The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-03-27
A WARTIME MEETING

did when ! saw q the last tlme-in May
1855.
m, dad brought me down here TO Wash
ington from Detroit to enter me at George
town university in theyear 1860. was thei
a ht more than 10 years old. liked the lii,
al the Georgetown university until the wal
broke out. Then there were too many rol
licking soldier boys campcd around in The
neighborhood OF Georgetown for me TO pre-
serve my contentcdncss. They an looked "a
me as If they were enjoying a picnic, ann
| made up my mind that I'd have TO get
one OF those blue uniform, ON myself or
shrivel up.
shortly after the beginning of the war
| wrote home to my dad u Dciroit-he was
then organizing Michigan regiment, which
he took all through the war, and Ii was cut
TO pieces several times. too-and told him
that thought | would like to JOIN the army,
The phrase wasn't IN use then bui he wrote
back something TO the general effect that
had another think or two a-comng lie
wrote that didn't know when was well
of, and sand that. as he was getting together
1000 men for the big conflict he figured
that he could come pretty near doing an
the soldering necessary in our family.
remember thinking that this was pretty
selfish on the old gentlemans part re-
Elected that he had been in the Mexican
war, and that therefore In wishing 90 do all
Of The soldering in the civil war. too. be Ger
family was showing disposition to hog
things.
However, studied my lessons and went
along all right at Georgetown university
until early in 1861, and then coudnt stand
1t any longer. So one afternoon just cut
out through the big gate, made for the rail-
road station and established connections
with freight ear tackled on 20 a freight
train that ! found was booked 20 go 90 west
ern New York. Inside OF three or four days
] was nconinenially dropped at Lockport,
ny.
III didn't take me long there TO fan into
the hands of a substitute broker. and two
days after arrived az Lockpoft ] was duly
logged out in government straight uni
form that. a. ! remember %. wa. thc baidesi
kind O. joke o., iit. somehow ! didn't
ieel half so cheerful over the prospect OF |
a rollickirg military career when, with about |
100 other Young go,soon-. | WAS herded IN
corner Of an old stofehou,e. near the rail |
road, and kept there under guard until the /
train wa. ready TO take us 10 the front.
Naturally enough. ! was pretty curious
to find out to what part OF the front we
were going. but never line OF information
could ! get from anybody about 10 until
We were well past Baltimore don't sup
pose any Of the Others knew any more than
did.
When We got beyond Baltimore, how
.ver, found out, all right, whittier we were
POUND, and the news made me almost wither
ip.
We're going to Giesboro Point one Of
he young officers announced when the train
OF outside OF Baltimore. Now, only a few
avs before Id jumped the Georgetown uni
ersity Id received letter from my dad
o Detroit, saying that he'd be over to the
University to see me presently. as his reg
lent was going to be stationed only a little ,
istance away from Washington Gies-
ORC Point None Of the ierrors of battle
r sudden death looked half 30 fierce to me
J prospect as my dads discovering me in
mlsilt uniform, and right in his own camp. i
20, after he'd so expressly forbidden me
} have anything to do with soldering 4
81 well remember the night we were
umped at Giesboro' Point, the little place
own the Potomac bit on the Maryland
de- drove over there yesterday TO have
look at the old grounds. ! made up my
ind that the best thing for me to do would |
: to look up the old gentleman the very ;
st thing on the following morning and u
Ike my incidence was too tired to think a
anything but rolling up in a blanket on A
e first night we got in. /.
81 found my dad in his tent along toward .
o'clock on the next morning. He had | Z
} idea, Of course, that wasn't right over u
e river at Georgetown conjugating Latin 8
RIBS, and on that very day. 10 fact. he ID
IS intending 10 cross over TO Georgetown 4
look me up. al
Hello, pop, said J. strolling into bic s.,
nj and endeavoring 20 look as rakish as u
could. How are they an az homeT
We'll, the old gentleman looked az me 7,
adily for a good three minutes before be y
d a word or before ! knew what wa. going u
happen TO me. put IN the time shifting Ia
mn one leg TO the other Then my dads pI
lntenance broke into a grin. ca
That's queer-looking uniform. son. da
said. You'll have 90 be looking up your an
npany tailor 90 have it whitfield down 20 =,
N proportions.
That was an. Tie didn't roast me az an. ~
had been expecting him 90 swoop upon WI
like a thousand Of bricks. Not a ques
b did he ask me as TO why I'd disobeyed TT
D and jumped the university. I'm not Ger.
D that the old gentleman wasn't Just a bit a,
lied inwardly that one OF his cubs had
en- the bit in his teeth in that way.
Well, pretty nigh four years after that.
he month OF March, before Appomattox.
'as dumped, along with many scores Of
ers that had been pretty badly bit. into sta
pat on the James river bound from there ba,
Washington hospital. had got mine a.
skirmish, and yet 1t was a bad enough
e Of work for a man to have got in the Gu
est pitched battle Of the war. Down 81
James and up the Potomac was the the
rse Of the boat, and when came TO | We
ID myself on a cot IN an institution called esp
pbell's hospital moi
was still there when Lincoln was A.. ct,
mated, and | can remember how ~
he'd and tossed around in hostile humor
e'N wash ia Hhdpt 10 get up Tor the /
d review OF the army My dad. who'd and
through the entire war with bis Michi eve
outfit, came to see me at the hospital ing
dn't clapped an eye on him since leay. Jerl
Giesboro Point, nearly four years be. for
and he inquired OF me which appealed Ci,,i
re the more--the life Of a soldier or a
ent! He got me out Of that place when 'iu'i
IS just able to walk, and, with a lot Of yea
pay and the like in my rags. back TO troi
pit | went with him-and that's the ingl
ever saw Of Washington until about reese
days ago. I'D like to have brought The Mis-,
Gentleman along, but he stood his last
ction and muster long years ago. That's
near ! came to getting what YOU call n,
lege eddication.' My chance was gone 49,.
urse, when l got back from the war , AZ
s weren't so prosperous a. they had RAJ
and It was up to me to 90 10 work sla'
At, all the same, when take look At In c
iington, the miraculously changed and crea
beautiful Washington. a. tria.
.oday-wel, dunno but what have to m
dency to sort O swell up over the re.
IN that ! chose to be one of the no
n how inhnitesimal units that belped ~,
ep the little old place together at a
1crl-oG III. cent