Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-11-24
AFTER THE BATTLE.

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 a battle it would be no.
ticed, and everybody would be talking
about my neglect of duty.
The battle of Wilson's Creek was
fought. | was there, of course. After
it saw very few of the 1000 who had
been so ardent for warmaking while
we were at Jefferson City. On the field
| saw perhaps half dozen of my ac-
quantances 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, wept, OF
course. was in a humor to weep.
There was nothing else to do. Such an
experience put thoughtful mood upon
me. l theorized and meditated. 1t
didn't take me long to arrive at point
where | despised war; for, notwith-
standing that my side had gained the
day at that battle, all of my friends
had been destroyed. | was left alone
to tread some military banquet hall
deserted.
THE war went on, to my surprise.
1t was waged and it ragged. / was COM
PEELED to associate with strange peo-
pie 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 a friend, as a
means of translation. Sooner or later,
hoped sooner, would be translated
to the ElysiOn fields to which my
friends had beeA taken from the bloody
fields Of Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge.
Four years Sped Consumption 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 70, and later
the mothers of the south began to
hide their cradles and cemetery i'm
spectors were appointed to see If some
had not been prematureIy 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 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 ora
tory which filled the air before the
war, the seasons came and went as il
secession had never been heard of.
| Within short time ii 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. All who had sympathized with
the lost cause were asked to come.
ITO my amazement, chagrin and dis
gust, | discovered that the few dead
men had seen on 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 Jetfer-
son City showed that four-ffths were
still alive, had never been in battle, and
had seen few persons who had been in
battle. They had become the stanchest
and most influential union men in the
country, and were prepared to tell us
how to become thoroughly reconstruct
ed and good citizensl"-St Louis
Globe-Democrat.