The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1910-01-15
The Soldiers Christmas Box

ne S0loief Onr18tme8 b0x
The following will. no doubt, arouse
intsresting memories in the minds Of
many old veterans. 1t 10 from the
pea of an old soldier who visited
Neeker last summer, and will proba-
bly, be with US again the coming
suuqmer:
CHICAGO, CHRIsTMAsTIDE, 1909.
Easepr Herald, Meeker. Colo:
TAis Christmas time. with its
world wide custom Of offerings to
friends and loved ones, bringing into
Significance tn. one great moral and
spiritual lesson Of peace, Joy and hap
piness. has reminded me Of the drst
Christmas that spent ~ soldier Of
the Union.
The division of three brigadea were
escAmped at Liverpool Point, Md,
shout thirty miles south Of Wash
ington. Across the river. ths rebels
had many heavy guns planted along
the slopes Of the stream, but hidden
among the timber. All that winter
Of 81, and until late In the following
March, those guns opened their ter
aible roar almost every night but the
poor gunnery saved the lives Of many
that ventured taking the trip under
cover Of darkness.
received word from home about
the first of December that package
Of homemade goodies" and smok-
ing tobacco would be sent on In time
for the Christmas celebration. The
news aroused within me joyful an
ticipations.
The day before Christmas, the
camp was In an uproar. A vessel had
arrived at the dock that morning
loaded with goods more precious than
Jewels in the estimation Of the boys In
blue. was SO impatient, my nerves
were at such . high tension, that 1t
was necessary to seek relief by going
down to the wharf to watch the un-
loading Of all the boxes and perhaps
get . glimpse Of mine. stayed until
the last package was cast over on to
the dock, but among all that mass Of
casss piled up in inextricable con-
fusion, there was not one marked for
mo.
IStaggered back to camp, heart
sick My distress and disappoint-
NEST were 80 keen that when got
into my tent, I threw myself on my
pallet Of straw and wept silently, but
hitterly. simply made up my
mind that the folks had deliberately
thrown me down. My resentment
seemed to increase Is pondered
over the situation that loomed up 30
miserably before my distorted vision.
Guard duty and picket duty for me,
after this dreadful experience was
far from pleasant. That night 1t did
seem to me that every man In the
camp was on a rollicking spree, but
1t was not so. 1t was another Of my
frlghtfuI imaginations that weighed
me down in dire distress.
About three or four days after
Christmas something happened. i
had been down to the river bank on
| plChcs eh ht8ut Doiosot ~"Ss "o"o w
bed early that morniug. Some time
before noon I was aroused by some
one calling my name. I was also told
to go over to the Coloners tent and
get some packages. I rushed over
half dressed and I'm not sure that l
took time to put on my shoes. At
any rate I found Mr.. Silvie standing
behind several large trunks and he
was handing over the packages to
the owners rs fast as possible and
greeting them all with smiling
merry Christmas.
AS for me, not only was there one
but several and / was obliged to
make an extra trip. Grief and misery
were turned into Joy and gladness.
Good things to eat made by mother.
No one but soldier can realize what
it means to eat something from
home, and one Of my troubles was to
keep some Of the boys from stealing
those doughnuts. So my Christmas
thus belated was up to the mark for
real enjoyment. VET.
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