The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-06-14
IT WAS ONLY A DREAM.
A Confederate yereran Looks Thirty
Years Ahead.
Carolina Spartan.

patiently bearing the burden OF years
and unremitting labor for living at
the close Of long, lingering May day,
[ went to bed with the chickens and
soon deep sleep came to my tired
body. It was not long, perhaps about
midnight, when the wheels Of time
were rolled back and I was in Virginia
again with the boys. R. E. Lee'
Stonewall Jackson, A. P. Hill and
Longstreet were in the saddle. The
boys in gray, or any color Of cloth
they could get, were camped on hun
dred hills, and the dream picture
would rapidly change and there would
be the drums and marching and fun
and frivolity, and then the booming
of cannon and then the interminable
line of blue with shining guns and
bayonets would rise up in the dis
tance. In dreams that blue line is
always hateful thing. The Confed-
crates may shout themselves hoarse
for Dewey and Shafter and Wheeler.
They may fight for the stars and
stripes, but their dreams are always
true to the convictions of 1861.
Awaking from that dream 1 was rather
glad I was not in camp in Virginia,
but in quiet home. lrejoiced In
restored country and felt that even
the blue was not such hateful color,
only in dreams.
Again sleep overcame me and the
cogs in the wheel Of time had some
how slipped and the old machine was
clicking off 1880. I was at railway
station and on large poster Tread,
s'Grand Reunion Of the U. c. v, at
Petersburg, Va, July 4, $780, l
began to take in the situation. The
general commanding the U. c. V. was
nineteen. year-old private at the sur
render. All the generals, colonels
captains and even quartermasters and
chaplains of the army had passed
away. The boy who surrendered at
the age Of 20 at Appomattox was now
85. Even the 16-year old boys who
went in the last few months OF the
war were 80. I made up my mind to
20 to Petersburg where the curtain
went down on the last act, where
great actors were forced to withdraw
from the greatest drama of the cen
tury. wanted to see the remnant OF
the old army as they came together
for the last time. Only afew Of them
we're left here and there. Year by
year the roll had been growing shorter
and shorter. Now the survivors OF
the whole army Of the Confederacy
could be called in less than half an
hour. But my dream gave coloring
to the scene and pictured the remnant
Of the gaandest army Of the nine
teenth century as highly honored, the
observed Of all observers, occupying
the high seats in all the high places.
But dreams are very Disappointing.
They 20 By contra.ies. Instead of
honor there was absolute want OF re-
cognition. When the first section Of
the train bringing visitors from North
Carolina rolled in, thought I would
certainly see few Of the survivors of
Charlottesville and Appomattox
leaning or the arms of their cons and
daughters. But no one did [ see.
The sons and the daughters with
maids Of honor by the hundreds came
in, but not a single Veteran. The
next section came in with the legend
"Sponsors Of the Confed eracy.' l
thought sure these young people had
the remnant Of the North Carolina
Veterans in their charge. But they
came tripping out, each sponsor with
six maids of honor, and each maid
with two young men dancing atten-
dance. This line was thicker, if not
longer than Lees line around Peters
burg in the winter of 1864 and 1863.
But there was no sign Of veteran IN
that merry crowd and no knowledge OF
one. A little conversation with one
Of the more affable indicated that
they had got Light Horse Harry Lee
and R. E. Lee mixed. Some Of them
had an idea that Stonewall jackson
was the hero of New Orleans. They
could not tell whether it was
Semmes or Sampson that was such a
terror on the seas in the old Confede-
rate days. They did not know wheth-
er the Crater was in Petersburg or
Santiago. Turning sadly from them l
looked for the coming of the Palmetto
; division. When the first section
rolled in sight with drums beating and
L.o.4 hound o1 yr1th