The morning news., 1892-03-13
A FAMOUS WAR SONG.
HOW "ALL QUIET ON THE PoTo-
MAC" CANE TO BE WRITTEN.


MAC" CANE TO BE WRITTEN.
/ Dramatic War Romsnce-A Tragic
Sequel 20 the First Battle of Bull
Run-Mei Fonteine, the Confederate
Poet 6cout-On Picket Duty Up the
Potomac - Interesting Correspond
ence.
| c. o. Stickney in the Washington Star.
| One OF the most remarkable characters
brought to the surface by the throes Of the
civil war was Maj Lamar Fontaine, a
famous scout and fighter in the confederate
army. He acted as scout for Stonewall
Jackson, J. Z. B. Stuart, R. E. Lee, r S.
Ewell and Joe z. Johnston. He is also cele-
brated as the author of a popular war song.
| He was and still is Mississippian. He it
was who in Nay, 1868, undertook the SEEM
| ingly foolhardy, but, nevertheless, success
ful, exploit Of carrying supply or 10000
musket caps from the confed srate Gen.
Loring's headquarters at jackson, Miss. (,
through the union lines TO beleaguered Gen.
Pemberton IN Vicksburg, when that COM
mander was out of caps. and. consequently,
| could not fire again; a condition Of things
which had Grant known of would have
hastened the fall OF that stronghold.
NOTED SCOUT.
In that expedition Fontaine had horses
shot under him and any quantity of bullets
| fired at him, making numerous holes in his
clothes and equipage, besides meeting other
frightful dangers. 1t was, altogether, a ter
rible experience. He Is the hero of twenty
seven hard-fought battles, and came out of
the war minus leg and bearing other evil
| dences OF his army experience. He Is still a
resident Of his native state. where, at the
age Of 6l, he works hard daily at his profess
| sion of surveyor and civil engineer.
Another thing for which he is celebrated
is as tine aCthor-the real author-of the
popular war song, "An Quiet on the Poto-
mao To night" To be sure, that fact has
been disputed, but l notice 10 book Of war
songs lately published he is given the credit
which to him rightfully belongs.
But it is not my purpose TO go into the
discussion of question in which the public
is little. IL auy. interested. What / do care
for IL the deeply interesting narrative of a
wartime episode In connection with the
poem, as told in his recent correspondence
with me. And this is the story;
ON THE POTOMAC.
Ii appears that long after the first battle
Of Bull Run, In which Fontaine, as priv
ate in company K-the Burt Rifles
eighteenth Mississippi regiment, took part,
ut W hs LThubi6IT6u W buG btCOuu virginia
cavalry, and at the time of which this mar
rative treats was doing picket duty just
above the head of an island near the Seneca
Falls on the Potomac. This was in August,
1861 one month after Bull Run. So many
Of the COM iederates had gone home on fur
lough that the picket lines were thin, being
stretched over a vast extent of river front,
and what few men. comparatively, were on
the front had to be double duty.
Tr I,a-a NhnN
private named Moore formed a close friend
ship. Moore was married man and fairly
idolized his wife and their two beautiful
young children. Moore and Fontaine were
almost constantly together, whether on
picket or guard duty. They clung to each
other. They bought little hand books Of
poems-Byron, Burns and others-and to-
gether they would sit in the cool shade of
trees or hanging rocks that lined the Poto-
mao above the falls Of Sensca 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 under
standing and agreement that there should
be no firing at each other while on picket
duty. And but for treacherous violation
of this contract by federal soldier the in
oident herewith related would not have oc-
curred, and "All Quiet Along the Poto-
mac Tonight" would never have been
written. give the story in Fontaine's own
graphic words:
ON PICKET DUTY.
1--WE had to stand on post six hours at
time. That night took my stand at
o'clock. and Moore retired to rest. The
nights were chilly and We usually kept
some fire burning. There was small spring
OF water close by and large fallen pine
| tree that | used to sit on and rest at times
after walking my beat, and l have fre-
quently stopped at the spring and bathed
nv face when the dread monotoay of the
still night had a 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.
OFF DUTY FOREVER.
"He rose slowly, picked up his gun,
stepped to the fire and stretched himself, as
a sleepy soldier will. and gaped and Yawned,
and while his arms were extended and his
hand grasping the barrel OF his gun there
was fash across the river and the whiz of
bullet, and he sank Co the earth with q
hole just above bis eye on the left side, from
which flowed dark crimson tide. Not a
| word, not aSgroau escaped him.
al removed bis remains from near the
fire where be had fallen. Aud as l did so
| my eyes fell on the telegraphic column of q
newspaper. and 1t was headed 'All Quiet
Along the Potomac Tonight And, oh,
how truthful it was 1t was certainly ali
quiet with me and with him whom loved
as brother.
81 could not help shedding a tear, and my
thoughts reverted to his home, his wife and
his children and TO the falsehood told bv
those whose guest had been and whose
treachery had caused his death, and they
grew bitter, and demon of Vengeance arose
in my heart which was not stilled until the
white dove of peace had spread her snowy
pinions over the whole face of the land, and
the bombshell rolled across the sward the
plaything Of a child.