Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-14
thought less of than the niger; it
was rich mans war and poor mans
fphf
A Precious Gift.


A Precious Gift.
81 was informed they had three sons
who had marched under the old flag
during our little fracas with Spain.
remarked that L, too, had boy in that
affair, and | little thought thirty-eight
years ago that boy of mine would
ever be subject to the orders of Fitz-
hugh Lee, and that that Lee would be
corps commander in the United
States army, but l rejoiced in the fact;
we became quite chummy. After Sc
curing few momentos, and just upon
leaving the mother said, L have some
thing l want to show YOU She
brought out the battle flag that had
been presented to the regiment by the
women of Fredericksburg. 1t was in
ribbons, with but one of the eleven
stars left. Handing it to me she
said: My brother carried this
flag and fell with it mortallv wounded,
charging your lines at Drury's Bluff,
May 16, 1864 l took it in my hands
and gazed at it reverently. l knew
at one time it was the emblem of trea-
son, but l could not help regarding it
as thing made hallowed by the blood
of as brave men as ever followed any
flag, of any country l do not know
how long l looked at tiny thought
wass concentrated on that dread past.
silently handed it back to the lady.
Then | heard a voice say: Mother,
let us give the gentleman the star |
was thunderstrucll, and | thought OF
the brave dead and living who had fol-
lowed that bit of silk to victory, defeat
and death. l would not have been
more surprised if revolvers had been
drawn upon me. The mother, looking
at the grizzled old Confederate, said:
Shall ~ He said: No! there is but
one star left on the old flag She quick
ly said: 1 have one framed, and no
one has better right to this flag than
|, and know this gentleman will ap
preciate it. He said: I don't care,
so they separated the star from the old
| flag and gave it me. Ut is with us
! tonight) | need not say l value it
! above money or price. 1t was cheer
| fully given to me, q money considera-
! ton was not thought OF, it would have
/ been sacrilege; the moment seemed to
! be entirely one of sentiment, but
confess to feeling that L was spelling
! the Egyptians
The National Cemetery.
THE two following days l spent
roaming over that disastrous field, and
| took melancholy satisfaction in liv-
ing again that terrible time. The
enemys position was practically i'm
! pregnable; they had five lines of en-
tfenchment on that part of the line we
charged Our attack was frontal
one, and l do not wonder that after
that battle our commander-in-chief was
4 referred to as Butcher Burnside The
national cemetery is enclosed by a
stone wall, having an area of thirteen
acres, much Of It at an angle of forty
degrees. The terraces are quite nu-
merous. 1t was established July Is,
1865. There were 1928 interments,
1910 OF which were unknown, and
but 2,743 known. Not member of my
regiment was among the known. My
bunkmate and boyhood friend pure
minded, noble young man, with whom
touched elbows in that charge. was
one of that 1910. Their bones lay
bleaching on that field until reyerentl!
gathered and inferred two and a halt
years after the battle.
The Man Behind the Gun.
We hear much of the generals ant
, officers OF all wars; very little is said
only in q general way, of the man be
) hind the gun. | think every man who
suffered and fought with the grea
leaders helped to bring them fame
and are sharers in their renown. Ev
I cry soldier who fought at Thermopy
lac helped to make Leonidas immor
, tai, helped to make courage and pa.ri
, otism immortal. Every Union soldier
+ who fought under its leaders helped tt
! make them immortal, and thus helped
TO l.A our history with the name!
: which inspire a nations pride and pc
triOtism. The Eravest and most patri
otto thing man can do is to ente,
the ranks as a common soldier ami
| mated by patriotism alone. 1t is no
: remarkable that men who i,lye mad
: war profession, men who have beel
: educated in the art and science of war
J fare, should offer themselves to thei
: country in time Of war That is wha
4 they have been looking forif not pray
t ing for. 1t is no disparagement O
their virtue and honor to say the
have cultivated an ambition for fame
and they hope that in war their ger
< JUS will manifest itself and the oppol
a tunity offer for their achieving dis
: tinction. and by gallant deeds rise t
= high position and enviable immorta
0 ity. But no such ambition held GU
V before the volunteer private the gil
n ttering promise of position and fame
| With a love of country as great q
}. ever moved the heart of Washing
i ton, or Hamilton, or Lincoln, or Gran
O Many a lad from the farm, many
n red headed, frccklefaced boy from til
y district school, many grimy mine,
n many young hustler from the worl
shop, shouldered his musket in tn
y. days of the Civil war and went fort
Il to his death without the hope {
n fame, or the dream of glory, but sin
n ply with his mother-taught convictio
,, of duty, and with a purpose of defen,
a ing the flag of his country and pr,
u serving this national union. That
7 the bravest kind of bravery, the mos
q heroic kind of heroism. the most p;
:. triotic kind of patriotism.
It Inspired by Patriotism.
"Those men of 1861 and 1865 wei
not the victims of unholy ambition, nc