The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-07-09
THE BATTLE.FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War, and in q
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.

HC duo anu thC 0Tdy ACNhCW 1uCks
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.
"The Civil war;" said the Sergeant
made as great change in the young
women of the period as it did in the
young men, l have often thought that
the impulse that has carried so many
girls into employments formerly mon.
opoliZed by men was born in the first
years of the war. The girl of the
period was proud of her femininity and
was extremely particular in the mat
ter of employment. Even the father
of large family of girls might not
ask his daughters to do what was re-
garded as mems work without exciting
criticism from both men and women.
''The girl of the smaller city. the vii
lage, and the country drew a sharp line
between what she might do and what
her brother might do. She was re-
action from the girl of the previous
generation, who had been trained to do
all sorts of work in and about the
farmhouse and was jealous Of her pre-
rogative as girl. Her mother had
cloth and make coats. as well as
dresses: to raise vegetables as well as
cook them, and therefore the girl of
1860, if circumstances permitted, was
not inclined to do any Of these things.
The men were to do their work and
she was to do hers.
when the war came and swept the
men of the farms and towns south
ward, however, the women were ready
and willing to take up mems work.
Even those who had been taught to
believe that to be lady was to be
idle became eager to help the soldiers
Young women who did not know how
to sew organized sewing circles, and
In the first months of the war the
woOllen shirts and other garments re-
ceived by the soldiers were fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Buttons at the collar band, in front.
and at the cuff bands were on the
wrong side and not infrequently the
sleeves were finished with fancy
stitch that made them look like the
sleeves Of lady's dress. The boys
were wont to laugh over the dear left
handed shirts, but they swore they
would wear them if they had to stand
on their heads to button them. And
these girls stitching, stitching in mis-
directed zeal, with tears dropping on
their work. as they thought of the
absent men. were transformed into
workers. They learned to do things
and to do them well.
"Many of them had never bridled or
sadled or hitched a horse. They soon
learned to care for horses as well as
the men had. Few Of them knew
anything of farm work. Many Of them
went without hesitation into the corn
fields, and not few of them into the
wheat fields in harvest time. Going
home in the second year Of the war,
girl who had seemed to me a year
before Of such delicate mold as to
shrink always from a mannish act,
ran to the stable while l talked to
my mother, threw the harness on
horse that / had called mine, hitched
him to the spring wagon, and drove
around to the front door for me, stand
ing up like boy, and driving like a
jehu. her bright hair flying and her
blue eyes sparkling.
1 could not believe she was the
same girl then and when caught her
currying the horse the next morning.
Twelve months before she had shr,lnk
from riding behind a spirited horse;
now she was driving one every day
and enjoying all the unusual work that
came to her. Another girl of the same
type drove ten miles and sold not only
eggs and butter, but potatoes, cab
bage, corn and hay in the market place.
When 1 came home in 1854 an old
comrade met me at the station and
drove me along the familiar road to-
ward my old home.
"As we passed Farmer Browns.
where knew there were half dozen
pretty girls. suggested that we stop a
few minutes My friend looked en-
barrassed and limited that my mother
ought to have my first call. This ex-
cited my suspicious and asked if
there was any trouble. He said there
was not, but that the girls were just
cleaning up their wheat harvest and
were not in shape to receive callers.
Thereupop 1 jumped out of the buggy
and started for the wheat field, where
met five girls coming in, little the
worse for the work and sun, but
ready to greet me. The next night
l called Oh them and 1 would not have
suspected they had ever seen a wheat
field"
'.It must be remembered" said the
doctor. that in 1860 very few young
women were employed in dry goods
establishments, and none at all in gro
ceries and general stores. There were
no girls in offices of lawyers or busi-
ness men, and there were not one
third as many employed as teachers as
now. The trained nurse had not arriv-
ed and the stenographer was not in
evidence Girls were disinclined to
outside their own families
and work In the factories was not pop
ular. Remembering these things, the
change that came over the girls in the
first two years of the war was the
more remarkable. In many neighbor-
hoods 80 per cent. Of the young men
went into the army. The remaining
90 per cent could not do what the full
100 per cent had done before the war,
and the men at home assumed an at
titude toward the young women TAX
ing up new burdens that was defer
entail and helpful.-Chicago Inter
Ocean
4 Splendid Act Of Heroism.
Sir Charles Wyndham, the famous
actor. who started life as a
soldier, and played many brave parts
upon the stage of war before he dared
the publicity of the footlights, has just