The National tribune., 1907-07-18


morning my slumbers We're slightly dis
turbed when James w. Markland, o
Dukes Regiment, of 'Morgan's Men,
entered my quarters and asked me II
was awake. l replied that l was SOUND
asleep, whereupon he said that ther:
were some persons who liked to have
nice "eye-opener' before breakfasr
and he had. therefore, come to me witt
a bottle of very superior Kentuck!
Mountain Dew" 1 told him that
never got up in the night to drink
mountain or any other kind of dew
but if he would set the bottle down b!
the side cf my couch l would take q
drink with him when l got up in the
morning He complied with my request
left the bottle within my reach, and
tiptoed out of my sleeping quarters
This is genuine Kentucky hospitality
where man hands you bottle OF
Mountain Dew" turns his back so he
cannot see how much you take, and per-
mits you to drink as much as You
please. l am sure the old Federal sol
dierS who read this will agree with me
that this hospitable method of waking
up Yankee soldier is much better
than the way 'Morgan's Men had of
doing during the war, when they often
woke us up by the crack of the revol-
vers. My sleeping in the camp of Ger
John Mof5an'S Confederate Cavalry oc-
CURED only last August, 1906, being
more than 40 years since the period of
Morgan's activities in the field, and
find them now to be not only peaceful,
but exceedingly hospitable
.'Morgan's Men, held their annual
Reunion at Parks Hill, Nicholas Coun-
ty, Kentucky, in the Blue Grass region.
tIg. a and Is, 1906, and I had a cor
dial invitation to meet with them on
this occasion. l accepted this invita-
ton, spent two days and nights with
these Confederate veterans at ther an
nual Reunion.
Some of my veteran friends of the
Federal army who live in the North
ern States, such as Massachusetts, Mich
igan and Iowa, have expressed regret
that they do not live near the border
line, like myself, where they could meet
the ex-Confederate soldiers in time of
peace. My headquarters are in Cincin-
natl and my home in Covington, KY,
and being on the border line | have the
opportunity of saluting not only the
men who wear the Grand Army button,
but also frequently the veteran whp
wears the button of the Confederate
soldier.
Thinking that the Union veterans liv-
ing farther away from the border line
than / do would like to know how the
Gray Ghosts of the Confederate army
look nowadays, more than 30 years af-
ter the war, l am telling of my two
days visit at the camp fires of Nor
gan's Men
In the beginning l want to say that
at the Confederate soldiers Reunion, as
found it, you could not tell Gf You
shut your eyes) whether you We're at "A
Reunion of .Morgan'S Men or the
7th Ohio Cavalry, or the 9th Mich:-
gan Cavalry, or the 4th Iowa Cav
airy or the 7th Pennsylvania Cav
airy. One old gray beard will approach
another of the same ancient type, peer
into his eyes, and then throw his arms
-, I'D oil 4 hnr-
hardly recognized you 1t seems to me
you look older than you did 40 years
ago"
And then the old boys will hug each
other and Immediately go to marking
back - to the days when they rode to-
gether, stood picket together, or re-
called the days when they drank out of
the same canteen,
Sometimes water, sometimes milk,
Sometimes applejaek, fine as silk"
Brother Against Brother.
1t must be remembered that during
the civil war kentucky was greatly di-
~ided and there were many families di-
gided on the questions of those days.
There were many instances where
brothers fought on opposite sides. At
this Reunion of Morgan's Men" case Of
this kind came under my observation. A
soldier of Col. Frank Wolford's regi-
ment, the 1st KY. Cav. of the Federal
army, of the name of Baker, came to
me- and, introducing himself, said that
ne knew my regiment (the 7th Ohio
Cav.) well, we having been brigaded
with his regiment. In the course of
conversation ] learned that there had
been two of the Baker brothers in the
Federal army under Wolford, and two
brothers in the Confederate army, serv-
Ing with Morgan. One day one of the
Yankee" Bakers was captured by
"Morgan's Men," and taken to Nor
cams headquarters. One of the John
ny'' Bakers learning that his brother
was prisoner at Headquarters, hasten
ed to Morgans tent, when, the two
brothers, remembering the love of yes
terday, threw their arms about each
other in affectiOnate greetings. The
johnny Eaker asked Gen. Morgan
what he proposed to do with the pris
oner. Morgan responded, oh, reckon
we will have to send him down South to
prison." The johnny" Baker looked
quite discouraged over this proposed
Imprisonment of his brother, and see
ing this Gen. Morgan said, Take your
brother, with his gun and his horse
and keep him couple of days in your
mess, and have . nice visit together be-
fore we send him of to prison" The
second day after this, the Johnny"
Eaker, having nii Il nice visit with Ine
Yankee" Baker, went back to Gen.
Morgan and with tears in his voice told
" TO the idea of having his brother sent
TO prison, and asked Gen. Morgan if he
could not find some way to obviate this
Gen. Morgan asked the Johnny" Ba-
ker If he had nice visit with his
brother during the past two days.
'Oh, yes" replied the Confederate
soldier
We'll, then said Gen. Morgan, "as
soon as you have finished your visit
with your brother, take him and his
hoIse and his gun down to the picket
limo on tiiS river, and shoo him back TO
the other side. where he belongs. One
YaH.ee, more or less, don't make any
lsESz1aca"
SThe Ananias Society"
There was one feature about the pro-
seedings Of this Reunion of "Morgan'S
Een" that impressed me most favor
Ebly, 23d ii might well be adopted by
kne Feie7al soldiers at their Reunions,
viz, somz times when comrade takes
tine 1Oc3 ct camp fire meeting nc
draws a Mighty long bow, and delivers u
yarn which even his old comrades find
difficulty in swallowing, let alone di-
gesting. Now, with "Morgan's Men"
when an instance of tiais kind occurs
some comrade away over to one side
will rise I'D in all seriousness. and, ad-
dressing the chair, say, Mr. President,
I move that Comrade So-and-So he