Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-10
A LITTLE SOLDIER.
Interesting Incident of the Late Tn
pieaSantneSS.

We We're all boys when the war be
gan, or rather broke out" to use thu
common phrase. Of course everything
| connected with it was of interest to us
Not one was too small to feel the en-
thGsiasm which swept the whole
country. The baby in its nurses arm:
would be seen with a flag in its hand
the toddling boy would have a lath t.
represent sword or a tobacco sticl
for a musket.
The oldest of us was Richard. OF
Rich, as we affectionately called him
He was Is, though rather small fol-
that age. At the sight of a soldier his
eyes gliStened. We had looked ON with
pride once when a member of the
captains company, during a pause il
the exercises, had lent Rich his muSkei
and put him through some of the
movement He'll make a soldier be-
-ore very long" the man said "Ain't
quite tall enough yet to get out Of a
mudhole if he falls in marching long
the road Rich WINGED a little at this,
but felt all right when another soldier
said: Boys like that amt cot no
better sense than to fight. Yankee
got to kill 'em or cripple 'em once to
stop 'em fighting"
This and much more was said, all of
which was marked by us and report Of
it made when we got home that day.
Child, as l was, there is one thing
still remember about it. When it was
told at the table where we were all
seated, happened to look from Rich
proud face to his mothers, and 1 saw
on it such a look Of sadness that it
perplexed me until 1 was old enough
to know what it meant.
4
In a month Rich was to become
soldier.
Time never crept more slowly than
it did through those 80 days, so Rich
thought, though l do not think that his
mother thought so. No lover ever
was to be his bride more anXiousIy
than Rich counted those days. At last
the day came. We were all to see him
off, and our counsins from the neigh
borhOOd were assembled to dine with
the young soldier. Uncle Billy led the
sorrel colt up to the gate. 1t was a
Planet colt, and Rich had broken it
himself, not without several falls, how
ever. The blanket rolled up behind the
saddle looked very soldier-like. Rich
kissed all the girls and shook hands
with us boys. We felt that we were
in the presence of a hero. The last
person he said goodby to was his
mother. I wondered then why she
held him so long in her arms and still
more why there We're tears in her
eyes. I remember that all she said
when she let him go was, BE a good
boy, my darling, and say your
prayers" She knew as we'll as we
did, so we thought, that Rich would
be a good soldier and would kill a
whole lot of Yankees and come back
home a general.
We had finished supper and we're all
together in the little room and were
having a good time. We were listen
ing to one of Cousin Fanny's ghost
stories, and Rich's mother, who had
been going in and out doing a thou
sand things, had just taken her seat,
for she said she wanted to hear the
story too.
The fire was so low that she leaned
over to count the stitches on her
needle, and I heard her say-but that
was because / was so close to her and
was leaning on her shoulder when she
whispered it to herself-"With heavy
cavalry boots it will take 10 more
stitches" And just then the door
opened, and there before us was Rich's
ghost. I knew it was a ghost and
did not find out that it was Rich until
he threw himself into his mothers
arms and burst out crying. Then |
knew it was not a ghost, for Cousin
Fanny always said a ghost did not
shed tears
And this was the way it happened:
AS Rich was riding merTily down the
road and was about to gallop across
the bridge, which he would not have
done except that he was so anxious to
get to the army, two men stepped out
and said: "What are you in such a
hurry about, sonny? Seen any Yam
kees?" And Rich said no; ne only
wished he could. Then one of the men
said Good many of 'em about, amt
there?" And Rich said, "They better
not be about where our men are, for
they won't be there long" "Why
not?' asked the man. And Rich said,
" Cause We'll drive them away" But
the biggest man said, Maybe they are
like that colt that amt got any collar
mark on him and won't drive" But
Rich said: Eyes, they will, and I'm
going to help drive them now. And I
haven't got any more time to lose,
and I must 60"
But the man with the blue overcoat
on said, "Sonry, you can drive 'em
fast enough on foot and don't need a
horse, so get down" At first Rich
said he wouldn't, but the point of the
bayonet looked very sharp and was so
close to his face
So Rich got down. But he told the
man that he would report him to Cen
eral Lee; that General Lee was his
mothers cousin. But the man said
General Lee was a great friend of his
and said Rich must give his love to
General Lee and tell him his friend
Charles Desmoines from Iowa sent his
love to him.
Thon If canoo TO Rich for the first