Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-05
STORIES OF LINCOLN.
THE TINY SOLDIER WHO ASSISTED
AT THE PUBLIC LEvEE.

| the Ohio River.
On one occasion a little drummer
boy. securing leave of absence, accom-
panied a sergeant to public levee that
/ 'Old Abe was holding at the White
House. They went early, and when
President Lincoln appeared and the
handshaking began they were not long
in reaching him.
The tall man. almost giant in phys
/ ical proportions, looked down with an
amused smile at the tiny drummer boy,
who appeared hardly 10 years of age.
Grasping the little fellows right hand.
the president suddenly reached out his
left. swung the boy off his feet and
set him gently down on a small table
beside him.
aha, my little soldier he said,
laughing. you shall help Uncle Abe
review this line today. and if your SUI
perior officer objects, why, III prolong
your leave of absence
Lincoln asked the boy his age, place
| of residence, regiment and where he
was on duty. Then. as some of the
more important officers of the army or
navy, members of congress or of the
executive departments CHANGED TO pass
in the line, the president would gravely
introduce his young assistant, with
whom they were required TO shake
hands as well as with himself
When the reception was over, Presl-
dent Lincoln took the boy into his pri-
vate apartments and introduced him to
Mrs. Lincoln. After entertaining him
at luncheon he dismissed him with a
brief note TO the commanding officer of
the hospital where he was then sta
toned telling why the boys leave of
absence had been extended.
Lincoln's geniality and willingness at
all times To hear or to tell good story
Were conspicuous traits. not always
agreeable to some of his able but wor-
ried and irritable advisers.
On one occasion n sergeant had a
squad of men at work unloading sup
plies from an Ohio river steamboat
that in some mysterious manner had
made its way from the interior to the
coast waters of Virginia. 1t was fiat
bottOmed boat. drawing not more than
three feet of water when loaded and
hardly dampening its plank bottom
when light. 1t was propelled by a
horizontal stern wheel. driven by n
small upright engine. Boats of that
type were common on the Ohio. which
runs almost dry at some seasons. They
were known as "Pittsburgcrs'' and
We're tabled to navigate freely in a
heavy dew.
The sergeant's men were hard at
work carrying rations ashore from this
craft when suddenly they stopped and
sent up lusty cheer. a little tuglike |
steamer had pulled up alongside, and |
from il stepped n tall, awkward man
dressed in rusty black and wearing a |
napless silk hat The sergeant recog
nized the president and saluted.
Your boat is well named, sergeant"
said the latter Gravely.
The soldier was puzzled. He did not |
know that the steamer had n name and |
said so.
The president took him by the arm |
and led him back on the tug. There |
the stern of the "Pittshurger" doomed |
above them, and on iis dirty white sur
face in furnished gilt letters a yard
long appeared the single word, Mist.
YES" said Lincoln, Its very well /
named indeed. sergeant All those
boats need is mist, and they'll run /
anywhere.
Years ago" he continued. 81 was at
tending court in Cairo. Ills, when the
Ohio was so low that all the water
there was between its banks was what
had spilled over from the Mississippi. |
Those 'Pittsburgers' We're passing and
all the time. One night there |
came up little shower that raised the
level maybe n half inch. One of 'em
got out of the channel, slid ashore
and grounded in the mud right beside
the courthouse.
cit was there the next morning, and
/ remarked to a brother attorney that
that boat was aground to stay. He
was from Egypt and knew more
about Pittsburgers' than l did. He
merely smiled and said, You wait and
see
There came on another shower that
afternoon. L heard an engine putting
and looked out of the courthouse win
dow. Maybe you'll think I'm exagger-
ating. but there was that boat steam-
ing down the road toward the river,
and I'm two minutes she was back in
the Ohio. just as the shower was over.
CABAtSSGh W thS 1
judge, but he said that was nothing.
If the shower hadn't come up in time,
the captain would simply have hired n
boy with a sprinkIing pot to go ahead.
They're great boats. sergeant. Likely
as not this one got here by coming
across country"
President Lincoln repeated this ex-
travagant story without the ghost of a
smile. During its recital Secretary
Stanton and Generals Halleck and
last named having run
up the day before from his march
through the Carolinas--who were with
the party, had approached the presi-
lent. General Sherman smiled broadly,
but Stanton looked annoyed. The pres
dent caught his glance and. with a
wink at the others, said. But maybe
you've heard this before, Stanton"