre Of calm where the bird mag
find rest
so there mid the storm OF demoniac war;
OF passion and hate raging frantic and far
A CLEAN OF old Beihlehem's glory /, she'd
Where Josephine N iler is baking her bread.
Edgar Foster DdCis.