Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-12-09
AFTER THE BATTLE.

recall it, 1 had feeling that must be
in the first battle that was fought, and
in every battle that occurred until the
| war was ended. 1t seemed to me that
if / missed a battle it would be no
| ticed, and everybody would he talking
| about my neglect Of duty. &C
THE battle of, Wilson's Creek was
| 1ought. I was there. of course. After
i5I saw very few of the 1000 who had
been so ardent for warmaking while
vs. were at jefferson City. On the field
l saw perhaps half a dozen of my ac-
quaintances who had been killed. Nat
urally it seemed to me that all of those
warmaking men had known at Jeffer-
son City had been slain. 1 wept. OF
course. 1 was in a humor" to weep.
There was nothing else to do. Such an
experience put aGaoughtful mood upon
me. 1 theorized and meditated. 1t
didn't take me long to arrive at point
where 1 despised war; for. notwith-
standing that my side had gained the
day at that battle, all of my friends
had been destroyed. 1 was left alone
to tread some military banquet hall
deserted.
THE wS9 went on, to my surprise.
It was waged and it ragged. Iwas COM
PEELED TO associate with strange peo-
pie had never seen nor heard of be
fore. Under such circumstances and
conditions I found myself caring less
and less for death. In truth. l began
to look upon death as a friend, as a
means of translation. Sooner or later.
/ hoped sooner, ] would be translated
to the Elysian fields TO which my
friends had bee: taken from the bloody
fields of Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge.
Four years sped. Conscription came
on our side. 1t took first all between
"a and As; then all from 20 to &C. Final
~ it claimed all from 10 to 20, and later
the mothers of the south began TO
hide their cradles and cemetery in
spectors were appointed to see if some
had not been prematurely buried.
THE end came. To Grant and Sher-
man and the other federal generals
surrendered the remnants Of those mil
lions of men who had been ready to
go forth without guns, armed and in
spired with the justice of their cause
Then we plodded back to our homes
To our Amusement, the earth had Got
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 ora
tory which filed 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 a confederate reunion,
where the little remnant of US who
had survived the war might gather and
keep green the memories of their COM
rades. AL who had sympathized with
the lost cause were asked to come.
To my amazement. chagTin and Gis-
gust. L discovered that the few dead
men | had seen on my side were ali
that had really been killed or had ever
seen the war An accurate roll cell OF
that great warmaking body at Jeffer-
son 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 staucbesr
and most influential union men in the
country. and were prepared to tell us
how to become thoroughly reconstruct
ed and good citizens!'eSI Ion;z
Giobe-Democrat.