Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-08-30
THE BATTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

sVihtAHllS dsluc lTViIi tue usual OF Fout-
Inc order was going 10 happen. l said
so 10 my wife, and she said jocularly
that was probably TO have a surprise
in the way of meeting some old com
rade who wore the gray. Thereupon
we both looked about with greater in
terest in the individuals near us. and
In two minutes We stood face to face
with matronly lady holding the hand
of boy about years of age
Il had just remarked 10 my wife that
the music reminded me of a certain
night in Culpeper County, Virginia,
when the lady turned toward me with
a look of surprise and recognition, and
knew her, although ] had not seen
her for nearly forty years. | gave
.Ay name and the name of her father.
and we were soon going over the story
of our last meeting and of what fol
lowed. In the winter of 1862 / was an
officer in Gen. Jeb Stuart's cavalry on
outpost duty near Germania ford, on
the Rappahannock. Myself and other
officers We're visitors at Shadelcss, n
large plantation lying between the Rap
idan and the Rappahannock, near the
ford. The owner of ShadelesS was a
Union man, and was at that time in
Libby prison, charged with giving In
formation of Confederate plans To the
enemy.
''One of his sons was in prison with
him. and there were at home the wife
and two daughters. One of the latter
was a stanch Confederate, while the
younger daughter and her mother were
stanch Unionists and made no secret
OF it. AS Stuart's men were mainly
from Culpeper, Orange, Madison and
adjoining counties, the most of us knew
all about the family, but for old nc
quaintance sake some of us were enter
tanned at Shadeless as we were in 9th
ference. however. At Shadeless, as ON
the night in question, the older daugh-
ter sang Southern songs and the young
ef Yankee songs. The latter played
well and sang well, and was a bPauti-
full girl, but she would not play or sing
AhltSS We NOutu tlSAtll 10 Tue blu Ddl-
riotiC songs.
Rather than not hear her splendid
voice. we listened to her songs, and
she made the most of her opportunity
TO sing Unionism ut us. In conversa-
ton she never referred to the North,
but in her singing she was a saucy,
defiant, appealing Unionlst, and as
charming as she was saucy. On this
particular evening several of the
younger officers were present and there
was much good-natured hantering CT
the beautiful girl who could he so gra-
clouS as hostess and so bold a Union
lst in the presence Of Confederate Off
GERS. Her face and personality and
the story Of her father gave a tone to
her singing that thrilled and unsettled
me. and | don't believe any Of that
group of officers ever forgot the look on
her face as she sang into our faces The
Star-Spangled Banner and Yankee
Doodle In the middle Of one of her
and, stopping short, with startled
look at myself and brother officers, the
girl ran into the front hall.
There stood in the doorway a man
of athletic build in the dress Of Il pr-
vate Of the Confederate army. and un-
ashamed, he asked In direct Northern
way for food. The girls face was trou-
bled, but she invited him into The han
and asked me to talk with him. | felt
that she believed the man TO be a spy
on herself or on us, and that she want
ed me to fix his status. The stranger
was thinly clad and his cavalry boots
were worn and ragged and held in
place by pieces Of grainsack tied
around them, but he answered All nay
questions without hesitation. gave his
name as Chamberlain, Of one Of the
Mississippi regiments in our division.
and at my suggestion was permitted to
remain and receive food Eut the girl
was not satisfied. and. as learned
later, carried the case to her mother.
who was In an adjoining room.
She told her mother of the ytran-
gers presence ana expressed the opin-
ION that he was a spy attracted by her
singing Of Union songs. She suggested
that her mother ask the man il he
would have mush ana milk. and if he
answered yes. il was safe 10 say be
was Yankee. The suspected SPY was
taken to the mothers presence, ana She
explained that the servants lad all
gone to the quarters and rs there was
30 food cooked She could give h.m
nothing except muSh aud milk The
man replied that that was the very
thing, that he had been raised on It.
and he could make it himself. The
daughters suspicious were justified
aud the mother said frankly thar She
suspected he was a Northerner aud a
spy, and If lac was, his presence in her
house would involve her family in new
hadshipS. as her husband ana son
were in Libby and she was alone on
the plantation with her daughters ana
servants and she could not afford, az
he could see. to harbor spies.
The man spoke in reply as frankly