The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-05-30

u y the dead-and to the stirring In
HF cidents they themselves wit
~ p messed To them Memorial Dal
CNM/ Is a day Of recollections so vivit
L N-~cpy/ that eternity alone can effac,
them: a day when their dream,
bark back to the old camp ground the buglei
,ali and the cannons roar. And as they fondl'
IN memory the scenes through which they pass
cd. they pay tribute to the God OF battles WHIT
spared them until their eyes could close on tn,
sands Of the Confederate gray and the Yankee
Glue clasped across the firing line In Unior
Indivisibe.
~ have never been able to forget an incl
dent that occurred on the battlefield OF Antie
tam" said General A. W. Greeley. U. s. A.
wren asked TOR his most vivid recollection Of
the Civil War. And each Memorial Day some
how II presents Itself with increased appeal
On my way back to the field surgeons hos
pfta for treatmeut-t had been wounded twice
i met one of our doctors applying restora-
dives TO wounded Confederate. He was a
mere boy. DOT day Is I was but IS,
and he also had been shot twice-so there were
things In common between US.
But Il was his courage his unfinching un-
yielding spirit that impressed most. AS
ne lay there. horribly mangled his eyes were
as steady and his manner cool as though
&c we're idly loungng In his own home. His
nerve was not broken: nor the fear OF death
on him. He seemed grateful for the attention.
but not in the least humble. Thank you. gen
temen.' he seemed to be thinking. but when
7 get well I'll be at you again n there are
many more like him In the southern army. I
thought. we are certainly in for long. hard
struggle have wondered many times since
what became OF him-whether he pulled
through or died on the battlefield have
vcyer been able to learn"
General Greedy made two attempts before
he was allowed to enlist. You get out Of
here: we don't want babies we want men!"
was the objection of enlisting officers Finally
ne found who passed him. He served
throughout the entire war and was the first
enlisted man In the Union army to attain the
grade of a general In the regular army.
Il recolect extremely pathetic Incident
hat occurred on board the U. s 8. Mononga-
Aeia." said Admiral C. D. Sgsbee. U. S. ~.
the hero OF the battleship Maine. sunk In Ha-
vana harbor Just before the outbreak OF the
Spanish American war. The Monongahela.
cruising along the Texas coast. had rammed
and sunk a Confederate ironclad down near
the head OF the passes In the Mississippi river
and then steamed on to New Orleans for re-
pairs. On board was a brother officer. Lieu
tenant Roderick Prentice. to whom was par.
tcuIariy attached. He spoke to me frequently
OF a premonition OF impending disaster that he
simply could not shake OF. In fact, 1t marred
his Joyous antcipations OF meeting bis Young
wife. hardly more than a BRIDE at New Or
leans. whittier she had FASTENED from the
North when she learned his vessel was to
touch that point Their devotion was IDEAL
tstic.
They saw each other but once there be-
fore the call Of duty dragged them apart.
had been transferred to the Brooklyn at Nd
bile. After a successful passage OF the forts
my drst inquiry was Tor the welfare Of my old
shipmates on the Monongahela and especially
Tie had been standing In the gangway. which
had been raised somewhat above the level OF
the deck 1t seems when a shot struck the
hammock netting next to him and the flying
fragments imbedded themselves In his leg.
almost tearing It from his body. He died In
a few hours
AT New Orleans we picked up a little boy
named Isaac Aiken. a tiny fellow. Of whom
Prentice was especially fond, The lad was
simply heartbroken as he sat by the berth Of
his dying friend. Prentice urged him not to
cry and to brace up and be cheerful. insisting
that he would soon be all right though he
well knew all the while that his end had come.
But the lads sorrow was nothing compared
60 that OF the girlwIfe She tainted dead
away when told the CHASTITY news and never
efterward fully recovered
Another Incident that [ remember quite
wildly" continued Admiral Sissbee. hap
pened at the assault on Fort Fisher The man
yust ahead OF me was killed and another on
my left. A big. redhaired man. groaning hor-
ribiy suddenly clutched me-.
"'Look! he exclaimed. Lieutenant Bache
Is wounded
why are you groaningr [ asked. Are you
hurtr
Yes be answered slowly and without
even trace OF concern for himself I think
TN dying-but look at poor Bache.'
-And he fell to earth still calling for aid
for his wounded officer He died shortly after
I left MIN. so I was told"
Memorial Day TO me suggests the dag"
said Corp" James Tanner. known to Grand
Army men from coast TO coast.
~ have listened to many eloquent apos-
trophies 10 our national emblem. but never 20
one that touched me MORE than that which
name from q hospital bed. In September.