Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-05-25
Yet Unmarked by a Stone.
A Memorial Day Story by Neil Mac
DoHa a.

4 Z
Was the man insane? He knelt pray
ing upon the bank of the Y;lzoo. !, me
mortal wreath In each hand. and as i
watched him from my boat he arose
and cast the wrcathS one after am
other into the river.
Pardon me. sir" said as | stepped
ashore. If ask the meaning of these
wreaths. AS this is Memorial day. |
suppose your action is inspired by some
sad memory of the civil war;"
Yes, he replied soemnly The
Strange act which You saw me perform
memoralizes what WAS 10 me one of the
saddest incidents of The civil war ! was
decorating the grave of John Douglas,
private in IL Pennsylvania regiment of
volunteers, a brave man and the truest
friend | ever had"
His grave. / exclaimed. II see no
grave-only water"
And only wafer covers my hero. His
grave is there somewhere i'm the river.
What You say" remarked. "excites
my curiosity. | served in the campaigns
along this river, and shall be deeply
interested if You will tell me the story.
This he did we sat side by side ON
the bank of the river
THE Pennsylvania regiment to which
i
the force with which General sherman
q tempted to attack Nicksburg by May
i the Yazoo river. We a9ccnded the
liver ON transports on December %
1862, and began operations on the fol-
lowing day. Between us and Nicks-
burg lay a swampy region intersected
by numerous bayous. After several
skirmshes it was found impossible to
force a passage through the swalnps,
which We're passable only by narrow
cause ways, commanded by confederate
bait cries, and the attempt was aband-
oned after a few days
I'm the last of these skirmishes ]
was severely wounded and was left un-
noticed by my comrades in dense
canebrake upon their return to the
YaZoo after the attempt had failed. j
lay for sometime in a semiconscious
condition, securely screened from! the
eyes of my enemy, as | had been UNI
fortunately from those of my friends.
MY condition was truly deplorable, for
! was not only seriously wounded and
weak from loss of blood but the cause
way WAS now patrolled by confederate
soldiers and even were II otherwise
the federal troops had probably by that
time re-embarked OH the transport, and
should | reach the Yilzoo it would only
be to fall into the hands of the enemy
"Without amy definite purpose To
4
I necessity of leaviHg a position where
was in danger of being captured,
moved ai,nlessly through the dehst
thicket in Il direction which led me
away from the causewty. sligh
I frost had rendered the swampy sol
] more firm, and the chief difficulty en-
countered was in making my WAY
/ through the cane and bushes and inter
/ lacing vines.
After slowly cropping about in this
manner for three or four hours | SAN
rising ground in front of me and N
4 opening in the thick growth of tree.
4 crownng it which | thought indicated
neitr approach to the abode of man
If my conjecture were correct. tenn
A pora,y relief was at hand, for ever
enemies would not refuse TO aid ONE il
\ my pitiabc condition. Upon reachint
the opening in the woods SAW Il neat
whitewashed cottage. surrounded by M
orchard, u short distance in front o
me, While in rear of the house small
we'll cultivated farm extended dow
the opposite slope to a bayou wher
the oasis abruptly ended
"Cmnpletely exhausted and feeln,
that even death would be a relief,
painfully made my way to the gait
leading through the orchard TO the cot
tase. Upon reaching 1t saw in tn
path before me Il tail, beautiful girl
When recovered consciousness.
found myself lying in bed In a tasteful
forcea upon me tha5l had fallen I'M,
kind hands and then. just as re
called the vision of a beautiful being /
white. the girl herself stood before ms
How can describe hen beauty -he
perfection of sorm? i thought of MI
rilios masterpiece, The llnnaculat
Conception. but here was a beaut
transcending the painters Inspiration
and the music of her voice was like tn
triIl of a song bird, softened by tn
coo OF a doVe
Sle cail.e iol",'ra mi.n some deere
OF heSltahey ana appaFent hiaideil!S ~
sefNe' ana IN d ZONE OF sslilpdtny ~
qulrea aitef MY eoiult'oii. she 'o!d IN
tilat mao beeh very ~ ana deiirlou
and had alieapy passed i"o nights
the house Her father, she added, wa
ardehtly devoted 10 the southern caus
as she WAS herself, but ihey were q
Ways ieady 70 respond 10 tle Calls I
humanity and IN minlsterlng I" the sic
they mace no dlStlhctlpn between
confederate and union soldier.
AS you may judge from my e!tht
siasln, ! fell in loNe with this ia
conNalesced rapidly All too rapid.
for | dleite.ed the approach OF the tim
VIXEN | would be compelled to rejoi
my regiment and leave her, perhal
forever. ! Vas soon on footing vi tt
most friendly Intimacy with her f;
Their, Francs lie Moync, Who had bee
at one line engaged in business in N.
Orleans. Why he and his daushtG
olympia had removed to that louel