Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-08
FIELD OF ANTIETAM
INCIDENTS OF HISTORIC BATTLES
OF CIVIL WAR.
Residents in Vicinity of South Noun
tain Whose Homes Were Invaded
by Both Armies.

| by Both Armies.
| The historic heights of South mountain
| and the field of the Antietam battle WILL in
| few days, be teeming with gray-bearded
| veterans. many of them from Washington.
| who will attend the dedication of thirteen
| monuments to as many Pennsylvania milf
| tary organizations which participated in
| the battle of South mountain and Antietam
/ over forty years ago. Incidents of the
| former fight are still related with interest
by old timers in Boonsboro and those vino
have farms on the slopes of historic old
| South mountain
| One old farmer took from the musty re-
! cesses of ancient chest, in the presence
| of Star reporter, recently, a big bunch
| of Confederate paper money. 1t contained
| bills of every denomination from 50 TO
| 500
| This pile of backs he said, rep
| resents all the provender 1 had about my
| place-corn, -four, meat, vegetables. chick
| ems and eggs 1t was given to me by
| tall, handsome rebel officer in payment for
/ my supplies. He said the confederacy
| was bound to win and that when 1t did
| the paper money would be redeemed in
| gold.
! "Of course objected to parting with the
| supplies l had laid up for my family, but
| what did objections amount to at such a
time as that? They were taken by a squad
| of soldiers In gray packed into a wagon
| and carted off to the commissary depart
| ment l was not the only one in this
| neighborhood who had such an experience.
| Many of my neighbors also have punches
| of blue-backs as mementoes of those STIR
| ring days.
| Another old resident of that vicinity,
Mrs. Mahala Martz told how she had
| been turned out of doors by the confeder-
| ates and her house used a hospital.
first by the confederates and later by the
Union forces. after Lees army had re-
| treated to Sharpsburg. She had several
| hundred chickens. These were appropri-
| ated and prepared as nourishfng food for
the wounded. Her sheets and other bed
| linen were torn into strips and used as
| bandages. Even her mattress coverings
| We're used for similar purposes.
| when L returned to my wrecked home"
she said. 1T looked like a slaughter
house. and 1 have never received one
penny from the government for the dam
| age done"
Burial Of the Dead.
After the confederates had been driven
| from the crest of South mountain. and
while the stubborn and bloody battle of
Antietam was in progress, an old fellow
named Wise. who lived on the mountain.
not far from the present site of the Dahl
| gren house, was employed by the Irnited
states quartermaster department to bury
| the dead of both armies who had fallen
| IN the hight on the historic mountain
wise gave the Union dead regular burial
| Underground In long trenches When il
came to the confederate dead the old fell
| low mad become somewhat tired of his
| bargain one or his assistants called his
| attention to an old dry well near at hand
and suggested that he convert II into a
burial place for the men in gray
wise consented and the bodies of the
confederates were dropped one by one into
this uncanny sepulcher The well was
| ABOUT five feet in circumference and sixty-
hve feet deep. After 1t had been filled
n na. 10 me top with corpses. about three
| Ing.
Several old-timers were asked If there
was any record of the number OF bodies
lhat had been placed into the old dry we'll
Iheir reply was in effect that If there mad
| been any such record it died with "oId
| years ago. "
About one month after the burials in the
| well Mr.. Samuel H. Reeder now a resi-
| dent of Washington visited his relatives
in Boonsboro' and Locust Grove. and while
traversing the South mountain battle
| grouno came across the we'll He said he
wa, was unable to remain long in the vicinity.
The covering of the aperture contained a
green scum and the odor In the surrounding
atmosphere was so terrible that it caused
| him to beat hasty retreat.
Il have often wondered IL the southern
| memorial associations, in their search for
the bones of confederate soldiers have dis
covered those that repose in the old dry
well on the summit of South mountain"
said Mr.. Reeder.
venerable farmer. whose home. two
story frame structure. was located short
| distance west Of the Dahlgren mansion at
| the time of the battle of South mountain
! said he would ever feel grateful to a con-
| federate major who visited his house ac-
companied by another officer the nighr
| before the fight. The major and his COM
| rade made request for food and proffered
confederate money TO pay for the repast.
| The farmers wife prepared for them hot
| biscuit, coffee, eggs and bacon.
Shows His Gratitude.
After finishing the meal the major showed
| his gratitude by informing the farmer that
| he had better vacate his premises before
daylight. He said:
Your dwelling is between the two op-
posing lines and at the crack Of day to-
morrow there will be h in this vicinity.
You have treated me kindly tonight. Now
take a friends advice and get away from
here bag and baggage, at once
He then left and l watched him disap-
| pear in the darkness" said the farmer. Il
| took his advice and am glad L did. We
| hitched our horse to a wagon, loaded the
wagon with most valuable stuff and
| struck out over the road for Middletown,
| which we reached in safety. The next day
| we heard the thurder of cannon and rattle
OF musketry as the battle waxed warmer
| Then the firing died away in the direction
| of Boonsboro and Sharpsburg and we knew
| the rebels had retreated.
THAT night under the cover of darkness
Musket balls and cannon shot fired by both
armies had penetrated the building at all
| points. Had we remained there until the
| fight opened at daylight we would certain
| ly have been billed. l treasure the con-
| federate notes given me by that major as
| reminders of our narrow escape
Mr.. Wash Reeder, who died recently at
his home the Baltimore and Ohio pike,
| on South mountain, related pathetic in
cIdent which occurred during the retreat
of Gen. Lees forces While proceeding
along the pike he came across a wounded
confederate soldier sitting by the roadside.
propped against tree, where he had been
left by his comrades. He had been shot
through the leg, the bullet severing an ar
terry. small stream of blood trickled
from his wounded member, and running
into the road formed a little pool Mr..
Reeder asked him If he was not afraid he
would bleed to death.
Never mind" said the wounded man.
please get me drink of water.
Mr.. Reeder went to a spring about half
mile distant to get the wounded man a
cooling draught. Upon his return he dis
covered him sitting bolt upright against