The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-06-18
BLUE AND THE GRAY
BRAVE MEN WHO MET ON THE
FIELD OF BATTLE.
Thrilling Stories of the Rebellion
Old Soldiers and Sailors Relate Remi.
niscences of Life in Camp and on
the Field-Incidcnts of the War.
Letters IN War Time,

During the civil war the government
expended infinite pains in forwarding
mail to the troops in the field, says an
Old army man. We talk now of the
wonders of our postoffice organization,
but perfect as the system is it is not
more perfect than was the system
which carried thousands of letters un-
erringly to the million or more of mon
In distant camps in a hostile country.
even to the line Of battle formed for at
tack. There WAS carelessness in direc-
ton then as there is now, but the ex-
perts traced out the man whose name
was misspelled and whose regiment
was confused with some other and
whose company was not given. until
finally the letter reached the right man.
The custom then was for letter to
be addressed to the company, regiment,
brigade and division of the army IN
winch the soldier was supposed to be.
Mail for certain division went to the
headquarters, was distributed to the
brigades and regiments, and by the
regimental headquarters to the COM
panies, and by the company officers to
|
a letter in case of army reorganization
was addressed to the Fourth Division
when it should have gone to the Third;
went to the Fourth Corps when it
should have gone to the Fourteenth.
but if the number of the regiment was
correctly given it reached it's destina-
ton. The government provided that
all letters from the soldiers should be
forwarded without postage if they bore
the frank Of the adjutant or colonel
This was a great convenience to the
men, because it was almost impossible
for them to secure or carry postage
stamps. Packages Of papers sent TO
the boys We're more conscientiously de-
livered than they are in these times.
In fact, the postal system of the army
was wonderful thing. I remember
losing but one letter, and that was on
a train captured by John Morgan.
The pathetic side Of the letter busi-
ness came when the warm messages of
affection and love from sweethearts,
sisters and mothers came to the men
who had been shot Oh fatally wounded,
or who We're raving with fever in the
hospital. The most trying duty of COM
pany or regimental officers was the
handling of such correspondence. 1t
required tact, sympathy, and under
standing Of human nature, and a heart
full of consideration and tenderness.
Occasionally there would come to a
man dead a letter full of reproaches
and petty complaints, written by a
woman whose nerves We're on the edge
and who complained to her absent hus-
band through force of habit. The plain.
blunt. misspelled words and misshaDen
letters seemed in such cases instruments
Of torture stopped by the dead heart.
In one case of this kind the captain
wrote simply formal statement of the
soldiers death, assuming that woman
who could write so many Detulant
thi-.gs could have little sentiment or
warm feeling. He was surprised to re-
ceive in reply most touching letter
asking for all details and particulars
and explaining how precious was the
memory Of everything connected with
the dead soldier. This letter revealed
the real woman, and when we returned
we found in her home so many relics of
the men OF the company and such hero
worship of the husband who had died
in battle that recollection of the petu-
liant, complaining letter Went out of
mind.
There We're many men in the service
who could neither read nor write We
had half a dozen men of this kind in
our company, and it fell to my lot to
conduct the correspondence of some of
them. They were fne-loolling. brave
fellows, and for several months not
many knew that they could not read
nor write. They affected a KNOWLEDGE
they did not have. One day n burly
young fellow sidled up to me in {; bash
full, contiding sort Of way, and inquired
it could read all kinds of writing. |
supposed that he wanted to know if
could read German or French and |
explained that 1 could only read En-
glish,. and he explained that he only
wanted me to read English written by
an Irish girl. Thereupon he pulled out
of an inner pocket six letters unopened
which he had received from his daugh-
ter. Taking up the letters in order I
read the most remarkable chapters in
young life that ever came within the
line of one mans observation. This
girl was in the poorhouse She began
by telling how comfortably she was
situated. In the next letter she admit.
ted that she was not comfortable. but
if her father could send her very lit
tie money she would not be misera BILE
In the next letter she told of persecu.
ton and trouble. In the next, which
came from another postoffice, she told
the story Of her running away from the
intirmary and OF her seeking home
among strangers. The letters were
girls letters, but they told the story
and the stout, strong fellow before me
covered like he had been struck. With
the pitifui appeal in the last letter he
broke down
The thought that he had carried
these letters all the time not showing