The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-12
A LESSON IN WAR.
Experiences of 81 Missouri Statesman,
Colonel and Philosopher.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat

st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
That eminent Missouri philosopher, Col.
John t. Crisp sat in a group of statesmen
which included Speaker Reed, and grew
reminiscent on the civil war. when that
var came" he said, Il was secretary of the
men in the Legislature, and they were all
warmakers. Connected with the Legisla-
ture in various capacities were perhaps 500
gether, suppose, there were gathered at
Jefferson City at that time about 900 men
engaged in warmaking. ] don't suppose a
more warlike body of men ever assembled
in the history of the world. / listened to
them, and | felt it was my duty to fight. /
joined the Confederate army under Price
and Mccullough. AS l now recall it, had
a feeling that / must be in the first battle
that was fought, and in every battle that
occurred until the war was ended. 1t would
be noticed, and everybody would be talking
about my neglect of duty.
THE battle of Wilson's Creek was fought
l was there, of course. After it saw very
few of the 1000 men who had been so ar
dent for Warmaking while we were up at
Jefferson City. On the field l saw perhaps
half a dozen of my acquaintance who had
been killed. Naturally it seemed to me that
all Of those warmaking men / had known at
Jefferson City had been slain. | wept, of
course. was in humor to weep There
was nothing else to do. Such experience
put thoughtful mood upon me. / theo-
rized and med1tated. 1t didn't take me long
to arrive at a point where despised war;
for Notwithstanding that my side had
gained the hea day a at that battle all Of
alone to tread some military banquet hall
deserted.
THE war went on, to my surprise 1t was
| waged and 1t ragged. l was compelled to as
sociate with strange people i had never
| seen nor heard of before. Under such cir
| cumstanceS and conditions / found myself
caring less and less for death. In truth, I
began to look upon death as friend. as a
means of translation. Sooner or later, 1
| Elysian fields to which my friends had all
been taken from the bloody fields of Will
| Conscription came on our side. 1t took first
| all between twenty-four and forty-tive;
| then all from twenty to sixty. Finally it
| claimed all from sixteen to seventy, and
| later the mothers of the South began to hide
| their cradles and cemetery inspectors We're
| appointed to see if some had not been pre-
1.-The end came. To Grant and Sherman
| and the other federal generals surrendered
| the remnants of those millions of men who
| had been ready to go forth without guns.
| armed and inspired with the justice of their
| cause. Then we podded back to our homes.
| To our amaZement the earth had not been
| removed by the federal army. The water
| had not ceased to flow. The limpid streams
! of our boyhood went laughing and dancing
| by just as they did before the invasion of
| the rights of the South. Strange as it
! seemed, and asSaulting as it was upon the
oratory which filled the air before the war,
| the seasons came and went as if secession
had never been heard of. Within a short
time it was suggested that there be con-
federate reunion, where the little remnant
of us who had survived the war might
gather and keep green the memories of their
comrades. All who had sympathized with
the lost cause were asked to come.
ITO my amazement. chagrin and disgust
discovered that the few dead men l had
seen my side were all that had really
been killed or had ever seen the war. An
accurate roll call of that great warmaking
body at Jefferson City showed that four
fifths were still alive. had never been in
battle and had seen few persons who had
been in battle. They had become the stanch-
est and most influential Union men in the
n
to become thoroughly reconstructed and
good citizens