The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1908-05-29
Civil War Reminis ciences.

As Decoration Day draws neal
again [ thought our readers would
enjoy readings a few "reminiscences
of the Civil War.
When the word reached our
neighborhood that Fort Sumter
had fallen there was great excite
ment and almost every able bodied
man in the county enlisted in less
than three months. Women, child
rem and sweethearts, although with
breaking hearts, gave up theirdear
ones, would say they must be
brave and act as an example for
the children, as did the brave
women in the days of the Revolu-
tionary War. To those that we're
less brave the men would say
''our country calls and we must go"
From what we called our Sunday
school, held in the school house in
our district, there were twenty-five
volunteers. [ do not know which
was the saddest, the last Sabbath
that they were there or the one
following when a new superinten-
dent was to be elected aud new
teachers chosen, classes doubled
for want of teachers, both were
sad. OF the twenty-five only
eight came back and three of those
crippled for life, in fact one only
lived few months. What busy
summers those were for the women
and children, they had to work in
the fields with the old men to raise
something to eat. It was not an
unusal sight to see two or three
women cradling grain or swinging
a scythe in the hay field. They
wore short heavy skirts, what we
called in those days a bloomer CO.'S
tune, resembling a bathing suit.
The Fourth of July, the day the
siege Of Vicksbury closed, there was
a picnic in a grove near our vii
lage. A soldier, home on a sick
furloug, went to the city in the
morning to get, as we then said,
"war news" When he returned
no one need ask if the news were
sad, for he showed it in his counte-
nance. Seven of our brave boys
were killed. One mother and one
wife tainted. What sad ending
to our picnic! Several wanted
their sons remains brought home.
One man volunteered to go and
left on the steamboat the next
day taking metallic caskets with
him for five corpses. Two weeks
later he returned and the funeral
was held in the same grove, and
over one thousand people were
present. IF any old soldier reads
this he will remember the fighting
parson, he was the man that
preached the funeral sermon. He
had to stand with a crutch to do
SO. Do we all our duty by teach
ing the children now to reverence
the old soldiers, and impress upon
their minds that great privileges
they enjoy today were gained by
others suffering and dying that
this great and good country should
not be divided, but remain the
United States, where poor and
oppressed from all parts of the
world could find a home. Let US
all make this Decoration Day
day Of thanks, honoring the dead
soldiers and sailors. May many
flowers be thrown on the great
Missiouri's wat rs. in honor
Of the sailors, and the soldiers
graves be covered with flowers,
and may the young men and boys
think that if they are needed to
defend the flag they will do SO as
did their fore fathers and especially
to those from foreign lands may
they be grateful for all the privel-
edges they enjoy, brought by the
goingof so many lives.
A Soldiers Sister.
Throo ~ tho ,,roanoro,e forr,ors