New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-27
A MINOR POET.
Her MourmfuI Records Of the Cf0@
W0r.
TIE LIFE AND LETTERS OF MARG I5slsl95I
JTTNKIN PRESTON. By lsliZaDetn ErSssoH
sian Emo Do as Houghton, Mifdin d Co.

JIyNRIN PRESTON. BY F1lizsbeth Preston 5S
Allan. limo. pp. 37S. Houghton' Mlllin q ~
Among the American minor poets Of the last
century Mrs Preston held a higher place tn"h
the unbiased critics can cOnceoe her to-oag- '0o
produced the pretty, musical thoughOul anu
s,ysctl, conventional verse that was the natural
outflow Of a refined. religious and loving ha'Ui
She appreciated good literature-though sonle
. -. ,o.+.-. IN this volume show that her
taste was not unfaring; she loved beauty she
bsa the sense Of rhythm; she was moved by
generous s,-npathies. and she had many sor-
rov-s All this IS expressed in her poetry, which
has little claim TO preservation since there Is
not even a glimmer OF genius IN It. Her most
Y,orrlar poeu was "Beechenbrook,' a story IN
rhYrne OF the Civil War. Published at the END
Of the struggle It touched Southern sensibilities
with peculiar poignancy and went into many
editions
The portion Of this biography which rises
above the commonplace is that which incluoes
Mrs. Preston's Journals written during the war
Born q Pennsylvania, OF Scotch blood she was
the wife OF Major Preston. Of the Virginia MIL
tsrv Institute at Lexington. the sister-in-law
OF Stonewau Jackson and a Southerner by
sdoption She was directly exposed TO many OF
the r1iseries of war at Lexington; she iet
with the other resolute women OF the South
the pinch Of want. and she los beloved mem
beers OF her household on the battleneld- her
euferines are reflected in her more or less br1eR
records-records in which may be read BE-
tween the lines womanly courage. endurance
and self-sacrfhce They are prefaced by a group
of letters addressed TO HIS wife by Major Pres
scn when he was acting as adjutant general on
stonewail Jaclzson's staff at Winchester. lhey
o@er some Characteristic glimpses Of Jackson
4 f,~..4l ,or.- ff1-la
crave as a signpost tin something chances to
overcome him. and then he breaks out into
laugh so awkward that it is manifest he has
never laughed enough TO learn how" II is an
flluninative comment on this painfully reserved
rrayerful Puritan Of the South he Is a mos
eirnple-hearted man. Preston adds. he salu
10 me the other day, DO you know that the
thing which has most interested and pleased
me to-day is to learn by a letter from Mr. sam
uel Campbell that my lot is well set In grassF
This would make Clark laugh, that any one
should think so much Of such rocky DIT OF
lsndi Don't repeat this; It would seem as IL
were laughing at the general" The commanoer
asked his brother-in-law to share HIS room at
beaaouar+ers. but the latter declines. chiefly
because II have notion that he goes TO his
nom many times a day for special prayer"
One of the staff in after days told Preston that
An the midst Of battle he had seen stone
wall for a moment with uplifted hands In the
act OF prayer"
The modest prosperity OF the Virginia family
departed as the fighting went on Food gre"
scarce in Lexington, and enormous prices were
paid Seed potatoes were sold for - cents each'
and q bushel OF onions brought SO. yaro
OF the coarsest kind of unbleached cotton cost
IS, and 1O-cent handkerchiefs s. 90 each. Shoes
were practically unattainable. and Southern
to- de 10
some kind Of rough covering for their childrens
feet. The Lexington shoemaker refused TO make
q psir of shoes for Mrs. Preston herself until
she had sent him a load OF wood. She sets
down much interesting detail OF this sort. with
pathOs Of patient wonderment; but day came
with troubles much more serious than that Of
straitened domesticities. The Federal troops
sheIled Lexington. in June. "a and AveriIfs
cavalry entered the town. Smokehouse and
cellar were pillaged; they seized the family
breakfast. and the little Prestons were left cry
ing fo- something TO eat. The advent Of an Off
Ger who expressed his modification over these
annoyances resulted in the dispatch Of a guard
TO the house. A wounded Southern cadet was
in hiding there and remained undiscovered until
one day the friendliest Of their guards came
down from a search Of the upper stories.
had become so alarmed that I thought It
time he should know the wounded man was
here so ] said Come in and see this wounded
cadet" He seemed surprised but came in. and
talked very civiy: the cadet lay pale and mo-
uonless, never opening his eyes. The guard
asked II did not need help in sitting up
with him at night, and talked kindly that
quiet teams began TO steal down the poor
wounded boys face-for he is only seventeen.
Phoebe began TO weep, too: the guard looked
moment and then said, We'll. in the other
world there VIII surely be somebody made TO
suffer for all this" Some idea of
absorption OF thought may be imagined when
record that since last Friday tin yesterday we
actually forgot TO have any dinner gotten;
forgot 10 eat; four days we went from morning
tll dark without food.
The whole OF this wartime diary is worth
reading, and the same may be said Of the grim
description OF the execution OF John Brown
which find IN OF Major Preston'e letters
40 his wife