The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-09
SOLDIERS WIDOWS.
A Pen Picture of Whit They Went Thru
DErip. the War.

Editor National Tribune: | would like
to draw you a word picture to place
opposite the one contained on the ed
itorial page of The National Tribune of
the issu" of March Z. My husband was
Il private i'll one of the Iowa regiments,
and served four years and three months
in the army. from 1861 to 1865. on the
Sd of March, 1900, he died OF heart
disease, which he had been troubled
with more or less after leaving the SER
vice. l applied for pension under the
general law, and have sent in affidavits
from numerous comrades, one from his
Captain, one from the regimental Hos
pital Steward. one from the Surgeon in
charge of the brigade hospital, one from
physician who treated him in the
early SOS for lung trouble with heart
complications. several from old neigh
bors. each and all testifying that they
knew and remembered my husband nav
ing heart disease in the service, and
after he came home. ! have also writ
ten to several Congressman asking their
assistance in the matter, but SO far no
pension has been granted me. ! have
one child that l am assisting to get thru
a school that will place her in a posi-
ton to be self-supporting. I do not,
like the widow of Gen. Hawlcy. aspire
to educate her abroad; fair education
in our own country is good enough for
me and mine. / have to confess that
have not as much patriotism as | had
in the early SOS, when l consented that
my then sweetheart should go to fight
for his country and the honor of the
Flag. 1 gave time and tears unstinting-
ly to the work of scraping lint, rolling
bandages for the wounded, and prepar-
ing horseradish and onions with Vine
gar. key after keg Of which the women
and girls of our country neighb6rhOod
sent to the soldiers to ward off the
scurvy which threatened them for lack
of such food. My brother. on whom
my aged father and mother expected to
lean in their declining years, was also
among the first to respond to the call
for troops; gave up his life down in
Tennessee, victim of para ysis
brought on by the hardships and ex-
posture of a long forced march when the
only sleep that the soldiers got was what
they took in the saddle. His regiment
had just reached camp, and he was
leading his horse to water when he fell.
and the. day before Vicksburg surren-
dered he answered the last long roll
call. When my brother enlisted l was
about IS years old, and the only child
at home. and as help on the farms could
not be obtained for either love or money
| used to go out with my old father and
help in cutting grain or hay or digging
potatoes or husking corn, etc, until
near the dinner or supper hour, when
| would bring my team to the barn, and
Tor an hour or two assist my mother
who was partial invalid, about the
housework. When / think of all that
the women on the farms had to do, in
those days of war / wonder how they
lived thru 1t all. When our Pension
Department and our Congressman give
so unstintingly and without the asking
to one already abundantly provided for
and withhold from the poor that which
Is their just due, hearts grow rebellious,
and we wonder how we shall be able to
teach our sons and grandsons that pa
triotism and love of country should
stand first and foremost in the hearts
of every American boy.-A Soldiers
Widow, AinswOrth, Neb.