Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-30
downright 1902 by the New York Herald Co. All
Rights ReserYed.l

grizzled beard. The veteran had been
chatting reminiscently Of the old HomericI
civil war DAYS, Of bivouac, forced march
and battle field. He had taken from
his closet the dusty blue coat. with the
bronze star in the buttonhole. and had
furnished it up and tried it on, to see II
1t would pass muster for the stress and
glorv of one more Memorial Day parade
on the morrow. The sight of the uniform
had stirred memories long dormant Inc
old man, seldom given to the weakness oil
fighting his battles over again, had grown
almost garrulous.
The lad was a good listener and good
ouestioner. Struggled there on the patri-
arch's knee, he playfully twirled the
bronze star in the lapel of the blue coat.
He had been absorbing a lesson in his
country's history. The veteran ran ms
enarled fingers through the boys hair
fondlv as he heard the question, but the
old man had grown thoughtfully silent.
With childish persistence the lad repeated
his query
''Why did you have to shoot each other,
grandpa"
An indulgent smile mellowed the deep
lined face as the soldier made answer :
"Ah. Iaddie boy, that's question that
has puzzled many an older head IMAM
yours. But you see, the country was Ill
vided about some very important matters
The North and the South couldn't seem TO
see things alike WE'LL they tried to fix it
ND one way and another, but hnaily NJ
came down to this question-whether the
United States of America was to De one
country or more than one. both slues
thought they were right no doubt. Ihey
couldn't agree about it, and both sldes
were so sure they were right that they
wore willing to die for their belief. So IN
the end they just had to fgh1it out ana
settle it. Maybe we'll find a better way
to settle these differences some day. Out
that won't be in my time and perhaps not
in yours either, laddie boy"
"Well, your side won, didn't IT. grand
pa?"
YES, my boy, there's only one country
bora now" said the old man simply.
.'Your side was the bravest wasn't IT,
grandpa? :,
"No son: we used to think so once,
sunnose. The other fellows thought they
were the bravest, too, but we all got better
acouainted at Bull Run and Chancellors-
willie and Gettysburg and SpottsylVanlh
Court House and some other OF those
military sociables, and l guess were al
content to call quits on the question Oh
bravery. Our side had the most men anu
the most money-what they call resources
Won know-but l wouldn't like to say 'o-
dov that we had the better soldiers.
How many men were on your slde
vas the lads next question.
oh more than you could possibly
imagine. my little man. Those were DIG
orrnies but my old friend General boyn-
ron had il figured out that under Presi-
dent Lincoln's nine different cans lon
troops there were about Z'ooo,ooo
Northern soldiers called into the neid
during the four years the war lasted
That included the men who only served
a short time and the old dodgers ike me-
who weren't fit for much else ana VINO
enlisted for the whole wal"
The bows eyes were big with wonder as
ba stroye to comprehend the hgures.
Then in voice of childish awe he WINS
nered:-"How many of all those men got
killedT
Nobody knows that for sure, laddle
boy" said the veteran solemnly. lou
see. there were hundreds and hundreds OF
them just buried in trenches after the
big battles, and in all the national GENE
teries there are long rows of graves even
now with no names over them. But was
talking about it with our post commander
the other day, and he told me the best
6gures in the Pension Office show that
the Union armies lost by death from all
causes during the war about 36O,OoO men.
rrhara were about 10000 of these who
were either killed outright in battle or
else died of their wounds. The rest died
from disease. How many We're only
wounded-brought some lead souvenirs
home with em to carry about with them
for fine rest of their days, or left an arm,
like me, at Petersburg or somewhere else
i really couldn't say. There must have
been hundreds of thousands crippled like
that"
The boy fondled the empty sleeve of
the old blue coat thoughtfully and nestled
closer as he murmured:-"I'm sorry they
got you, grandpa, but you never ran
away from them, did your he added
proudly. This in tone of confidence
rather than inquiry.
Didn't I, thought" laughed the old
man. you'd although l was one of
those-what do you call considerations,
the way / ran down there at Manassas,
laddie boy. But there was plenty of
others of us in that scramble. Why, we
never stopped until we got across the Po-
tomac and into Washington, we were so
keen in that sprint. But them" added the
veteran, apologetically, there were times
afterward when the 'Johnnies' had to run,
too, for that matter"
"How many soldiers did the ''Johnnies'
have. grandpa?"
The old soldier stroked his beard con-
templatively with his one remaining
ssXVaII son we lave TO admit