Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-04-12
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
Inc veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Wh1stl1ng Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
burst1ng Bombs, Bloody Battles,
camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

Yankees 7"
ouch was the cry which reused Nell
Iarleton from her bed that summer
evening when Gen. Butler, at the head
OF the Federal troops, swooped down
upon City Point, Va, and blocked the
road to Petersburg.
Nell Tarleton dwelt with her mother
and baby brother in their old-fashioned
nome ON the James River. The father
OF the family was away on the Poto-
mac, fighting the battles Of the Con
federacy, and only few faithful ne
groes remained to guard Mrs. Tarleton
and her children.
AS Nell sprang from her bed she
heard the rattle Of musketry up the
river. A shell tore, screaming, over the
house, followed by another and anoth-
er. Then there burst forth from the
stables a lurid glare; and she heard
her mothers distracted voice shrieking
that the negro quarters were afire.
Nelps fingers trembled violently, but
she managed to don her frock and
shoes before old Aunt Drusilla came
numbering up the stairs and drove the
child, shoes in hand, from the room.
"Doan min yo' shoes, till yo' gifts
out O fah!'' exclaimed Aunt Drusilla,
resolutely; and so, barefooted and half
clad Nell hurried through the confusion
Of the hall and into the lawn before
the house.
There she found her mother hysteri-
cal and helpless, and there, too, was the
baby, snugly wrapped up, and carried
by his nurse, the mulatto Phoebe. Some
valuable hastily put together lay in
bundles on the grass-plainly revealed
in the ruddy light from the blazing
huts. Nobody seemed to know what
to do until Aunt Drusilla swept upon
the scene. Then movement took the
place Of inact1on.
'Heah, yo' fool niggahs," cried the
old colored woman, what for yo' star
in en- dom nof1n'? Want de Yankees
to cotch yo', huh? Grab dem bundles
an run for de woods. An yo', too,
Mis- -, an yo', honey; run, l tell yo'.
Phoebe, min dat ar chile, or 1 warm
yo'. Ever'body's got to run!''
And everybody ran-even fat Aunt
Drusilla herself. Down the dewy lawn,
with the Federal bullets whistling
among the treetops hard by, and the
flames spreading to the barns and sta
bles, they fed. For in the night attack
no one was safe. Neither North nor
South warred against women and chill
dren, but under cover Of darkness the
gravest danger threatened all within
the area Of attack.
At last they reached the dense woods,
and the sound Of firing came but faint
ly to their ears, though the glow Of
the distant fire still showed it's grim
reflection upon the sky line.
"Das far 'nough," grunted Aunt Dru-
silla herself. Down the dewy lawn,
she had kept we'll in front of the race.
I'VE can rest now. Put dem bundles
down you boys, an, oh; my Lawd
Whar's Phoebe"
Poor Mrs. Tarleton turned at the old
woman's frightened cry-turned to see
that the young mulatto was indeed
missing, together with her precious
charge, the baby! The unfortunate
lady's brain reeled at this last terrible
calamity, and she fell fainting upon the
path.
Kneeling by her side and chatting her
hands, Aunt Drusilla cried frantically
to the negro boys who stood around to
search the woods.
Go back de way we come" she
shouted. phoebe mus be captured or
shot. Go back an fetch young marse,
fore de Yankees git him.
But the negroes hung their heads
sheepishly.
"We'se 'fraid, Aunt Drusilla. Deed
we'se drefful 'fraid," they moaned.
Wrathfully the old woman rose to
her feet.
"An' yo' call yo'selves men!'' she ex-
claimed. "Yo's muffin but pack O
cowardly 'possums I'll go
back mahself. Yassur! or Aunt Dru-
silla amt scared O. Yankee guns when
young Marse Halls lef' benin"
True to her word, the stout-hearted
Drusilla turned in the direction of the
burning outbuildings and shuff1ed down
the pathway as fast as she could go.
But another pair of feet were lighter
than hers. A little girl in a fimsy
frock, with her shoes clutched in her
hands, sped past the old negress. 1t
was Nell Tarleton, trembling no longer,
but wild with eagerness to save her
baby brother.
"Come back, honey! Fo' de Lawd's
sake. come back!" gasped Aunt Drusil-
Ia, as she snatched unavailingly at the
small figure, which rushed so swiftly
by. But Nell only shook her head and
ran the faster. Farther and farther
behind dropped poor Drusilla, until at
last she lost sight of Nell altogether.
Then she threw up her hands and sank