Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-01
Brother Again.t nro,her.

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 rule,
on the battlefield where !n crisis.
or fateful turn Of the battle-tlde, the
brothers meet
| have never heard Of a 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 Corinth, there was u river over
flowing It's banks in their rear, The
Federals required provisions for horses
and men, nurses. hospital service - all
| the essential requisites to rapid healing
| 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 well 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 n
| burial party whose actions were peeu-
liar There was none OF the ribald Jest
ing so often INDUCED in by men who
were ashamed of betraying sentiment
| betitting 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 l have forgotten. | in.
CURED of one If the party the cause
Of the serious department of the group
near the tree.
"Onc of our regiment has just found
his brother. We have just buried him
THAT Is very sad"
''He takes 1t pretty hard He point
ed to young man near me, whose eyes
were cast down. Those around hin
respected his bereavement
Member of the same regiment?"
mo! That's what makes it seem S,
hard His brother was lighting agains
u.s.
The incident was so strange that
dsmounted, the better to examine Int
a case that excited my curiosity.
The surviving brothers attention, I
my memory serves me, was called t,
the dead brother by comrade, VIII,
either observed a strong resemblance o.
know bctE brothers. The survivor In
stantly recognized his brother. FL
comrades, out of sympathy for him. i'm
mediately resolved to give the Confeder
ale separate burial Instead Of tossn,
the remains into the trench where s,
may lay they selected a spot on slop
ing ground Just below a large tree, dus
/ u EldNts piuNtt itIt concentrate III II
and had just completed an inscription
carved in the tree, reciting the fact,
concisely.
The brothers had been separated q
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 10 be dazed
for a time, but before | left the burial
party he had sufficient self-command Il
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 It's tribute to him the same
as II he had been one Of themselves