The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-28
BEFRIENDED BY MRS. LINCOLN.
4 Young soldier Who Did Not KNOW
1t Was the Lady of the white

House
From the Chicago Times-Herald.
Il have a letter you would like to see.
l guess" said Assemblyman James II.
Agen of West Superior.
with you?'
NO II is too precious to carry around
in grip or pOcekt.'
Who wrote it, and what does it con-
tain?"
Let me tell you story before answer
ing your double question. In 1854, while
following Grant towards Richmond, and
when we had come so close to it that they
could hear our muskets and we their
church bells, was stricken with fever
and sent to hospital. In time they landed
me, more dead than alive, in one of the
great hospitals at Washington. 1 was
very sick boy. Boy is right, for that was
all / was-sweet is, as girl Of that age
would be. For three weeks / had no am
bition to live.
zone day after I had passed the danger
point and was taking little notice OF
what was going on, 4 number of ladies
came through the hospital. They had bas-
kets containing delicacies and bouquets OF
beautiful flowers. One of them stopped
al each cot as they passed along. A bunch
of blossoms was handed 10 each sick or
wounded soldier, and, If he desired IL, a
delicacy of some kind was also distributed.
Every now ana l0eH one VI Nic WOAAlNiA
sat in a camp chair and wrote letter for
the poor fellow who hadn't the strength
to write himself
Il wanted nothing to eat or drink, but
those pretty posies held my attention. one
of the ladies stopped at my cot. hadh
vet got my full growth, and In my then
emaciated pale condition l must have
looked like a child. She seemed surprised
as she looked at me.
''You poor child; what brought you
here?'
q They sent me here from the army of
the Potomac
but you are not soldier
Yes, madam; belong to New York
regiment. The surgeon here has the rec
ord
Can l do something for you? Can
you eat something or take a swallow of
wine?'
I'm not hungry or thirsty
lean / write letter for you?
mot to-day; I'm too weak.
"Fhen 1 will leave some of these flowers
with YOU President Lincoln helped to
Gull them. 1 will come again in two or
three days. Keep up your courage. You
are going to get we'll; you must get well.
"She was the first woman who had spok-
en- to me since / reached the army. Look
ing a t the sweet flowers which Mr. Lincoln
had helped to Gull, and thinking of the
dear woman who had spoken so kindly
and hopefully, had more effect in bright
ening my spirits than all else that had oc-
Cured in the hospital.
'"Three days later the same lady came
again, and direct to my cot
" How Is my little soldier beg today
she asked in a way so mothefIy that 1t
reminded me of my good mother back in
New York, the patriot mother who had
given her consent to my going To the war
after praying over the matter m .nv times.
That hes pital angel-that is what We
learned to call those noble women-After
giving me a taste of chicken and jelly,
asked il / had a mother. She saw by the
tears in my eyes that I had.
4" Now we will write mother letter.
'sThen she sat by my side and wrote the
/ letter. / hadn't been able to write for
a month.
. i have told your mother that I am
| near her soldier boy and have ta:Sed with
| him. What shall tell her for you? That
you arc still too weak to write your
. please don't tell her that; it will make
| her worry. Tell her 1 am fast getting
/ we'll
''1he first day got home my mother
| asked me how l liked Mrs. Lincoln, the
| Presidents wife.
I never met Mrs. Lincoln. What
made you think had?
"Then she took from box closely guard
ed in the old bureau, a letter. 1t read
like this:
:. Dear Mrs Agen: I am sitting by the
side of your soldier boy. He has been
quite sick, but is getting we'll. He tells
me TO say to you. that he is all right.
With respect for the mother of the young
soldier. Mrs. Abraham Lincoln
That was the first / knew that it was
the Presidents wife who had made me
those two visits. begged mother to give
me the letter. You can have it when I
am gone When she died box and an
old letter folded in a silk handkerchief
were among her gifts to me-
1.-The box, 'kerchief and letter will pass
along the Agen line as mementoes TOO
sacred for everyday display.
Last fall, when Capt. Robert Lincoln
ex-Secretary of War, and ex-minister to
| England, passed through West Superior
on his way to Duluth to speak for Nc
Kinley, one of his fathers soldiers in the
early sixties, l took a seat in the same
| car. He was surrounded by crowd, and
/ could not get very close to him. Holding
up the old letter and asking him to take
it. he complied, read it, dropped his head
! for a moment, and reached over and took
me by the hand and drew me to him. His
| lips were trembling as he pointed to the
| letter and said:
=" My dear mothers writing.
Il then told him how Mrs. Lincoln hap
pened to write it. He said his mother fire.
duently visited the hospitals, and on many
| occasions his father and himself had ac-
| companied her. He had many times
helped his father cut flowers to be sent
to the hospitals