Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-11-19

recall it, 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 battle il would be no.
ticed. and every body 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 who had
been so ardent for warmaking while
we were a jefferson City. On the field
| 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. l wept, Of
course. l was in a humor to weep
There was nothing else to do. Such an
experience put a thoughtful mood upon
me. l theorized and meditated. Ii
didn't take me long to arrive at point
where l despised war; for, rotwith'
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 war went on, to my surprise.
II was waged and il ragged. was COM
PEELED to associate with strange peo-
Pile | had never seen nor heard of be-
| fore. Under such circumstances and
conditions | found myself caring less
and less for death. In truth, | began
| TO look upon death as friend, as a
| means of translation. Sooner or later,
| | hoped sooner, would be translated
| to the Elysian fields to which my
| friends had beel 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 60. Final
! ly it claimed all from 16 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 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 ora
tory which filed the air before thu
war, the seasons came and went as i
secession had never been heard of
Within short time ii was suggested
that there be a confederate reunion
where the little remnant of us whit
had survived the war might gather anc
keep green the memories of their com
rades, All who had sympathized will
the lost cause were asked to come.
ITO my amazement. chagrin and dis
gust, | discovered that the few dea,
men | had seen on my side were al
that had really been killed or had eve
seen the war An accurate roll call o
that glSat warmaking body at Jeffer
son City showed that four-fifths wer
still alive. had never been in battle, an
had seen few persons who had been Il
batt!e. They had bec~-ee the stanches
and most influential nnion men in III
country. and were prepared to tell II
how TO become thoroughly reconstruct
ed and good citizens!"-St. Loui
! Democrat