The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-12

my long we had been on the march
over the frozen highways OF Virginia.
cavalry column two hundred strong oo.
on a scout. War as well as Peace hao
Its Christmas. Back In WINTER puai ~.
there were hundreds OF boxes TO DC un.
nscked on the morrow. and there wou'o
be thousands Of letters with Christmas
greetings. We anticipated and talked Oh
these things as the column picked I've
NAV over the frozen mud, and cari'e'
alarm 10 the homes OF people 'haoo
wretched by the red hand OF war.
There was no burning, no destroSI"s
We wondered II sentiment dicta'cu ~"
order. on almost any other day pa "s
ana stacks and houses would nave peen
given up 10 the flames and war WIZ
have laughed at the old men anu W"
men and children left unsheitereu iio"'
the bleak December winds ana ny"s
snow fakes an.
Now and then we encounterco an on.
emy's picket at a highway pr'ose VI :"
crossroads. -, q, ,atl.
.nx and candles have been lighted IN
Tho sorm-houses, when the head or ,he
ror,e-returning column suddenly strikcs
a scouting party In grey drawn UP
across the road. a dozen shots ring
o,,--we catch the hoarse commands
ana veIls of defiance. and all is over
before those in the rear know what II
going on. Fifty blue-coats have charged
down upon and over the score OF con-
fsderates. killing. wounding ana drivihs'
and the road Is clear again. ihere
orc men living dead-there are wounded
calling out. Let the enemy bury MS
ou,n dead and care for his wounueu'
our dead and wounded go on with US
In the gathering darkness, win 'ne
snowfiakes flying faster, we peneVe 'na'
all is well. No one sees Corporal troop
AS no sways about In his saooie anu
finally pitches headlong INTO the ,oau-
eide ditch The bullet and the fail pe-
numb him and he Is lying beside dead
confederate as we ride away. IL Is not
!, victory-not a defeat-a trifiing incl
dent which will hardly be reported by
tho Colonel I'm command. War Is seinsh
-pitiIess-without mercy. An army
burles it's dead after battle TO get the
dead ont of sight of the living. A iiying
column can march away from us ueau
and save the work of pick and spade.
Twenty rods away from where the
Confederates had formed across. 'he
road for q farm house, and gathered
about the hearthstone were mother
and three or four children. war mao
burned the barns and stacks, had swept
away the fences and the orchard hao
destroved the crops and carried on al
most the last mCrsel Of food. war hau
taken the husband away, and on nun
drcd different occasions had mace the
widow and the children fear for their
lives Ave, they had been cruelty used
and terribly harrassed. and yet they had
vent track of the months and the weeks
had come. There were stockings already
hume against the Jamb--therc was some
thing for each stocking after its owner
was as;eep. There had been days ana
nights OF peace and the mother was
thanking God I'm her heart that CHRIST
mas was to see no bloodshed. when
there came the reports of carbines, the
shouts of men. the gallop OF horses, ana
her heart choked her as she gathered
her children in her arms and crouched
in the darkest corner.
nv and by when the silence had re-
assured her. she crept to the door and
peered into the darkness. She could
not see the dead and wounded lying on
the highway. but she knew tha' men
had fought When soldiers hight there
are dead and wounded left behind. The
wind swept over the fields with cutting
edge, and the snow-fiakes thickened
with the fall of night. but the woman
CROPPED her way down the path to the
gate and looked upon the frozen road.
There were dark forms lying here and
there-forms which would soon grow
white In their shrouds OF snow. The
children cried out to her. but she waved
them back and went down among the
dead and wounded. Here is a figure
lying on its face-doad and cold. Here
Is another on its back, with arms
stretched out and eyes staring up into
the darkness-dcad the bullet tore
through his heart Here is a third, ly-
ing on its side. legs drawn up and arms
above its cloven skull-dead of a down
stroke of the sabre.
"Dead-my God, all dead" cried the
woman as she went from corpse 10
corpse and paused a moment beside each
one.
No-here is wounded man. 1t is
Corporal Troop. He moves his feet and
signs and groars. The cold has brought
him back to life. but he Is wounded in
the hip and cannot crawl away. lie
will freeze to death IL left lying there.
The children are too young TO be OF
assistance and what is TO be done must
be done by the woman una!ded. In af-
ter DAYS she will not remember how she
eripped the wounded Federal by the
shoulders and dragged him over the
dead out of the highway. through the
swinging gate. and up the path to the
house In the darkness the blue and
grey uniforms looked alike. The thought
did not occur TO her that she might be
saving the life OF an enemy-aye, even
one Of those whose hand had set fire to
the barns year ago. 1t was only after
she had dragged the groanng. half
conscious corporal into the cabin and
shut the door that she noticed the color
Of his uniform and held up her blood
stained hands TO exclaim:
HE was the only one left alive, and
he is a Yankee
First dlsmay. then momentary regret.
then pity. That was the woman OF Il.
but II would have been so with fight
Ing Confederate as well. The children
cried out in fear at sight of the uni
form they had cause to dread and hate.
but the woman silenced them and knelt
beside him and began her work. Be-
fore the wound had been dressed she
had made-up her mind to place a light
in the window 10 attract attention. and
deliver him up as a prisoner 10 the first
Confederate party passing the house.
IL was her duty TO bind up his wounds
-ittwas her duty TO make him prisoner.
She was siill at work when he opened
his eyes and looked around in a bewil-
dered way for moment Then he real
lied what had happened-his eye caught
sight OF the stockings on the lamb. and
he said:
"fremember now-it Is Christmas eve.
We had a fight. but none of you were
hurt 1hapk God for that Who brought