Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-02-23
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
a WAR EPISODE.
The Joyful Meeting Of an Old Farmer and
His Soldier Son.

His Soldier Son.
In the fail of 1865 was instructed by
the house for which was working to
go to the B fair and assist a green"
agent to fit up ana exhibit our ma
chinery. / had served three years, and
got my discharge the fall before, and in
the spring secured an engagement with
wel-known agricultural implement
mandatory in an adjacent county.
l found l could reach B the day I
received orders, by stopping at a sta
ton four miles distant and getting
conveyance across; whereas, Il l went
all the way by rail | could not reach
there till next day. But when | arrived
at this solitary station there was no
conveyance to be hal, and l started
afoot. about two O'Clock. The day was
hot and the road dusty. and by the time
! had made two miles was ready to
seek shade and rest. which | found in 4
little grove surrounding a school
house
While sitting on n log. tanning my
self, and wishing for horse and buggy.
a farm wagon drawn by a team of
horses doomed up on the Hill ! had just
climbed and descended. An old farmer
was driving and beside him sat little
boy, four or five years old. On rear
seat was the farmers wife and a young
woman of perhaps twenty-five The
farmer drew up his horses when oppo-
site to my perch and said:
Coin to town."
Yes, sir" l replied
Get in an ride"
lost no time in thanking him and
accepting. The farmer made room for
me on the front seat l introduced my
SELF at once and made my business
known.
Did you say your name was Thaler?"
said the farmer
Yes, John C. Thaler," / replied
Wasn't you orderly sargent in COM
pany d, of the 21st?"
Yes, sir. My time was out last fall
''Then you knowed my son, James
Graves" said the old man. in a tremu-
lous tome
l glanced at him. His face was SER
ious. His wife, who sat behind him,
looked at me with kind of strained,
woman sat still, pale and with resign
ed or hopeless look l shall never forget.
20, yes" l said II knew him we'll
He was brave and noble young man.
Has he returned?"
That's just it, said Mr. Graves. "He
re-enlisted, suppose you know, and
last winter he was sent out on a forag-
ing expedition, and never returned"
Have you never heard from him
SINCE"
mot a a word The regiment came
home month ago. and no word from
him yet. The officers thought he might
be captured by some guerrillas, and
would be released at the close of the
war. We've kept up in hopes that this
would prove true, but we've about given
up"
was about to reply encouragingly,
when horse and buggy containing
two men drove by in a cloud of dnst l
just caught glimpse of a pale young
man in the buggy, and his face struck
me as familiar, and he was in soldiers
dress.
Hold on' / shouted, and | could see
that the buggy stopped.
please wait a moment" | said. II
want to speak to one of those men"
/ went back and found that the pale
young man was really James Graves,
on his way home from b. / need
not describe the meeting of father,
mother, wife and son with one whom
they had almost given up for dead. 1t
was one of the joyous episodes of the
war-one among a thousand sad ones
Two days later ! visited the Graves
homestead, by invitation, and found
happy family indeed. James had been
under Gen. Thomas, after Sherman left
for the sea, and in foraging expedition
had been captured and held as prisoner
until the war closed, a few months
later. At that time he was lying sick
with fever, and was not able to start
home He had written as soon as he
was able to sit up, but the postal serv-
ice was badly demoralized and the let
ter never reached its destination. James
is still living on the old homestead, with
his wife and son and daughter. The
little boy who sat in the seat with me that
memorable day is a successful merchant
in a western city, and daughter is the
wife of prominent lawyer at the shire
town of his native county. j. C. Thaler
in Ohio Farmer.