The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-12
M rniLIr ALEXANDER BRUCE.

earnest rcco!lcctions go back to
plantation. 70 q plantation home. and
70 slaves On a high hill looking down
on the fertile valley or. tho stanton
River. in Virginia. this particular
plantation home was situated There
were many slaves. many cabins and
tobacco barns, many cultivated ncldH
ana a wide area OF ground In forest
MY earliest impression was Of some
thing that occurred the year before
the war, but which, at the time, was
supposed to forcshadow that event.
remember that tho forests the sum
,ner OF that year swnrmcd with
cichla. and on each wing OF those In
sec,s the momhrance formed a very
pcrccptible W. ! know now that the
threats OF secession should Mr.. Lincoln
be elected. had suggested to the minds
or the country people that this W
meant War. Was not Bacon'e Rebel
non preceded By vast Nights OF
pigeons? Why should not a greater
conflict DO preceded BY something still
more forebiding? Thus history repeats
itself from century 10 century
Before twelve months had passcn my
father had organized and equipped, at
lis own expense. battery OF artillery
AZ a very little boy visited with my
nurse the old field not far from
The mansion where the soldiers at
tached 70 this battery and the sup.
!
see the big white tents scattered
sbou,. particularly the one occupied
by my father az the commanding on
Ger. How romantic ! thought Il mus,
be 10 sleep In such quartcrs-almos,
as good az sleeping out Of doors in
the woods. and then too. 70 have n
little camp bed TO rest in and to get
ou, Of II III the morning and to step.
rs II were. on the hare earth And
there, too was the biz; shining SWORD
leaning against the camp chair.
shall never forget the great black
Kettle OF Brunswick stew that was
cooked every day 10 appease the APP
BY the erducus manoeuvres OF tho
ur!!l. Since the witches broth in
Macbeth" there lad not been such
variety Of ingredients. The Vegetables
OF the Kitchen garden, the corn OF tho
lo"Eround heids, the squirrels OF the
woods, the tat cutie OF the pastures,
IN short every important product OF
The plantation except tobacco seemed
10 be thrown L. TO make up that de-
licious mess
The drill was Hike an old time lnili-
Larry muster for besides the artillery
and infantry there was compnny
OF cavalry. and many Of the country
people came daily 10 enjoy the spec
tacie. There WINS no need 70 teach
those young men how 10 ridc-.hey
mad been riding from their earliest
childhood. And the infantry, 100. knew
how TO shoot uncrringiy. Tor they could
hardly recall the time when they had
not been shooting Wild turkeys and
Wild ducks, partrldgcs and sauirrcls
y man would be as easy to hit as n
barn door. IT was the drill and the
discipline alone which they required
The ability to move In exact concert II
command
Late In the war. when all tho able
bodied men had gone TO tho front. the
only military drills were BY boy cav
airymen, and these We're entirely vol
untary They would meet after school
at the ncichborhood store and go
through their somewhat disiotntcd
Manocuvres az ii II were huge frolic.
although /, is quite probable that not
one would have hesItated TO so off
10 the wars had their parents granted
permission. One OF them did run away
TO the lines at Petersburg, only TO
be returned 10 his family TO be looked
on thereafter by his youthful com
panions rs n hero quite equal to Cen
cral Lee himself OH the tales OF
blood and hairbreadth escapes which
mat boy had TO tell, and the open
mouths with which he was listened 10,
50 contagious was the heroism OF the
times that my only cause for wonder
now is that all the boys did not run
away and join the army
During the first three years the
"aVc OF war rolled far away from
that part Of tho country. but that ~
work Of death and injury was st,ll
going on was only too obvious indi.
fcctiy. Early In tho conflict 4 d;stin.
eulshed cavalry officer ca1nc 10 our
nome TO recuperate from severe
wound III tho arm. He had indeed been
completely disabled In that arm. but
inns ala not prevent him from bowling
over with the other (and from the sad
die, too every rabbit that got up in
front OF him in the field. He had led
job sotuarts outriders In the dash
around Mcclellan in The Peninsula, and
had more recently still been ir, many a
not corner, and expected soon to he
IN many another; but he was a free
or care as a schoolhoy, laughed as
merr1iy as schoolgirl. and sang comic
songs with all the zest Of n negro
minstrel. can hear him trolling I'm
GOOD Old Colony Times, when We
Lived Under the King; Bonnie Blue
Flag" and many another air that
seems now as old and remote as
"Lullebero" and "Maihrook Has Como
70 the Wars" Such was the Cavalier
spirit which animated so many of
Stuart's officers.
hut nows Of the war was not con-
fined to tho visits OF wounded soldiers.
AS my mother'a brother was the Con,
iederatc Secretary. Of War, women who
had sons OF husbands in the army often
came to solicit her influence to procure
Burroughs for these mon So that they
could return home to sec n sick father
or child. These women belonged to the
class OF poor whites. which mndn their
appc.l Is tho moro moving. Could not
the father or tho son In the ranks DO
permitted to return for n few weeks
TO get In the crop and then go back
to his company again?
Not many days passed that did not