Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-12-29

trick, poor old John being the uncon-
scious butt.
Continuing the conversation begun
at the outset OF this chronicle, John
said:
Yes, have had my romances, but
this last one is not mine, though am
Interested in it."
You remember the poor girl
brought back from Knoxville in the
spriog of '64?'
Well, should think l ought to re-
member her. I've always thought
she was the cause of your losing your
hair, and"
Never mind my hair. you blamed
scamp"
y don't mind it. Nobody does, II
amt in anybody's way
Sam Nelson, III hurt you yet.
Don't, John But what about the
girl? She's got over being a girl ~
this time"
Il should say she had, She's well
on the way to being grandmother.
you don't say!"
Il just did say"
How do you know"
"Lemme tell YOU
That's what I'm waiting for"
Before repeating what John now
told Sam it is necessary to say that
the two were members of the same HI
inois regiment of infantry in East
Tennessee in the winter of 1864, UNI
til after the campaign that involved
the siege OF Knoxville, and that Johns
son John was soldier in the Cuban
war, a hero of Santiago and one OF the
Invaders of Porto Rico
After the siege of Knoxville had
been raised a large body OF the ted
eral troops followed Longstreet's re-
treat into Virginia as far as Straw
berry Plains, Tenn, where the feder-
ais went ioto camp for some weeks in
the most uncomfortable biVouac that
was known in the history of the way,
The weather was. for the most part,
Intensely cold, food was pitifully
scarce, and what little there was was
bItdu ultuS IlOll SlSh NhSiI NNiNi
bad corn, and beef from a lot of unfed
cattle that were so poor and thin and
feeble that the butchers had to hold
them up to knock them down.
The pitiable herd was daily driven
across a ditch, and those that We're too
weak to get over, aud therefore fell in,
were killed for food, while those that
could get over were held as being able
to live until the next killing time.
The men were half-clad, in dirty,
ragged clothes, and were without shell
ter but there was wood enough to
make big fires.
During this time occurred the ia
nous cold new years day." January
/, 1864, remembered all over the
country as ne coolest day that has
ever been recorded in the United
States.
1t was en- that day that John Saxton
the John aow bald, that these chron-
ieles have been speaking of-then n
duty sergeant, brought into camp a
girl of Is or 1G years whom he had
found, almost starved and frozen, in a
cabin among the bleak hills. Her
mother lay dead on the one miserable
bed in the cabia; the father, Tom Mar
ley, had been killed a year before in
the confederate ARMY, and the girl WAS
too weak to leave the place alone, and
there she, too, would soon have died
of cold and starvation.
| The foraging party, OF which Sergt.
John Saxton had charge, wrapped the
girl up as best they could in some
rough sacks and JONAS deplorably
ragged oyercoat and placed her in one
with comfodder and other forage.
| They dug 4 shallow grave in the dirt
| floor of the cabin, buried the dead Wo-
man there and took the girl into camp.
| John SaXton appointed himself Sa-
mantha Marley's guardian, and upon
the arrival of the party at camp she
was carried to the only tent in all the
vast encampment. The tent belonged
to a stray sutler who was there by
| means, the details of which are
not necessary TO this record With
the suffer was his wife, husky wo-
man who was physically the superior
OF her husband. This canvas abode
| and shop was kept comfortable by
means OF a sheet iron stove. and in the
suffers stock were canned goods Of
enormous price. But the sutler aud
his wife agreed to take care of the girl
at an expense to John Saxton that was
little less than frightful. He bore IL
heroically, howeYer-money being far
more plentiful than any other desir-
able thing the two weeks that
e0sued until Johns regiment was
ordered back To Knoxville.
The day after the arrival Of the reg
iment at Knoxville Sergt Saxton
found himself promoted to be a second
lieutenant, the command having lost
heavily ~ the campaign. Many va
cancies had occurred among the Off
GERS, and the regiment, which had
'yeteranized,' very much needed fh-
nddoJ IN Iahn', hnp,re