Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-05-08
Brother Asainst Brother.

Brother Against Brother.
NOveltists and dramatists in quest of
strong situations have arrayed brother
against brother 10 the war for the I'm
ion. The climax is reached, as a rule,
on the battlefield, where in a crisis,
or fateful turn Of the battle-tlde, the
| brothers meet.
| l have never heard of well-authen-
| ticated instance where brothers met
and knew each other In the shock of
battle The instances are numerous
where brothers opposed each other, as
members of companies. regiments or
brigades participating in the conflicts
that were prolonged over years.
The nearest approach to brothers en-
conutering each other in battle that
| fell under my observation was at Shi-
| lob. The Union forces were compelled
to occupy the battle ground for several
days. The Confederates were in their
| front at Corimth, there was a river over
| flowing it's banks in their rear. The
| Federals required provisions for horses
and men, nurses, hospital service - all
| and humane treatment were in demand
| for time.
Meantime burial parties were hard at
| work clearing the ground Of the dead,
as matter Of humanity as we'll as for
self-protection. Later, orders were is
sued division commanders to remove
their camps from the battlefield to
avoid a peril as great as battle.
On the second or third day after the
battle, my attention was called to
| burial party whose actions were pecu-
| liar There was none of the ribald jest
ing so often INDUCED in by men who
were ashamed OF betraying sentiment
befitting the occasion. The little party
was gathered near a large tree. They
seemed unusually quiet. The burial
party belonged to an Ohio regiment,
whose number I have forgotten. I in
quired of one Of the party the cause
of the serious department of the group
near the tree.
| Zone of our regiment has just found
his brother We have just buried him"
THAT is very sad"
"He takes it pretty hard" He point
ed to young man near me, whose eyes
were cast down. Those around him
respected his bereavement.
Member of the same regiment?"
mo! That's what makes it seem so
hard. His brother was fighting against
| u.s.
| 1nn S4I hot 7
dismonnted the better to examine into
a case that excited my curiosity.
The surviving brothers attention, if
my memory serves me, was called to
| the dead brother by a cOmrade, who
either observed strong resemblance or
know both brothers. The survivor in
stantly recognized his brother His
comrades, out of sympathy for him, i'm
mediately resolved to give the COnfeder-
ate separate burial. Instead of tossing
! the remains into the trench where 50
| may lay, they selected a spot on slOp-
! ing ground just below a large tree, dug
q grave, placed the Confederate in it,
and had just completed an inscription,
carved in the tree, recitng the facts
| cOncisely
The brothers had been separated a
year or more. The survivor did not
know that his brother was in the Con-
| federate army. The truth was revealed
to him sharply; he seemed to be dazed
| for time, but before l left the burial
party he had sufficient self-command to
| converse freely. Whether the dead
brother served in the Confederate army
of his own choice, or whether necessity
compelled him, there was no means of
knowing The chances of battle-death
| --obliterated his faults. The burial
party paid its tribute to him the same
| as if he had been one Of themselves.