The National tribune., 1902-10-30
WAR MEMORIES
OF A CHAPLAIN.
Continued from first page.)

=
Shrinking from the pollution swhicl
pressed me at every turn, found my wa!
into one of the cells opening into the court
where the multitude thronged and sway
ed; and there l clambered up ON to tn
stone window bench before one of tn
barred openings through the heavy wall
' of the Jail, and drawing up my knees 81
as to keep within the recess of the marrow
opening. l bowed my head on my knees
and gave way to my feelings in the ute
any longer as was. L did not want t.
live. l must be out from there. Any
where, anywhere, even by way of tn,
gallows, out from that hell upon earth!
just then it was, as l huddled there il
that Jail window with my face against m,
drawn-up knees, that l was touched gen
tly on the shoulder, and kindly voice sale
to me:
You seem troubled, my friend Mayb,
you're hungry. Cheer up! Here's som'
bread"
looked up, as much surprised as de
spairing Elijah when the angel came an(
touched him under the juniper bush in tht
desert And there, just below me, wa.
the winsome face of young man who
seemed all unlike the other inmates of tha,
place Of horrors, who was reaching up t
me loaf of soft white bread.
THANK you! Thank you!" said in
stinctively. "It's not bread I'm wanting
You'll want it by and by. It's good
bread" And he laid the loaf on my knees
and turned away into the surging crowd
out of my sight again.
1t was good bread-a bakers loaf-in
marked contrast with our coarse corn
meal prison fare: but that was not what
was longing for. | was, indeed, hun
I how hItp ury-f hut 10.
My heart was hungry for human sympa-
thy, for just such words and looks as he
brought me with that loaf.
| AS he disappeared into the crowd, !
raised my head, and drew full long
breath again. A crushing weight seemed
| lifted from my shoulders. l dropped my
self off from that window bench and stood
erect. 1 was another man. l was in an
| other place. larger, freer place. The
wall of the gloomy Jail had moved out
| ward. Its ceiling had been uplifted. The
air was purer. l was glad / was alive.
And life was worth living. And all be-
cause of that glimpse of brother soldiers
heart.
Who was he? I turned to find him.
Pushing through the crowd, pressed on
till | saw him before me. Reaching out
my hand, and laying it on his shoulder,
said: Look here, my friend! Who are
you! How came you here" Not know
ing who l was, Union or Confederate, he
answered cheerily: "Oh. I'm Yankee
soldier. I'm from away up in Connecticut;
but I'm fast, down here, now"
1t will be believed that that answer
brought us nearer together. learned that
he also was under suspicion as a spy, but
that he had been longer in that place, and
had better adapted himself to it, than l
had. And in the spirit of brave, true
hearted soldier, he had come to a fellow
sufferer, with love in his heart, and
loaf Of bread in his hand, and had given
me life and help and cheer. That was
like true soldier prisoner.
LOYAL AMERICAN JAcK-TARs.
A little later, when was released from
special confinement, and was with the
other Union army and navy prisoners in
the soldier heart, and of the soldier-sailor
heart, in special trial. The siege of
Charleston was in progress. An attempt
was to be made by the Confederate forces
to blow up the New Ironsides in the Union
fleet. They were desirous of obtaining in
formation from some of the sailor prison
ers concerning the modes of approach to
that vessel, in order that they might reach
it most effectively. They supposed it
would be an easy matter to bribe one of
the Yankee sailors to give this informa-
ton, and they gave orders to one of the
non-commissioned officers on guard over
these prisoners to do this, but to no pur-
pose.
Then a commissioned officer tried It,
with the same result. Afterwards the
Captain of the Guard himself made the
attempt, but was unsuccessful. At length
staff officer of Gen. Beauregard came
up from Charleston to show how this
could be done. He took those sailors one
by one, and told each man that, if he
would answer q few questions about the
New 1ronsides, he would be literally paid
for it, and would be sent through the lines
to 60 free to his Northern home. That
was tempting offer to half-starved men,
in cramped and heated prison-food,
money, liberty, for answers to a few ques-
tons. But among all those Union sailors,
not one American jack-tar could be Sc.
duced from duty They all had brave and
loyal hearts, as was made clear to those
who had this glimpse of those hearts.
GLIMPsEs OF THE TRUE SOLDIER HEART.
Yet later, in that same Columbia Jail.
we were all brought to another test Ther.
was a threat of retaliatOry measures on
the part of both Governments. Gen.
Burnside had executed two Confederate
prisoners as spies in East Tennessee. The
authorities at Richmond had selected two
Federal officers, from Libby Prison, for
at Washington had picked two Confeder-
ates to execute in case the hostages were
harmed. There was talk of following this
up until the prisons were emptied.
Looking at this threat from the prison
ers' side at that time was very different
from talking it over now as war history.
1t was, to say the least, not a cheering
prospect. Some of us were inclined to
grumble. One afternoon, as group of us
sat together in the Columbia Jail, il was
said by one that we had enlisted to fight, |
and not to be strung up like dogs, and it |
wasn't fair on the part of our Govern
ment to leave us in this plight.
Just then Lieutenant from Maine
regiment, hearing our talk, stalked into
our room from the room beyond, and,
standing up before us, said pluckily:
"Well, fellows, do you want to know
how feel about this thing? III tell you. |
enlisted to serve my Government, and
I'm going to stick to my agreement. If
my Government thinks l can serve her
best by being hanged, I'm ready to be |
hanged. That's all there IL about that"
"Bully for you, Lieut.. Ware" was the |
answer of one of our number, and we
were all agreed with him. His was the
true soldier Eeart.
Soldiers were bright and tender and
brave. They were unselfish and devoted. |
Nothing that their country needed of |
them was denied or begrudged. They kept |
back no part of their country's ransom, |
nor complained they of the mode and man. |
ner of its payment.
At the close of the war I saw Virginia |
landowner near the field of Mechancsville. |