Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-12-20

OSCii StI " ny d stray Quiet, Also.
the shadow waited ror him
And yet 1T was good to be alive and
be a soldier that Christmas day. Those
who fell later died the better for it.
WHEN SANTA CLAUS WORE THE
BLUE.
Along the front OF the right flank
of the grand army IN the upper Po-
tomac. in the winter of 1862, was
from five to 10 miles of neutral ter
ritory. This was occupied here and
there by southern farmers, most of
them poor. The men had gone to war
early I'm the spring, leaving the wom-
en- and children to plant the crops. In
the early fall the section was foraged
over. and when winter came it was a
dark outlook for the people.
From scouting the highways, and
from standing picket near farm houses,
we got to know that hunger prevailed.
Little had been raised, and q big share
of that little had been foraged. There
wasn't a soldier at the front but what
was willing to divide his rations with
the noncombatan+s, but in almost ev-
cry instance he was repulsed. The
women We're absolutely ignorant of the
situation. To any and all arguments
advanced the invariable answer was:
If you-all hadn't come down yere
there would AVE been no war"
If you We're standing picket near a
house. the woman might pass and re-
pass a dozen times and never cast a
look at you. The children would peep
from the corner of h house. but run
away II you smiled at them. Leave
hard tack, pork and sugar at the kitchen
door and 1t would not be taken in.
There were no bitter words. but we
were made to feel responsible for all
the suffering that was being endured.
The dogs might eat what we tossed
them. but. even they would not make
friends.
1t was one day when a picket saw
little children digging under the snow
for faggOts for he fire and knew that
the mother was too i'll to be out, hat
six blue coats temporarily off duty put
in three hours work with axes and left
a big woodpile behind them at the door,.
Two days later the woman nodded at
the men on post. but did not speak.
Thankful h must AVE been, and yet
she could not forget that if we We're not
there husband and plenty would be
hers. What followed came from this
wood cutting bee.
There We're 20 married men in the
army for each single one. They had
left wives and children behind them.
AS Christmas drew near it called up a
sentiment that ever war Gould not hold
down. There would be Christmas at
home-hundreds of Christmas boxes
would come down to be shared with
comrades. What of the hungry, des-
pairing. but grimly accomplishing
women and children of the neutral ter
r1tory? Perhaps one man asked that
neutrality-suspicious. a dozen. No mat
ter. A dozen-a score-a hundred-5O0
men. some of them officers. determined
on a certain thing. And 1T received the
official sanction of "a brigadier.
The roads had been secuted so often
that every house was known. We
know tho ,l1pva,Ins. ne ,,r%o NV n.--..
where clothing was as badly wanted as
food. Through the quartermaster, the
sutler. the contractor. and through
messengers sent to Washington, we got
Il heap of Santa Clause stuff together.
Every man who gave. ant every man
VINO handled the goods, thought of
those at home and was excitedly glad.
All he lalcor of war was chased out
of his heart. He smiled and rubbed
his hands and said it was good to do
such things.
On the morning before Christmas the
wagons We're loaded and sent UP and
down the roads of the neutral territory.
We did not knock at the doors and tell
what we had and ask if it would be
accepted. We feared to do that. 1t
would seem like buying forgiveness.
We carried barrels and boxes and stout
packages from the wagons to the kitch-
en- doors and left them there. smiling
at the face OF any child we saw with
his nose pressed against the pane of
a window. And in those barrels and
boxes were potatoes, onions. flour,
coffee, tea. sugar and meat. And in
those boxes We're caps. hoods, stock
lngs N shoes. And in those stout
packages there was calico and other
cloth. We even remembered the need
les and thread.
Not an old man-not a inother-not
u child came to the door. Some of the
donors were for "a time disappointed.
the wagons went out full and returned
empty, n hundreds Of men slept the
better that night for what had been
done. The x day a patrol went over
the ground to see and report and to
talk wish the pickets. We were watt
Ing to hear what would be said.
Every single barrel, box and pack
age aiken In" reported the lieutenant. !
"and we heard the mouth organs and
tin trumpets playing in almost every
house. Sure. they had Santa Claus
last night.
And AS a supplementary report a
burly sergeant, who had frowned on the
whole thing from the start. SAID:
Say. fellows. I took you for a lot OF
chumps. but from this time on any
galoot who says we came down here to
make war on women and kids has got
to lick me or leave the army"
Did it change the attitude OF the
women and children towards use Not
outwardly. IF you-all hadn't come
down yere there would have been no
war;"
A CHRISTMAS TAeLEAUx OF WAR
Wa had inst oo% 49,. q.