The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-29
BILL HUNT AND HIS Dos OSCAR
The Newfoundland That Went
Through the Civil War.
His Strange Panic At Bentonville-His
Return Homo. and Death-Farcwell
Day in the First Baptist Church.
Old Church Building TO be Torn
Down and New Edifce to be Erected.
For The Messenger:

While Bill Hunt was a student al
a high school in Virginia, in the year
1853, being then about IT years OF.
age, a companion gave him a New
~foundland puppy as black as the CHM
ney back, without a white mark on
him. Hunt carried the puppy home az
/ vacation time. where he was the pei
OF the younger children, and grew as
fast as Jacks bean stalk" As he
grew older he reciDrocated the afec-
ton of the little people. being full of
frOiic in response 10 their merriment,
though he was generally of grave and
digniied demeanor, especially in the
presence OF the old folks. V
At two years of age he was a >plen-
did fellow, MS coat as glossy as olackI
spun silk, his frame of great strength,
his head large, and his face full IF
the intelligence Of his breed. He YES
gentle in disposition and treated With
absolute contempt and Indifference the
attacks OF all canine small fry L
do not believe that Oscar ever -e-
sented by even a growl the puny III
suits Of the flee or the pug; out,
when his temper was too sorely tined
by larger dogs, he put up a terrible
fight. | have seen at least a dozen
bleeding wounds ali over his body af-
ter one Of his rare conflicts, but the
other DOG was invariably worse of.
When the Civil war broke out. and
Bill Hunt enlisted in the service, he
took the strange notion into his mead
to carry Oscar to the field with nim.
The family protested against it, de-
claring that the dog would be killed
or lost; but his master was determin-
ed-and do you know that Oscar pass
ed through the whole Civil war with
out a scratch, and appeared to ENJOY
every step of it. He seemed 10 be
absolutely fearless, and went out with
the command in some of the bloOdiest
battles of the great struggle of the
COnfeGeracy.
1t was in camp, however, that he felt
all the Bohemian pleasure of a SOL
dier's life, and he knew every man
in the regiment, who called lii Capt.
Oscar White" because he was as blach
as a coal. He was very discriminate
ing in the bestowal of his friendship,
treating some of the men with tokens
Of warm affection, while to Others he
was cool and reserved in manner, with
which they were not a little amused.
He evidently recognized in colonel of
the regiment the weight of paramount
authority, and skunk off abaShed AT
/ the approach of that dread Oficia.
Oscar was choice, too, in his distr.hu-
ton Of favors to other animals besides
man, and showed a strong attachment
for a huge bay horse, which pulled at
the off wheel of a caiSson of a light
artillery company forming part Of The
command. The big horse evidently ap-
preciated this friendship, and Oscar
lay every night at the head OF the
stall in the winter encampment, or
not far off from where his %favorite
was picketed in bivouac on the ma CHI.
Like the soldiers, poor Oscar was Of
item sorely broken down by the long
forced marches; and this, after a
while, the big hay seemed to cOmpre-
bend, and when the dog would come
Emping alongside the battery, the
great wheel horse would plant his
front feet ~sQuarely down, and put his
vast weight and strength against the
team until he stopped it, in spite OF
the driver, giving Oscar a chance 10
jump up on the shelf of the caisson,
where the poor fellow would sleep
for miles, utterly tagged out.
Oscar, like even the best raised
dogs, had a hankering after something
70 eat, and was won't to steal from the
mess fire or mess table, for which
he received many a kick by the indig-
nant cooks. One day he was lrresiS-
tibly drawn TO a pot of pea soup and
bacon, which was piping hot, rs 1t
hat just been taken from the bed Of
Goals. He stuck i'll his muZzzZle, and
had a sore mouth and tongue for ma
ny days thereafter. All through the
future the contents of all pots were
safe from his depredations.
At the battle Of Bentonyiil',
fought in the spring of 1865 s SPLEEN
didly by General Joseph E, Johnston
against overwhelming odds, Captain
Oscar White was seized with an unac-
countable panic, which the SOLDIER
could not understand, for he had gone
manfully through many a harder fight
But, for some reason. he was over
come with fright, and ran yelpiES
across a field, and disappeared.
He did not re-join the command
on the march to Raleigh. AID
pn to Centre, where John
ston's army surrendered. But on the
second day after Bill Hunts arrival!
home. which he had reached by tru6e-
ing across the counties Of Guilfcrd,
Randolph and Moore TO the dcsolate
old homestead. Oscar trotted in at the
gate, wofully emaciated, his fine black
coat matted, and his anectionate face
wearing a piteous look Of woe and suf-
fering.
He was given food and drink judi
ciously, and al first he seemed TO re-
gain his strength, and come back ID
himself; but n day he turned over,
gasped and died The younger boys
of the family buried him under a jim
iper tree down by the swamp; and one
OF them, of an artistic turn. male a
large head-board which he whitewash-
ed and surmounted by a very
fair picture of the faithful log
-,~H lo~- ll..1r a~1 ,rlo~ IL THE in