Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-07-27
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whist1ing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,

Captain Beverly Tucker Of Tennes-
see tells this story concerning General
Grant, says the New York Herald.
About three weeks before the battles
began around Chattanooga, Grant came
there on crutches, having been severe
ly injured by runaway horse while
| In New Orleans.
Paying no heed to his disability,
Grant was on horseback every day,
studying the topography of the field
of the operations of the immediate flu
/ ture. One morning, accompanied by
staff retinue, the commanding officer
traversed the country about Missionary
Ridge, and shortly after the noon hour
everybody, including the horses, be-
came hungry. The whole place seemed
| deserted, but smoke was at last dis
covered coming from the chimney Of an
obscure hut An orderly was sent
there, who came back and reported
that white woman was there who
would prepare a dinner If they would
wait, but that it would be a very ordi
nary meal. The offer was at once &C.
cepted with thanks.
| While preparing and serving the
plain dinner the little woman kept up
vigorous running fire Of talk, show
ing that she was a Confederate, and
that she fairly Kissed with hatred of
the yankees" The general and his
| subordinates maintained silence ex-
cept for a few very courteous rejoin-
ders, and when the dinner was over
the general addressed the woman Of
the house thus:
Madam, we are under obligations
to you for the dinner and for your
courtesy in preparing it for us. But,
as it is very palpable that you are
Confederate, we must insist upon pay
ing for what we have received. Here
| is a 500 bill in Confederate money and
here is a $50 bill in the United States
money; you shall have either one that
you choose"
Now, the Confederate money was
scarcely worth the paper On which it
was printed, and the woman was very
poor General Grant and all the Off
GERS riveted their eyes upon the little
woman, but she never finched, nor
paled, nor qualed. Shaking her gray
hair haughtily, and holding up her
head as proudly as any queen could
! have done, she said:
| II hate the Yankees, and l hate their
cause; and l hate their money, too. 1
can accept nothing but Confederate
money, sir"
please understand, madam" was
| the reply, that | am General Grant
the commander of all Of these Yankee
| forces 1 was educated at West Point
| with your Confederate generals, Lee,
Jackson, Johnston and all the rest
and l am, Of course, a gentleman.
Therefore, you will understand that it
| is with great courtesy and kindness
that l place my hand upon your Shout
der and commend you as an American
| woman, for the courage of your con-
| victiOns. You are as firm in your be-
lief as our Revolutionary grandmoth-
ers were. You are right, as a matter
of principle, in choosing the Confed-
crate money; and now, as a lady to
whom we are under obligations for
kindness shown, l peg Of you to ac-
cept the United States bill also, as a
token of our respect and esteem"
With the Confederate money in one
hand, she accepted the United States
money with the other hand, and then
said:
I'm the same spirit, general l must
believe hereafter that the Yankees are
also sincere and brave, and l shall
never abuse them again under any cir
cumstances."