St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-01-21
UNDER THE ROSES.
The Touchine story ef . 0etsysburg

dedicated its monuments to its dead at
Gettsburg, that first visited the place
made famous by the terrible battle Of
July, 1863 After the old soldiers had
all gone back to their homes spent
few days in company with . friend
looking over the old battlefield and
visiting places Of note in the adjacent
country. One day while we were driv-
ing along quiet road few miles south
of Gettyburg our attention was called
to . grave among q clump of rose
bushes only . few feet from farm
house door.
Learning that there was bit of his
tory connected with the solitary grave.
we alighted and passed in at the gate to
read the inscription on the plain, old
fashioned headstone Directly after we
entered the yard, an old, white-haired
man who had been resting in his easy
chair on the vine-covercd porch arose
and leaning on his staff walked slowly
down the boarded path to the place
where we were standing. After giving
us a word Of welcome he sent his little
granddaughter to bring us chairs that
we might rest in the cool shade while
he related the story of the grave among
the roscA
HE was 50 young and SO fair. poor
fellow" he began in . subdued voice.
"You see it was when Lee was retreat
In from Gettysburg and the troops were
all tuckercd out The boy under the
roses there had been wounded in the
shoulder, but he was plucky lad and
kept up with his regiment until from
loss of blood he tainted at my gate"
"And you buried himy' said.
"Ycs, / buried him with my own
hands Them was excitin' times, and
all of his comrades was in too big q
hurry to stop to look after them that
dropped by the way"
"But why did you bury him in your
flower garden?" Iquestioned, curiously.
II am comm to that" he said, with
ont taking his eyes OF the long, mar
row grave 1--we go to so back more'n
. year before that to make beginnin'.
You sec, ma'am, my oldest boy. my
Benny, was q soldier ON the other side
once. He went out about tho frst of
the war and fought with the best of
them. away down in Tennessee for
more'n q year. One day there was
skirmish in bit of woods just outside
Of the union lines-a little skirmish,'
the papers said-'nothin' was gained
and nothin' was lost Only one was
killed and he . private but, ma'am,
that only one was our Benny and we
felt the loss was . mighty big one. The
captain who TUX the lad away from
home wrote back that in the hasty re-
treat the body was left on the field. A
few days after we got his letter anoth-
er one come that was writ by . woman.
In it she told us about the cavalry fight
that TUX place on her bit of ground
after the horseman had galloped OF
she went over to the strip of woods to
see if she could be of any use to the
wounded or dyin,. There was no such
there, but right down by the little
brook that run through the foot of her
yard she found our Bcnny-dead- Her men
folks was all of in the southern army,
and it was long walk to the nearest
ncighbor's, but her heart ached for the
poor boy lynn 80 cold and still on the
hard road down by the brook, where he
fell; so, with the help of her two little
girls, she dug q grave in the soft earth
of her garden, and for the sake of the
mother who would never sec him again
she buried our boy right among the
sweet-smellin' flowers
so when we found the poor southern
boy faintin' at our gate, we carried him
into the house and dressed his wounds
and gave him water to quench his
thirst He was too far gone to speak,
but he looked his thanks and tried to
press our hands in token Of what he
felt Once when he was dyin' his face
lighted up beautiful, and We was
sure we heard him whisper Mother!
Wife closed his eyes and folded his arms
across his breast and when I said I'D
dig him . grave in the family lot the
girls said: Dig under the rose tree in
the yard. father You know that blessed
woman in Tennessee buried our Benny
right among the flowers in her garden
liked their plan, and therc-just at
sunset-we laid the fair-haired boy to
rest
"We searched his pockets for some
clew to his identity, but found nothin'
except little red Bible with ITO my
dear son George writ on Ay-leaf We
tried hard to find out where his people
lived, SO we could write to them, but
the war closed without bringin' us the
information we wished, for without
company, regiment, or even name. it
was impossible to find startin' point
"Threc years after peace had been
proclaimed my other boy, Tommy. who
had Joined the army when q mere slip
Of q boy, Tux it into his head to go to
see his brothers grave. The two
brothers had been like David and Jona-
than in their love for each other, and 1t
was very hard for Tommy to git over
poor Benny's death. He felt he must SO
and see il the grave was kept in good
order at any rate.
"'Take the little red Bible with you,
and mebbe you can find out something
about the poor fellow lyin' out in the
yard said his mother. when he was
packin' his sachel to GO
Tommy went and looked on Benny's
grave As he had wished Itwasin in good
order, and q neat stone with his name
and age upon it marked the place where
the poor boy slept The woman who
had buried him among the flowers still
lived in the little cottage which was
surrounded ty the strip of woods where
the fight TUX place. She had many lit
tie stories to tell about the old war days
some Of them very touchin' and full
Of the milk of human kindness.
.'One day when she was tellin' some
pathetic story Tommy TUX the little red
Bible out Of his pocket. and before he
h,S x;r,a <o rcy,s,at its sad tale she cried