The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-06-12

| GRANTS Story OF SAD Hospital Oc.
currence-A Confederate Captains
/ Meeting With His Wife, as Told by
| General Joe johnston.
For years gentleman of prominence
during the war made practice of asking
every naval and military commander OF
both Northern and Southern service
whom he met to jot down in his own
words what he considered the funniest
and the saddest incidents arising from the
great conflict that had come under his
observation. says the Chicago Tribune.
The greatest men in the nation complied
with the request at various times, and
some or the stories have been put to-
gether by the collector, and are now pub
lished. The last story in the collection
came from General Grant just before he
died. Each is reproduced exactly as
written:
ut was in a field hospital, within
whose canvas walls many of our brave
| boys lay wounded and dying; among
| them were two comrades who were more
nearly like Damon and Pythias than any
other two men l ever knew. They had
been born and bred in the same town.
had enlisted at the same time and had
never been separated for moment since
they first donned Uncle Sans blue uni
form. l am sure that either would gladly
have laid down his life for the other.
They had both been slightly wounded
before, the one having received bayo-
net thrust in the left arm, and the other
having had the index and middle fingers
| nf IN iuh
they lay side by side, however. their in
juries were of much more serious char
acter. The surgeon looked very grave,
and he turned from one to the other, and
the gravity OF his expression deepened as
he concluded his second examination.
Then. as was his custom-for he held 1t
PHYSICIANS duty always to inform pa
tient of the true state OF his case-he told
them plainly, but not without feeling.
that they both had but q few moments to
live.
".All right said one family, but
firmly, we will die together, as l always
hoped we would
"I want to go if Tom goes murmured
the other. Give me you hand, dear old
boy he continued. and he reached out
his left hand toward his comrade. The
dying man grasped the extended hand,
but finding it whole and unnamed he
cast it away from him, saying, No, no,
not that hand! l want the one that was
partly shot away on the battlefield
His cOmrade extended his wounded
hand, and Tom, his eyes fast glazing in
death. clasped it and felt for the stumps
OF the missing fingers.
"'This is the hand I want he ex-
claimed, and raising it to his lips his spirit
passed without struggle. His friend,
by great exertiOn, raised his head and
looked at his comrade. Seeing that he
| no ho mr. lnui
the two friends were reunited.
There was no better, more fearless or
more loyal soldier than old Jack Dublin,
but he had one fault and that was an
Overweening fondness for the whisky
bottle. or rather for its contents. He had
boon companion whose name / never
knew, but everyone called him Uncle ST.
While in camp old Jack was taken i'll of a
fever, and. despite the unremitting atten-
ton Of Uncle ST, died. The corpse de-
veloped an unusual rigidity after death
and a strange tendency to fly into sit
ting posture. Accordingly on the night
before its burial it was stretched out upon
a board at full length, resting upon TWO
wooden trestles, with his head and feet
tied down by ropes. Old Uncle ST in
sisted upon watching the remains of his
dead friend. Shortly after midnight he
became very thirsty and stepped out to a
neighboring suffers to procure drink.
During his somewhat prOtracted absence
two stray cats found their way to the tent
containing the remains of old Jack.
When Uncle ST returned he was naturally
indignant at seeing these felines sitting
on a corpse-One at the head, the other at
the feet. Selling billet Of wood from
the ground he aimed q powerful blow at
the pussy sitting near the head. II missed
its mark and sruck and severed the rope
holding down the head of The CORPSE.
| xvh al infn itt rr
posture. Siezng the dead man by the
shoulders and forcing him back into re-
cumbent position Uncle ST exclaimed in
an aggrieved tone: Darn ye, old man, lie
down and keep quiet; Pll attend to the
cats.
GENERAL JOE JoHNsToN's YARNS.
"Perhaps the most touching incident
arising in connection with the war that
| now recall came to my notice on a rail-
way train, which also bore as passenger
| the pretty young wife OF a brave young
soldier, who by daring bravery had Sc
cured promotion from the ranks to a
Confederate captaincy. The wife was q
Pennsylvania girl whom he had met
while visiting in the North and whom he
had married and taken TO his Southern
home just before the breaking out of the
war He one OF the first to enlist in
the Confederate army. and to devote him
self more completely to the cause he sent
his wife at the first boom of the guns at
Fort Sumter back to her parents in Penn
sylvania TO remain until the great str,g-
gle was ended. Now, in 1866, five years
alter their separation, she was on her way
South to rejoin her husband and place in
his arms their 4-year-oId daughter, whom
he had never seen. 1t was not long before
all the passengers on our car knew the
romantic story of the pretty little woman
and her beautiful child, and there was
not man among US who did not
feel q tenderness Tor and pro-
tecting interest in both. There never
was woman whose heart was more
full of love and joy. She could do
nothing but talk OF the Captain and WON
der if he had changed SO that size could
not recognize him, or ii he wouldn't be
able to recognize her. Then she would
fall to wondering ii he would know his
little daughter ii he met her in the street
by her resemblance to himself, which, as
he had never set eyes on her, did not
| seem probable. Throughout that long
days ride we all entered most heartily
into that dear little woman's hopes, fears.
doubts and joys. and shared them to such
an extent that we were quite as anxious
to see the Captain as she was.
I'VE reached our journeys end, and
before the train had iairly stopped tall,
elegantly proportional fellow Of n came
bounding into our car. The little woman
gave such scream of joy as / can never
forget, and in less time than / can tell it
oor ucln nlo