Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-01-30
A FAMOUS WAR SONG.
HOW AL QUIET ALONG THE POTO-
MAC" CAME TO Be WRITTEN.
Tho Remarkable Career or Lamar Fon-
taIne, tae Zero OF Many Hard-FouGht
battles.

~
able character" said General Charles
j. MattOcks. of Portland, Me-, as he
handed me package of letters and
other data. 'When was prisoner
in the Confederates' hands mt Charles
ton, S. g., II movement was started to
exchange me for Fontaine. whom our
troops had captured. Each of us held
the rank of ma or at the time. But the
scheme miScarried. and he WAS eX-
changed for Major Harry White. of
Pennsylvania.
This man. Lamar Fontaine." con-
tinued the General. lis famous through
the South for TWO things. 1t was he
who i'm May. 1868. undertook the SEEM
inglv foolhar,ly. but. nevertheless, sue
cessful. exploit of carrying supply of
percussion caps from the Confederate
General Loring's headquarters at Jack
son. Miss. TO the beleagured General
Pemberton in Vicksburg, when that
commander was entirely out Of caps,
and consequently could not fire gun.
'FOntaine-who then. as now, WAS q
Mississippan-ha horses shot under
him. and any quantity of bullets fired
at him, making numerous holes in his
ClOllSS DCoiNC bAutA
frightful dangers in that terrible ex-
perience. He is the hero of twenty
seven hard-fought battles. and came out
of the war minus leg and bearing
other evidences of his war experiences.
He is still living in his native State.
where at the are OF CO. he works hard
Mt his profession of surveyor and civil
engineer.
"The other thing for which he is
celebrated is rs the real author of the
popular war song. All Quiet Along the
Potomac Tonight To he sure. that
fact is disputed. but / notice in a book
of war songs recently published he is
given the credit which to him right
fully belongs"
But it is not my purpose to 60 into
the discussion OF a question in which
the public is little intereSted; what
do care for is the deeply interesting
narrative of a wartime episode in con-
nection with the poem. as told in his
recent correspondence with me. These
are the letters. Read them yourself"
Thank YOU. General"
1t appears that not long after the
first battle of Bull Run. in which Fon-
III
the Burt eighteenth Mississippi
Regiment, took part. he was traus-
ferred to the Second Virginia Cavalry.
and at the time Of which this narrative
treats was doing picket duty just above
the head of an island near the Seneca
Falls on the Potomac. This was in
August, lS6l-oue month after Bull
Run.
1t was here that Fontaine and another
private named Moore formed close
friendship. Moore was married man,
aud fairly idoized his wife and their
two beautiful young children. Moore
and Fontaine were together. whether
on picket or guard duty. They clung
to each other. They bought little
hand-hooks of pncms-Byron. Burns.
aud others and together they would
sit in the cool shade of trees or hang
ing rocks that lined the Potomac above
the Falls of Seneca and read aloud to
each other passages from their favorite
authors.
AT this section of the two army lines
the pickets on either side of the waters,
Federal and Confederate, had come to
an understanding and agreement that
there should be no firing at each other
while ON picket duty. And but for II
treacherous violation of this contract
by dastardly soldier. the incident
herewith related would not have oc-
Cured. aud "Al Quiet Along the
Potomac To-night' would never have
been penned. give the story in Fon-
taine's own graphic words:
I'VE had To stand on post six hours
at time. That night took my stand
Il 6. and Moore retired to rest. The
nights were chilly. and we usually kept
some fire burning. Tuere was small
spring of water close by. aud large
fallen pine tree that | used 10 sit on
and rest ut times. after walking my
beat, and have frequently stopped ut
the spring and bathrd my face when
the dreary monotonv of tho still night
had tendency to lull me to sleep.
As soon as found that midnight had
arrived l stepped to the fire and threw
on some pine knots, and reused Moore
to take my place.
"llo rose slowly. picked up his gun.
stepped To the lire aud stretched him
self. AS sleepy soldier will. AMI CAPPED
and yawned; aud while his arms were
extended, aud his hand grlsping the
barrel of his gun. there vas fash
across the riyersand the whiz of a
bullet. aud he sank to the earth. with
hole just above his eye on the left
side. from which flowed dark. Grim
son tide. Not word, not Il groan es-
capped him.
II removed his remains from near
the IRE where he had fallen. And as
Ibid so my eyes fell on the telegraphic
column of newspaper. and it WAS
headed: "All Quiet Along the Potomac
Tonight Aud. oh. how truthful it
was! 1t was certainly all quiet with
me. and with him whom l loved rs q
brother.
Il could not help shedding "A tear,
and my thoughts reverted to his home.
his vile. and hfs children. and TO the
falsehOod told by those whose guest l
had been. and whose trcachery had
caused his death. and they grew bitter,
and a demon of vengeance arose in my
III.