The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-05-26
Yet Unmarked by a Stone.
A Memorial Day Story by Neil Mac
Donald.

Was the man insane? He knelt pray
ing upon the bank of the Yazoo. a me-
mortal wreath in each hand. and as l
watched him from my boat he arose
and cast the wreaths one after an
other into the river.
Pardon me, sir said I as l stepped
ashore, If l ask the meaning of these
wreaths. AS this is Memorial day, !
suppose you action is inspired by some
sad memory of the civil war;
Yes" he replied solemnly. The
strange act which you SAY me perform
memoralizeS what was 10 me one of the
saddest incidents of the civil war. l was
decorating the grave of John Douglas,
private in a Pennsylvania regiment of
volunteers, a brave mar and the truest
friend | ever had.
His gravel" exclaimed. Il see no
graVe-Only water"
grave is there somewhere in the river"
What you say l remarked, "eNcites
my curiosity. l served in the campaigns
along this river, and l shall be deeply
interested if you will tell me the story
This he did as we sat side by side on
the bank of the river.
The Pennsylvania regiment TO which
1 belonged" said he, formed part of
the force with which General Sherman
attempted to attack Nicksburg by way
of the Yazoo river. We assembled the
river on transports on December %,
1862, and began operations on the fol-
lowing day. Between us and Vicks-
burg lay a swampy region intersected
by numerous bayous. After several
skirmishes it was found impossible to
! force a passage through the sWamps,
which were passable only by narrow
causeways, commanded by confederate
batteries, ana the attempt was aband-
oned after a few days.
In the last of these sklrmiSheS l
was severely wounded and was left un-
noticed by my comrades in a dense
canebrake upon their return to the
Yazoo after the attempt had failed. |
lay for sometime in a senliconscious
condition, securely screened from the
eyes of my enemy, as | had been I'M
fortunately, from those of my friends.
My condition was truly deplordble, for
l was not Only seriously wounded and
weak from loss of blood, but the cause
way was now patrolled by confederate
soldiers, and even were 1t otherwise
the federal troops had probably by that
time re-enlbarked on the transport, and
should | reach the YaZOo it would only
be to fall into the n of the enemy.
without any definite purpose to
guide my steps, but impressed by the
necessity of leaving a position where
was in danger of being captured, ]
thj,lat in a direction which led me
49, f,o,, the causewav A slight
frost had rendered the swampy sol
more firm, and the chief difficulty en-
countered T:2& in making my way
through the cane and bushes and inter.
lacing vines.
,oonnar for +brae or ro1r hobrs saw
,is;nn .ronnd in front nf me- ana ar
anan2,H =, no MAI groyvtb Of trsa,
crovnine If which tho,,pht indicated
a ,,aar ann,oacb 70 the abode of man
IF NV con iect,1,.a were correct tenn.
nora,y ralief was AT hand for eve,
enaroias would not ref,,sa To- aid one If
nv nitiahla condition I-non rearhin
tha onaninT in the woods saw ;, neot
,~vhitawashed cottape surrounded NV a.
crchard a short distance in front n
me- While in-rear Of fhe house a small
wal, n,itir.tad Gown avtar1e5 dou,,
me onnosite slone 70 a havou urher
the onsis ahr,,ntlv ended
"Con,nletelv exhausted and faaiin,
thar even death wo,1ld he q relief
nainr1lly made nv wav To the gat,
iaadIng through the orchord 70 the cot
tnoe ITnon reaching If 7 saw in IN
main before me- a tan beautiful girl
and then T remember nothing more
When recovered consciousness
found myself living i'm he'd in a tasteful
lv furnished room h conclusion wa
forced mon me that had fallen mi
kind hands and then. lust as T re-
called the vision of a bealtifu1 being i
white the girl herself stood before me
How can I describe her beauty-he
perfection of form? I thought of Mu
rjuo's masterpiece. The Immaculat
ConceDtion.' but here was a bealt
transcending the painters inspiratior
and the music of her voice was like tn
triU of a song bird. softened bv th
coo of a doyei
she came forward with some degre
of hesitancy and apparent maidenly re
serve. and in a tone of sympathy in
CURED after nv condition. she told m
that I had been very III and delir.iou
and had already passed two nights i
the house. Her father, she added wa
aTdently devoted to the southern ems,