The National tribune., 1902-03-13
The Women at Home.

EDITOR NATIONAL. TRIBUNE: The Ma
tional Tribune is full of interest to me,
but some things have more interest for
me than others. One in recent nulober
is of absorbing interest-that on Port Rud-
son, by Col. Ingraham, for was there
in the assaulting column. The first as
sauIt took place May 81. Though l had
been in battle line at Camp Bisland
H'ranklinton) three days after joining the
regiment as recruit, and had been in
divers skirmishes up through western
Louisiana to Alexandria and about 40
miles beyond, that 9th day of May was
my first experience where men fell by
my side, and slaughter is the only word
to express the work. Six days we occu-
pied the riie-pits, dug in the night, in one
of which our Col. Bean was killed. Then
trip to Clinton, June 8; a second one,
to do what we failed to do the first time;
then, June II, that ''fOrlOrn hope" as
sault, in which our first Colonel, then
Brig.-Gen. Halbert e. Paine, lost leg.
Over 100 of my regiment went inside the
works, but not being followed by others
could only surrender as prisoners. At
roll-call the next morning less than 90 Of
the entire regiment answered to their
names; one company was commanded by
a Corporal; ours had one Sergeant and
one Corporal fit for duty.
Gen. Raum in his intensely interesting
series of articles speaks of the visit Of
several ladies to Ficksburg after the sur
render, and remarks that one thing at
tracted universal attention, namely, the
expression of deep anxiety upoh. every
face.
In public addresses l have often as
serted that the mothers and wives at
home suffered as much as the men at the
front; in fact, that the anxiety, the sus-
pense, the dread of possible results, were
harder to bear than the hardships at the
front, for with the boys there was always
excitement, something new developing,
success experienced or expected and hoped
for; the country, the inhabitants, all had
points of interest for the ever-actiye army
boys. But at home they could only wait
in fear and suspense, anxious to read the
news, yet dreading lest it contain the
worst; sometimes that word missing"
was hardest to bear.
l write in part from experience. l left
a wife so young in looks that she was
always taken to be from FIVE to 10 years
younger than myself, and a boy two and
n half years old. In March. 1868, her
father died; in July her mother, leaving
her with a younger brother in the old
home During that Summer | was at the
front; for some time during that siege we
were not permitted to write home; then,
n little before the surrender, L was sent
to a New Orleans hospital, and for a
while was not able to write only few
words to let her know where l was. For
some time she kept house for her brother,
then accepted an invitation from a cousin
N Minnesota to make a long visit and
rest. While there she had some photo
graphs taken and sent me one. l can
never forget the effect of that picture on
ne; there was the beautiful, curly-head-
ID boy as natural as life. but the mother
so careworE, sober, anxious, and appar-
.ntly many years older-well, L got away
,y myself as quickly as possible and had
me long, hard cry, such as | had never
lad since my childhood, if even then
aid to myself over and over, What Will
she be when / get home. or if never
lor' But l did, and she is with me yet;
hat boy a stalwart, successful business
nan, doing for me more than a pension,
md we have two girls, one still at home,
Is good and true as the boy, who remem-
,er somewhat the lonely waiting for sol
Iier papa to come home<-J. N. LIS
,oMB, Co. Z, 4th Wis. Cav, Los An
,eles. Cal.