The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1905-02-03

-Edvari ,ar.'I.i.i.aV in lious5Eoebsr
Christmas Day In the Army.
Christmas lu tho early days" said
Addison Ballard was not like tho
Christmas of fh.s day was raised
iu Warren county. Ohio and iu a
noirhbofH0ud uf wollto.do people. aud
here ls what I received from my par
onts o. a Christmas gift one biz
red apple. o. little sack OF choice hlck
DRY nuts. one pair Of knit mittens and
a home made knit comforter to wear
round the neck
In addition. myself and brothers
were given jointly ! cents worth Of
powder which was inserted In
corncob and exploded. or In n hole
bored In log In the latter case
other boys Joined with their allow.
ance Of powder 10 have a greater ox.
/ ploslon Foi candy We had maple
sugar and sor a special treat the
young people Of the neighborhood
climbed the bills near our house to
hear the boom Of cannon fred In Gin.
cinnati fifteen miles away"
Il was that sort Of Buckeye boy
myself" said the sergeant, but Of a
| later date. wore a red or n red and
white comforter AZ late as the year
before tho war. and my Christmas
glft from home In 1869 was a pair
Of closely Knit red and black mlttena
We were then In camp at Nashville
and the mlttens were a great comfort.
but were regarded as a standing Joke
by the boys, We were rather cozily
quarterod add We began TO prepare
for Christmas week In advance.
Some Of the boys went ten and
fourteen miles east and south from
camp looking for geese or turkeys
chickens or rabbits. Those who went
outside our lines came back excited
and anxious They found everywhere
indications af a general advance on
Christmas cay. and they didn't like
a. on Dee, "a We know that we
would spend Christmas In camp but
that we woild advance In battle or
der on the MORNING OF Dec, 20, Know.
ing this and knowing that three days
| rationa vert 10 be cooked and car
ricd In huvorsacks. the boys wcfc
not a. merrJ ON Christmas day, 1866
as they had expected to be.
"The whnlo army moved toward
Murfrocsbot3 on the morning Of The
goth. aud aa We passed waiting req
monts saw several pairs Of mittcm
not unlike any own. and ! know that
the good mothers at home had
thought NJ our cold hands one man
saw wearing a red comforter, such
as had worn as boy, and | won
dored II no came from the old home
ncighborhood Five days after that
as our brigade emerged from the &C.
dars at Stone River. pursued by the
rebels. / saw In the rebel line tive
men wearing rcd comfortors.
"One uf these wore the comforter
around his neck. with ends crossed
on his breast and carried down to his
belt The other wore the comforter
around his neck with ends dying I
wondered II these we're. like my init
tens, Christmas gifts from old.fash
toned homes. knew later. hccauie
the rebel of the red comforter fol,
not ave steps from where ! went
down. with two wounds II was ven
cold that night. and the wounded 10
blue and gray began 10 creep toward
tho little depression In which / was
lying and snugglcd close to keep from
freezing
Some one took my mlttens out d
my pocket and put them on my al
most helpless hands, and someone
else able TO use his hands lifted my
head TO his lap as he sat on he
ground and | felt the ends OF a knit
comforter brush across my face. Il
was fresh and new, and no said Il
was Christmas gift and he had
worn Il In battle because his mother
had sent A. That led the freezing
men. huddled together like shlyerlng
hogs. 10 talk Of Christmas and their
people at home, and ! found that my
man OF the red comforter was Of The
same stock rs myself his family SET.
Ting In Tennessee. mine In Ohio,
He had a pair Of mittens like nv
own. and the customs OF the vo
homes were not unlike. We did NOT
freeze that night and were carried
on the field next day, but In such con
dltlon that never knew how W.
were removed nor what became Of
the men who came to me that night
Some Of them did not recover I vts
told In the hospital, but | was ia.
formed that not one Of the dead Won
red comforter. All this came ba,l,
TO me yesterday when I came aoro,s
white army hospital blanket win
my initials worked In red In one Cor.
ner. Il was my blanket. and n.
membored that as the letters wot
into shape forty.two years ago a tar
fell from my mothers eyes Tor eye,v
stitch taken. lived, however IN
carry that blanket through the wa +"
Chicago Inter Ocean
War Chargers Of Great soldlst
. Thoro has gaIgpu 10 1y.r H..