Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-09-27
Ais We'll
That
EDds WELL"
A Story Of Love and War.


The date. July 8, 1868; place, vicks-
burg; dramatis PERSONA. 81. 900 south
ern soldiers and myself
The hot, dusty summer had dragged
its slow, pestilent length, until, surfeit-
ed with the carnage, it stood blood red,
feverish, giving its victims opportunity
to do little quiet writhing-to let
conscience get in its work and gnaw
awhile. We had been penned in like 80
many animals since early May. if you
measure the period by the deliberate
calendar-for an age. if may be per-
mitted to base a calculation on my per-
sonal experiences. We. at least I, had
been growing thinner, raggeder, hun
grier, every week. every day, hour and
minute. This slump into the depths of
physical helplessness and sartorial dis
reputableness by no means surprised
me- A man cannot wear one suit Of
clothes two years, eat in it, sleep in it,
wade rivers in it and fight in it and
show up fit to have tintype made of
himself 1t would have wrenched my
AdCultlCS w AdNO hACu upOu tnO udtO
when a tailor had last run his tape
around me and noted the points of his
survey by French chalkings and when
/ started out to slay my quota of Yam
KEGS the suit l wore was discarded for
one much inferior in quality, although
at the time it represented to me some
thing infinitely beyond computation in
dollars or comparison in texture.
was, however. little nonplussed over
my appetite. True, / could not have
stated on solemn oath or affirmation
when my legs had been stretched under
bountifully laden mahogany But why
even a semblance of an appetite was
spared me was gastronomic puzzle.
For month my eyes had met such
sights as men in the clammy throes Of
death, men mangled by shells. men with
bleeding stumps Of legs and arms and
carcasses of animals rotting in the sun.
The air was foulness itself. By day the
burning sun swung its scorching torch
over this cesspool, creating odors indie
scribable. When night fell, the slime
and ooze from the ponds blown over the
city received poisonous aids in the sui
phurous spit of the screeching shells
from Porter's besieging feet Besides,
we lived in caves or holes in the ground.
We had to. The rain of lead was terri
BILE. And the ventilation of our abodes
was not up to modern sanitary require
ments. / am quite Gel tain on this point.
Spite of all this. had an adult appe-
tite have never been so hungry since.
nor was ever go hungry before.
He was very discerning and phil
osophic manor, was it woman 3
who said that clouds have silver lining.
Our cloud was even finer than the phi
losopher's. 1t was silver mounted-top-
ped off with ornaments Of the political
metal of such massiveness as to defy the
corroding tooth. A courier passed
through the camp heralding the news
that "Old Penn" had grown weary
whether of commanding $4,000 skele-
tons with ravenous appetites, or Of
shrieking shells, or Of living under
ground, or of all combined was not
vouchsafed. but he had grown weary,
and we were notified to prepare to sur
render-rags. appetites and all-the
following day. cannot say what emo
tions stirred me when heard this an
nouncement. My am bition had suffered
a collapse. The dream of my youth
vanished like q nickel on a hot day
when exposed to the x rays Of large.
cool schooner Of beer. There was some
consolation, however The light of my
life had not been entirely extinguished.
From the wreck and ruin. the chaos Of
this disaster. had saved my appetite
II I could but work that off on some
Yankee and sit down and see him wres-
tie with it. the spectacle would in part
compensate me for the overwhelming
humiliation under which labored.
The next morning was up betimes
So also were the other 1900 skeletons
There was an air Of unusual animation
in camp We seemed to be impressed
with the fact that we were about to in
augurate an epoch-two or three epochs
perhaps. We were to let the world into
the secret that we had reconsidered our
former resolve to wade chin deep in
Yankee gore. We were to give it out
fat that it was physical impossibility
for one southern American to annihilate
seven northern Americans We were to
brighten up the historical tablets and
give the glorious Fourth nineteeth
century significance-a sort of renewed
vim and vigor Naturally we didn't
think we were engaged in all this gor-
geous regeneration business at the time,
but that's what it amounted to in the
long run Americans are Americans
whether they breathe the air of snowy
Wisconsin or balmy Florida. We can
see it now. We couldn't then.
When the hour for surrender arrived,
we were lined up and inventoried. rags
and appetites, in accordance with the
rules and regulations in such cases
made and provided. and formally trans
ferred to the care and custody of the
United States governmental this in
stance Government with very large
and formidable g. AS a company of
Yankees swung down the line to add
due impressiveness to the solemnities
my attention was arrested by the bear
ing of the officer in command. 1t was
not his dress that caught me. for, truth
to say. that showed the effects Of cam
paigning. and. while not so tattered as