Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1912-10-25
CHAPTER VII.
Weary Weeks Of Waiting.


T>l HEN began the weary weeks
and months. II seemed to some
of us--of waiting. The excite
~ ment of enlisting and drilling
the men. organizing the companies and
getting the recruits uniformed acted on
me like tonic. ceased TO brood over
my disappointment. and, while my love
for Miss Ellen was as great MS ever,
yet felt that had regalned my man.
hood. and the war spirit. once aroused
In me. drove me like master The
day of quitting the state was a sad one
for many, but Il was not so for me.
My heart bounded with Joy when the
order for our movement was read Mt
headquarters. or al the officers
think | was the only one whose de-
parture was not blessed with tears OF
mother. sister or sweetheart. My ia
ther. now old and feeble. came to see
me. and his eyes became wet as he
beheld me for the first time In my uni
form and folded me in his arms. My
mother had long been dead-in fact. l
could scarcely remember her at ALL
Su.lhE EbOubg w NY
gave him n letter and made him prom
Use that should anything happen to me
he would send II TO the address on the
envelope
He looked Mt me sadly for a moment
and said:
"Does she live In the south. Howard,
and il that why you have stayed away
30 long?"
told him yes and turned away my
head that he might not see what 1t had
cost me TO speak of her. He laid his
hand gently on my shoulder and said,
"We Pnlmers have never been lucky
there. my son." aud thought | under
stood many little things In his life and
knew thrn why hs had enythtan
\ but what was kind TO say OF that SOUTH
ern country when he heard II under
discussion. ! erasped his hand and
held II for moment
"May God protect you and bring
you safe to me again." was all he said
and left me.
Our regiment was Only ordered to
Camp Meade, but II was o start. The
days there were dreary ones. and
shall never forget the shout our boys
put up when the order which turned
our face to Camp Thomas, at Chicka.
maugn. was read to them. II set our
blood on fire, and cannot repress my
feelings OF state pride even now when
I recall the happy faces OF those Bay
State fellows as they prepared to
shoulder their muskets and start for
the south. A majority OF the regiment
wanted TO be brigaded with other regi
ments from Massachusetts, but with
wisdom and foresight the chief execu
tive commanded that the troops from
the north should be brigaded with
those from the south and west. II
was wise policy that threw the men
from Michigan with those from Texas
aud those from California with those
from Maine and Vermont. and the men
from Massachusetts with the honest
fellows from Georgia. The spirit OF
friendship which had been growing for
over thirty years was TO lie cemented
by an alliance against a common enc
my This was how we found ourselves
in the same brigade with Georgia
TcEliueul huu WIN UioAbSi iibui hch
lucky.
We minGled with one another from
the first ON friendly terms; we shared
one auother's rltions and nursed one
another's sick. | met every Georgian
with an Outstretchcd hand, for ! felt
somehow that they had claims on mt
which the others did not possess The
individual WIS lost In that great
crowded camp. and those with whOm
talked Of the Turpins ala not seen
TO know them But | WIS destined 10
hear news ~ my friends much sOonel
than thought.
had been sent To division headquar
tiers one day with message from my
colonel ~ stepped under the avn
Ing Of the tenn | saw an officer IA q
majors uniform sitting at table read
ing some reports. The face was par
TALLY In shadow. but saw at once
that il was Bud.
How much he knew did not know,
was eager 10 learn. He saw me be
fore / spoke. and. not waiting. as l had
Done, be leaped from the table. scat
tering the contents over the door. and
rushed to me with arms outstretched,
ImpulsiveIy he threw one arm around
my neck and with the other gritSI-d