Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-09-13
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life in Camr-F oraging Ex-
oerienees, Tiresome Marches-ThriI-
linS Scenes on the Battlefield.


a dormant chord in the heart and bids
the teardrop spring. Into the past we
wander under the influence of such ex-
citant and bygone memories, then come
TO view pictures long since yelled even
from ourselves. Memory uprises, ST.
lences upStart, life and emotion that
ence were real become again TO us q
reality, That which In this way touches
one heart bids fair to touch others, and
just now a letter In print brings before
the writer CT these lines boyish face
OF the long ago, a childish companion,
who turned his face toward the loved
South, never by us, his boyhoOd's
friends, to be seen again.
But let that pass. The subject is
The Death of Johnnie Burns" posi-
bly, now told for the first time In It's
realistic pathos TO his relatives and
friends, IL relatives he has vet living
Johnnie Burns was Cincinnati boy,
hero whose name history ignores No
shoulder straps were his part, but that
he was a hero will be evident to who
ever reads the story this Southern sol
dier, forty years after the boys death
tells In his letter to the Confederate
Veteran, which chances 10 come before
my eyes. 1t is a touchingly pathetic tale
and challenges thought. One cannot
but wonder which Baptist Sunday
school In this city the boy attended,
who were his loved ones, whether that
Bible with the bloody finger marks on
the fourteenth chapter of ST. John ever
reached his mother. And one cannot
but further wonder. after these years
have passed, II In this city lives
friend To value this veterans touching
tribute paid to their boyish soldier of
that sad long ago, or If il strikes only
empty air In the home city where once
the child was a pet.
with a view of possibly doing ser
Vice 10 relative or comrade, possibly
bringing some member of the Fourth
Ohio into touch with the Southern sol
presume TO offer for publication this
Confoderate's letter concerning the
death of Johnnie Burns of Cincinnati
From the Confederate Veteran:
&C. j.. Gay, an Alabama veteran,
writes that Joe T. Williams of Mont
gomery. was member Of company ID,
Twenty Alabama regiment, and
tells this:
"A o0mrade and ] were searching
the battlefield of Shiloh for some miss
Ing men Of our company, y. of the
| Twenty Alabama regiment. In
passing through swampy thlcket near
where that regiment charged the
Fourth Ohio regiment early In the
morning. we heard the voice Of a
wounded man crying: Boys! hoys"
Thinking il might possibly be one Of
our men we went to him. He first beg
ged for a drink of water, which gave
him ont of my cunteen. After he was
wounded he had rolled into the edge of
this tmcket In order to protect himself
from being run over by the flying am
balances, artillery and cavalry, con
stantly passing near His left knee
! cap was entirely shot off, and he was
extremely weak from the loss OF blood.
His pttiful appeal TO help him we could
not and would not resist after talking
To him. His name was John Burns of
Cincinnati. Ohio. company g. Fourth
Ohio regiment. He begged to be car
ried to our field hospital. where he
might receive attention. and, if pos
sible get word to his loving mother.
being her only son. He had n small
Bible in his hand, with his thumb rest
ing inside OF the fourteenth chapter OF
st. John His thumb being bloody IL
made a bloody spot on this chapter. He
desired that the Bible should bc sent
10 his mother, showing where he last
read
49, our field hospital being n few hun
dred yards in the rear we carried him
there and requested our surgeon. Or.
Redwood. Of Mobile. 10 examine him.
which he did In few minutes, the hos.
pital being crowded with patients. On
examination the doctor found his
wound To be fatal aud his physical con
dition too weak for an operation He
was - years old. When the doctor told
him there was no hope he inquired II
there were any Christians present. We
told him yes. In the meantime several
Of our comrades had gathered around
him. lie requested a prayer, to which
one Of us responded, all being deeply
touched then repeating few lines Of
his mothers favOrite song:
There is land Of pure delight.
Where Snints immortal stand.
Which he requested us to sing with
Lin. This song begun there was taken
up through the entire camps, even back
among the Federal prisoners. All
around thel ."ue him go0d.by. He
handed me tts Bible. and requested
me to hand 1t to Sergeant Stevenson Of
Company Il. Fourth Ohio Regiment.
This sergeant knew his family, and he
wanted him to send ii 10 his mother ana
tell her he died Christian The
next morning went to the hospital and