Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-07-30

Bulues-de WOODS was full OF EN-
yet in nearly year of providing about
the woods between the lines never
once saw colored man except on q
plantation. To this day their ways are
as mysterious to me as the traditional
underground railway" was to the
slave hunters of old.
The special delight Of picket service,
however. was the privilege of visiting
the few white natives who lived near
by. All of them protested to be Union.
lists; all. I believe, were earnest Con-
federates. but 1t was policy for them
not to allow any harm to befall a
Union soldier who visited them. So
we never feared that we would be cap
tured by skulking Confederates, much
less shot while in natives house. To
tell the truth, think most of US We're
about as welcome us we would have
been In any farming community Mt the
north. We could generally tell them
about much that was going ON in the
world, thanks to our steady supply of
newspapers; we could give them an
occasional book or magazine, but had
we only our presence to offer it was
gratifying to the people, nearly all of
whose own men were In the Confed-
crate army and whose women did not
dare to exchange visits over roads
where they might at any time en-
counter marching troops.
At most of the native houses there
were girls, and each girl had about 500
adorers in our regiment alone, as well
as an equal number in other cavalry
regiments at our post. There was little
or no loyemaking. No man dared abb
sent himself long enough from the
picket reserve to attend to business of
SO serious a nature, nor could he easily
find opportunity to speak to damse,
alone. If father or mother or grand
parents CHANGED to be out of the room
FOR moment, some other trooper was
almost sure to be present. This was
misery for sentimental young men of
the class that regards lovemaking as
an absolute necessity of daily life.
1t was great fun, however, for the
girls. Not one of them would have
married Yankee had he been Apollo
and Cr9sus combined, but it wasn't
unpleasing to get an adoring, heart
broken glance from one not unhand-
some fellow after another and to real
lie that all the sufferers were from the
enemy's ranks. used to imagine,
probably correctly. that the southern
girls looked prettier and more vivacious
when we appeared than they possibly
could do at the humdrum routine of
housework. Most of them had lost
their slaves. In the usual manner, be-
fore our town became n military post,
and they would remind us of this when
anything In the house seemed to them
to lack proper attention or when they
invited us to sit down with the family
to dinner or supper, which they as.
sured us was not what they would
have given us in other days. They got
SO many compliments, howeyer-some
awkward. but all honest-on the skill
of pretty hands and heads that don't
doubt one of them told the truth when
she said to me In burst of confidence
that she was more than half glad that
the house servants had run away and
given her and her mother chance to
have things just as they wanted them.
Some of these southern girls asked in
Vulnerable questions about the duties
and diversions of our mothers and sis
tiers. and they heard enough to make
them open their pretty eyes in wonder,
But all this had nothing to do with
love. AS was natural to suppose, and as
we afterward learned, each of the girls
was already engaged to some good or
bad fellow in the Confederate army.
Their hearts were already disposed of.
SO they could laugh at all would be
suitors and break hearts cheerily with
the sublime consolation that they were
weakening the enemy in one of his
most vulnerable points. Their manner
was as proper us that of any northern
girl. as the more impudent of our fol.
lows discovered when they proposed n
kiss at the door. The experience of
one Of these fellows was quite inter.
esting to every one but himself. y
was so handsome that he had mi
great havoc among feminine hearts M
home and had come to regard himself