Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-06-24
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life In COMPROMISING Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI.
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

lAit Il OuGtNi ONNuDAAAOh VA
Holly Springs, Miss, General Grant,
with his staff and Mrs. Grant, took up
his quarters in the beautiful home of
Colonel Harvey w. Walter, which had
been left in charge of Colonel Walters
friend, Mrs Pugh Govan, devoted
daughter of the Confederacy. Accord
ing to the military usage of those cruel
days, General Grant might have occu-
pied the house by force of arms, but
instead of doing SO wrote a courteous
note TO Mrs. Govan requesting the ia
yor of board for himself and family,
wItn the assurance that he would In
commode her as little as possible Mrs.
Govan graciously assented 10 his re-
quest, and never by word or act, so
It is related, did any of the Invaders"
make ii needleSsly unpleasant for her
On one occasion while General and
Mrs. Grant had gone to oxford on a
brief visit General Earl Van Dorm
made one of his famous raids into Hol-
" Springs. His object was to destroy
the commissary, ordnance and quarter
master stores and other army supplies
concentrated there and thereby thwart
and defeat the purpose of the Federal
commander in the onward march OF
his conquering army through Mississip-
pi, Nicksburg being General Grants
objective point. The raid was a com
plete surprise and perfect success. and
i'm Of OF
ton was captured and destroyed by
the Confederates.
Failing to find General Grants Off
eial papers in his official headquarters.
General Van Dorm and some of his fol-
lowers dashed down to the Walter resi-
dence. Entering the house and hastily
ascending the broad stairway, the
clanklng of their sabers and rafting of
their spurs resounded through its great
halls. 1t was the purpose of the Con
federate to search General Grants
apartments for the latter's campaign
documents, but just as he reached the
head Of the stairs Mrs Govan, strik-
ingly beautiful woman, with the man
ner and bearing of a queen, appeared
suddenly before him and said:
General, entreat you not to enter
Mrs. Grants bedroom. Such an in
trusion would do for a vandal, but not
for Southern soldiers"
Earl Van Dorm, man OF graceful
figure and couruy bearing, whose chiv-
airy was only equaled by his unques-
toned and answering courage, re-
piled: Madam, the rules Of war are
sometimes ironclad. 1t would be n
courtesy and not the usual practice Of
war to leave the room unsearched
However" he added, with merry
twinkle in his eye, I'VE will not en-
ter. as it is possible the documents
may not be there"
The Confederate soldiers left the lit
tie town after dusk that evening. On
his return from oxford, twenty-four
hours later, General Grant was much
astonished over the result of the Con
federates' pop call" Knowing what
an uncompromising rebel Mrs. Goyan
was. he said 10 her: Mrs Govan,
owe you a debt OF gratitude, for you
have unconsciously done me great
service. You have saved my campaign
Van Dorm wished were in the drawer
in my wife's dresser"
Mrs. Govan was deeply grieved that
possibly she had injured cause for
which she would have given her hearts
best blood, and yet she felt she had
acted from the RICH, impulses. But
for the womanly instinct, prompting
her TO shield the wife of a generous
foe, and the chivalry of a Southern of
ficer, worthy to rank with Bayard in
gentle courtesy and Difference to the
wishes Of a good woman, history, as
the story goes, touching Van Dorm and
Grant might have been written differ
emily from what it is to-day.
When the distinguished Federal com
mander left Holly Springs he gave
Mrs. Govan protection papers, which
are still in the possession OF her fam
ily Several times therea fter the house
was fired by Union soldiers, but was
always quickly extinguished when this
order of Major General Grant was
shown:
The house Of Mrs Govan, In south
west part OF town, will be exempt
from seizure for hospital or other pub
lie purposes, the family having pro
tected the baggage, arms, etc, for Off
GERS of the army during the late raid,
their home also now being the home Of
parties who have been deprived OF
their homes for public purposes. ~
Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Barefooted Boy Dead at Gettysburg.
The war between the North and the
South furnishes Us, on both sides Of
that terrible conflict, thousands Of ex-
amples of courage and bravery IN
excelled in the history of the world.
The hproes oF that rvar tuara mot oc,,