Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-03-01
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
Inc veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
"nastilng Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
camp Fire, Festive Bulge, Etc, Etc,

D"t'le creek, Mich, Of Mrs. Lizzie
Wright.
Inc father of Mrs. Wright (nee
freIelgh), a northern man, was run
nlng a grist mill at Hickman. XIV. on
the Mississippi River when the war
Droke out. He delayed returning to
the North until he found himself and
family between the lines of the Union
FORCES and the Confederation. and,
tnere being no escape, remained in
! Hickman.
belng an outspoken man he soon
brought down upon himself the wrath
OF MS rebel neighbors, and one night
mob came over to his home with
rope and was about to lynch him. His
WIFE was very sick at the time and his
children pleaded for him so earnest
~ that he was released That very
night he fed over the border into Ten
nessee to Gardner station, where he
remained during the war.
The family of Freleigh continued to
live alone at Hickman during the war,
and suffered all Of the prosecutions in
cloent to the life Of a Northern fam
lily in a Southern community during
the war, when feeling ran high.
When the news reached Hickman
that Admiral Porter with his feet of
gunboats was coming down the river
to lombard Island No. 10. Lizzie Ere
leigh determined that she would give
them welcome. Obtaining by stealth
cambria and calico, in the desired col
ors, while her brother guarded the
door, she made an American flag, 36x42
inches. This she secreted underneath
the brick in the hearthstone of an old
fashioned Southern fire place.
Porter's fleet finally came. The news
spread like wild-fire, and the excite
ment was great. Then Miss Freleigh
took from its hiding place the stars
and stripes and, running, down to the
banks Of the Mississippi, waved the
flag as the boats approached. Admiral
Porter on his flagship, the Benton, OBJ
served the flag, the first that he had
seen in rebel territory, and, thinking
that some Northern family was in dis
tress or trouble ordered the second
officer Of the flagship, Capt. Charles A.
Wright, to lower boat and proceed
to shore and ascertain what was want
ed, at the same time covering the shore
with the guns of his boat.
When the captain arrived on shore
he was surprised to discover that the
person who was so joyfu1ly waving in
triumph the stars and stripes was a
handsome young woman about 20 years
Of age. 1t was a case Of love at first
sight.
On account of the scarcity Of pro-
visions the family had become very
short of supplies. as had the people
generally in that section. Admiral
Porter sent to this faithful Union fam
lily a good stock of provisions.
A correspondence was opened at
once by Capt. Wright with the loyal
lady with a flag" and when the war
was over he went to Hickman and on
October "a 1867, was married to Miss
Lizzie Freleigh.
They went Immediately to Rodney,
Miss, where Capt. Wright engaged III
numbering. 1t was SO soon after the
war and the feeling so intense against
Northern men, that he found it ex-
tremelv difficult to do business on &C
count of the crimes committed against
him. His sawmill was burned, his lum-
her stolen. stock poisoned and other
acts Of hatred and revenge perpetrated.
Capt. Wright was brave man, as
his naval record shows, and his bravery
did not fail him in time Of supposed
neace He remained at Rodney and
continued to carry on his business until
no had won the respect and esteem Of
the entire community, and when he
died from pneumonia March 80, 1877,
his funeral was the largest attended
Of any ever held in that section Of the
state. Further, the people secured for
Mrs. Wright the appointment of post
master of the village, which position
she held for thirteen years.
Tn 1890, James, the son Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Wright, left Rodney, came to
louisville, KY, and thence to Battle
Creek. A month later his mother and
sister came A short time after their
arrival their sister, now Mrs. Lewis H.
Fay. attended an ice cream social given
nv the w. R. c., and was introduced
as a daughter of the naval officer, Capt.
Wright. Of the Avenger. One of the
women to whom she was introduced
was Mrs. A. A. Beach, who exclaimed
that her husband was on the Ayenger.
This chance meeting was very fortu-
nate one for Mrs. Wright, as she had
heen endeavoring for some time to OBJ
+oin the address of her husbands ship
mates so that she could secure pen
sion Mr.. Beach had the addresses.
and of the officers of the gunboat, and
this bit of good fortune resulted in the
securing by Mrs. Wright of a back pen
sion of nearly $1,000 and $50 a month.
At the funeral of Mrs. Wright Mr..
Roach acted as one of the pallbearers.
Rattle Creek seems to have figured
45o,+nll,- several times in the career