Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-26
PROTEGEE OF LINCOLN.
Sad Condition of Mother Fergu-
son, Famous War Nurse.
PENN1LEss AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY

and FOrty-Hve Battles Her War
RecOIIections.
While there is a God and an Ameri-
can country you shall never starve.-
President Lincoln to Mother Ferguson.
She nursed n thousand soldiers dur
ing the civil war. She was in 145 bat
ties. Great generals did her honor.
They called her mother of Lincoln's
cavalry." Now, broken, helpless with
age. Mother Ferguson is living alone
in shabby attic. destitute and penni-
less at so. dependent on the charity of
q few old friends, all poor themselves.
Through n blur of tears she sat the
other night fumbling ticket to the an
nual G. \. X. excursion when a New
York World reporter found her.
give never missed one yet" she said
brokenly. 81 can't bear to think of
missing this. won't miss it. I'll so
If have TO go barefoot"
She was alone but for her Catholic
prayer book. She lives on the top floor
of the frame house at 80 Sixteenth
street. Brooklyn. Pinned on the faded
mantle which she wore was an old tin
type of Lincoln and about it an an
cient miniature flag.
1--WE worn it ever since Mr.. Lincoln
was assassinated," she said. "That pin
is veterans pin. You see. I'm vet"
The old woman smiled wanly. Her
hair is white and her face lined with
wrinkles. She is bent with years. Her
face is one of mingled gentleness and
strength. The nose is Roman. and its
contour shows great strength. The chin
Is firm and full of determination, and
the eye, although now dim with years,
| famed with n wondrous fire when she
talked of her battles. Mother Fergu
| son is not unlike Clara Barton in APP
pearance.
ooh, was n great old woman until
these last three years." she sadly said.
'"They all knew me, the generals as
well as the boys, and they tipped their
hats to me as fine as you ever saw.
But now 1 can't get around any more.
My son is i'll somewhere, and my
daughter is out in California. So have
| to look after myself.
81 can't miss the vets excursion-I
won't. But look at those shoes. They
are pretty bad, aren't theyF And the
old woman smiled bitterly again. I'm
away off over here in Brooklyn. The
old friends don't know where l am,
and can't get around TO see them, else
l know it would be all right. All l
have to look forward to is meeting the |
soldiers"
Mother Ferguson is deaf and coughs |
constantly. She told her story with |
many breaks TO the reporter. She wore |
an old gown open at the throat and sat |
months ago had made easy with pill
lows.
81 was in the war from first 10 last"
she said Al was at Bull Run, and 1 /
was at AppomattoN. l don't know |
how old l am. / guess it's 40 or so. |
Ny husband-he's dead these 80 years
Joined the First New York cavalry. l |
remember the day just like yesterday. |
They were recruited up at T65 Broad
way, and it was the very first cavalry
company they organized for the Union
side. President Lincoln christened it
himself, and after that they always
called it Lincoln's cavalry.
I'VE went first to Washington. oh,
those We're times! The streets were
alive those days. The very air was
thrilling with fight. 1 slept in the house
"
the zouaves-was staying. He was
killed a few days later. l had gone
along with the cavalry as a nurse.
wouldn't stay behind, though my hus-
band begged me hard enough. l knew
the poor fellows would need somebody
to nurse them before the awful war
was over. and 1 was strong then.
"Ah. sir, few eyes have seen what
hava I xt-oc with Mcclellan and 1
Kearny and Franklin and Sheridan and
Hunter and Porter and the rest of
them. i was at Bull Run. Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Fair Oaks, Chancel-
louisville. Piedmont and in the seven
days fighting at Gettysburg.
"GettysburgI oh, never was there
such fighting as therel l have seen
much, but nothing like Gettysburg"
The old woman put up her hands as if
to shut out the vision. "And l was
with Sheridan in his raids up the val
ley-yes. with Sheridan twice over.
Phil There was the boyi
at was at Harrison's Landing 1 first
saw Lincoln. We had been licked, oh, I
badly. / think he came down there to
find out how many of us hadn't been
killed. They were all there-the big ,
generals and Lincoln-and they intro ,
duced me to him and told him what 1
had been doing. They said I'd been !
with his cavalry right through and that
i had nursed the wounded and cared ,
for them. She's the mother of the
cavalry they told him. And 1 was {,
so proud as he stood there looking at
me kindly.
'Its just like he was standing here
before me now-so tall. with sunken
cheeks and such wonderful eyes, set {
deep in his head. And how do you
like soldieringr he asked me. would I
not be satisfied to be anywhere else L
told him. But it's dreadful, the slaugh-
ter He looked at me and said that as
long as there was n God and an Amer
lean country would be taken care of.