The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-06-23
A WEARY EXILE i. !.
FOR FORTY. YEARS /
SAD FATE OF VIRG1NIAN WHO
FOUGHT FOR THE UNION.
oSTRAciZED BY RELATIVES
Driven from Home at Close of Strug-
gle by Jibes and Jeers Of Former
Friends-Dies a Hermit
in California.

| cause he, a Virginian born, dared
espouse the cause OF the union, in the
war OF the rebellion, N. l.. Blackman,
veteran of the civil war, a few days
ago died the death of hermit lin the
mountains near Cloverdale, in Sonoma
county, CAL, with no comforting hand
| to soothe the last hours of mortal
agony.
His answering devotion to the stars
| and stripes not only cost Blackman
his family and loved ones, but his
! friends as we'll. Stunning the society
| of men, he plunged into the woods and
sought in the friendly solitude of the
forest relief from the cruel wrong in
t1lcted upon him by unrelenting kin.
There, in rude cabin, with no con-
veniences save those fashioned by his
| own hands, he ran the course of his
exile, dying, as he had lived, a hermit
When the war broke out in 1861
| old Virginia, the border land between
north and south, was aflame with a
fierce hatred for the north. Blackman
then young man about 25. cast his
lot with those who favored the union
| His family importuned him to recede
from his attitude, arguing that their
good name would be forever smirched,
but Blackn1an was Obdurate. They be-
| seeched him to take ND arms and en-
list. but to all entreaties he turned a
deaf ear.
Finally he was drafted and COM
| PEELED to serve in the confederate
army. He absolutely refused to Shout
der a rifle, however, and under COM
pulsion only served as roustabout
| carpenter and laborer.
Sullenly Blackman kept at his work
and stood the jibes and jeers of his old
friends as best he could. One day,
however, it became unbearable, and he
slipped away, making his escape into
the union lines, where he took up
arms in the regular army. His escape
was discovered and close watch kept
upon all prisoners in the hope that he
might be recaptured and punished.
There came day, not long after
ward, when the watchfulness of his
NoAAI0uo1 oIC 1C4udluldlCcS was re-
warded and Blackman was brought
back into camp, this time not only a
deserter. but a union prisoner. In
stead of shooting him, as would have
been the fate of any other prisoner
similarly captured, he was permitted
to resume his former occupation of
camp roustabout. He served thus for
time, plotting all the while to make
his escape, for the jibes and jeers were
worse than ever.
The fortunate day at last came, and
Blackman not only escaped, but made
his way to union ship, where he was
least likely to be caught again by his
confederate enemies. Men were not
plentiful aboard ship in those days,
and Blackman's services were well
coined. He was put in charge of a
crew of powder monkeys and superin-
tended the passing of ammunition
from the vessels hold to the gunners
on deck. In this capacity he served
until the wars close, and had the sat-
isfaction OF seeing the stars and
stripes triumph and his traducers
beaten into submission
Return home he dared not. for fear
of abuse and possible bodily harm, so