Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-07-04
OF LINCOLN.
Sad Condition of Mother Fergu-
son, Famous War Nurse.
PENNILEss AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY

Cared For Soldiers In One Hundred
and Forty-fve Battles Her War
R-ecoIIections.
While there is a God and an Ameri-
can country you shall never starve.-
President Lincoln to Mother Ferguson.
She nursed a 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 a shabby attic, destitute and penni-
less at 80, dependent on the charity Of
a few old friends, all poor themselves.
Through a blur of tears b sat the
other night fumbling a ticket to the IN
nua1 6. A. r. excursion when a New
York World reporter found her.
"I've never missed one yet" she said
brokenly. 81 can't bear to think Of
missing this. I won't miss it. I'll go
If I have to go barefoot"
She was alone but for her Catholic
prayer book. She lives on the top floor
Of the frame house at 315 Sixteenth
street, Brooklyn. Pinned OF 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 MI. Lincoln
was assassinated," she said. "That pin
is a veterans pin. You see, I'm a 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 g~entleness 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 a Wondrous fire when she
talked of her battles. Mother Fergu-
son is not unlike Clara Barton in ap-
pearance.
"Oh, I was a 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 I can't get around any more
My son is ill somewhere, and my
to look after myself.
ST can't miss the vets e1cursion-I
won't. But look at those shoes. They
are pretty bad, aren't they?" And the
old woman smiled bitterly again. "I'm
away off over here in Brooklyn. The
old friends don't know where I am,
and I can't get around to see them, else
I know it would be all right. All 1
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
in a chair which G.. A. R. women
months ago had made easy with pill
lows.
81 was in the war from first to last"
she said. 81 was at Bull Run, and I
was at AppomattoX. I don't know
how old I am. / guess it's rs or 80.
My husband-he's dead these 80 years
Joined the First New York cavalry. 1
remember the day just like yesterday.
They were recruited up at 765 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.
1--WE went first to Washington. Oh,
those were times! The streets were
alive those days. The very air was
thrilling with fight. I slept in the house
where Colonel Observation-Disclosures of
the zouaves-was staying. He was
killed a few days later. I had gone
along with the cavalry as a nurse. l
wOy1IIn3t ctov hohin6 4hoJ1~h INV hJ1c-
band begged me hard enough. l knew
the poor fellows would need somebody
to nurse them before the awful war
was over, and I was strong then.
"Ah, sir, few eyes nave seen what
these have. l was with Mcclellan and
Kearny and Franklin and Sheridan and
Hunter and Porter and the rest of
them. l was at Bull Run, Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Fair Oaks, Chancel-
louisville. Piedmont and in the seven
days fighting at Gettysburg.
"Gettysburg! Oh, never was there
such fighting as there! 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 boy!
cit was at Harrison's Landing I first
saw Lincoln. We had been licked, oh.
badly. 1 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 |
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 l was
so proud as he stood there looking at
me kindly.