The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24
Every Man in Battle Carries a Re-
membrance of Some Woman.
New York Evening Sun.

New York Evening Sun.
There were very few of the fellows who
other of girl trinket on them when they
were laid out in the rear The officers went
round and gathered these things together,
making notes of them on pads that they
carried with them. A good many of these
lockets and miniatures and little strands of
sweethearts hair were sent to the people
back here of the boys killed on the dispatch
boat Dolphin. that brought me from Cuba.
Cuba.
So 1.-The bravest are the tenderest the low
ing are the daring" to-day just as they
were when the Song of the Camp" was
written. The rule seems to hold good in
any sort of fray and in whatever part of the
world. The civil war was full of instances
of this sort-not full-fiedged romances. WITH
plot and pith and point s,h that got into print
developed happenings that had their own
suggestive and sentimental interest. Il
don't believe there was man in the civil
war" said veteran the other day. but
had his small token from the girl he left
behind HIM. If we learned of this from
those who weathered the conflict. ii was
made still more plain to us by the dead and
wounded. AS in the present war, these girl
trinkets were, whenever possible, kept,
labeled and restored 10 the soldiers family
or friends. but many times, of course, this
was not possible. L was once stumbling
alone through a thicket after skirmish,
when / suddenly came across the body of a
Union soldier. / stopped, and in few hur-
red moments ascertained that he was dead.
There IVES nothing about him to Identify
him in any way, but round his neck was
a tiny gold chain. with locket attached.
The locket was very thin and worm as
though ii had been in somebody's keeping
for a good while. and ii was of the old
fashioned decorative pattern which the
jewelers. call Indian turn, / believe. In
side, however, was the customary girls pic
ture and the lock of hair that we soldiers
had by that time learned 10 know so WELL
though in this case, | am bound to confess,
the girls face was uncommonly attractive
and the lock of hair of an unusually pretty
color. On one side of the locket cover was
engraved the single word Mamie Well,
took the chain locket and all and put it
round my own neck, while on the back of
a stray envelope | made hasty memoran-
dun Of the dead mans appearance. The
denouement? There wasn't any. tried nv
best to find out something about the soldier
but without success. The chain and locket
l wore all through the war, and had I
shared the same fate as the original owner
/ suppose that they and their associations
would have been taken for my own.
brought them home with me from the war.
and they to-day lie in safe keeping with the
other things that serve TO remind me If
those bygone days But / have often WON
dePed about them. Ny children are upon as
familiar and friendly terms with the little
gold chain and Indian turn locket as they
are with the keepSakes OF our own family
Whoever Mamie may have been and wher-
ever she is to-day. she may rest assured
that the token that / took from her dead
soldier has been kept in affectionate inter-
est and regard