The Springfield herald., 1912-05-24

bark back to the old camp ground the bugle'
call and the cannon's roar. And as they fondl
in memory the scenes through which they pass
ed. they pay tribute to the God of battles VIII
spared them until their eyes could close on tn
hands of the Confederate gray and the Yankee
blue clasped across the firing line In a UnioI
indivisible.
"I have never been able to forget an Incl
dent that occurred on the battlefield of Ante
tam" said General A. W. Greeley. U. s. A
when asked for his most vivid recollection o
the Civil War. "And each Memorial Day, some
how, 1t presents Itself with Increased appeal
On my way back to the field surgeons hos
pitai for treatment-T had been wounded twice
II met of our doctors applying restora
tives to wounded Confederate. He was
mere boy. not a day over Is. was but I8
and he also had been shot twice-so there were
things in common between us.
But 1t his courage, his unfinching un
yielding spirit that impressed me most. AS
he lay there. horribly mangled. his eyes were
as steady and his manner cool though
he were idly lounging 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.
tlemen.' he seemed to be thinking but when
/ get we'll I'll be at you again II there are
many more like him In the southern army.
thought, we are certainly in for a long. hard
struggle Il have wondered many times since
what became of hlm-whether he pulled
through died the battlefield. have
never 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 enlsting officers. Finally
he found who passed him He served
throughout the entire and was the first
enlisted man In the Union army to attain the
grade of a general In the regular army
"I recollect an extremely pathetic incident
that occurred on board the U. S. s. Mononga-
boto m N. 8 N.
the hero of the battleship Maine. sunk In Ha-
vana harbor Just before the outbreak OF the
Spanish American "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 to New Orleans for re-
pairs. On board was brother officer, Lieu
tenant Roderick Prentice. to whom was par
ticularly attached. He spoke to me frequently
OF a premonition OF impending disaster that he
simply could not shake off. In fact, 1t married
his Joyous anticipations of meeting his young
wife. hardly more than bride, at New Or
leans whittier she had fastened from the
North when she learned his vessel to
touch that point. Their devotion was IDEAL
istIc.
They saw each other but there be-
fore the call of duty dragged them apart. I
had been transferred to the Brooklyn at No
bile. After a successful passage Of the forts
my first inquiry for the welfare Of my old
for Prentice. His premonition had come true.
He had been standing in the gangway. which
had been raised somewhat above the level OF
the deck, 1t seems, when shot struck the
hammock netting next to him and the flying
fragments imbedded themselves In his leg,
almost tearing 1t from his body. He died in
few hours.
cat New Orleans picked up little boy
named Isaac Aiken. a tiny fellow. of whom
Prentice especially fond The lad was
simply heart-broken he sat by the berth of
bis 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 nothing compared
to that of the girl-wife She tainted dead
away when told the ghastly news and never
.afterward fully recovered"
:. aAnother incident that remember quite
'yiyfdiy" continued Admiral Sigsbee, hap
peped at the assault on Fort Fisher. The man
iust ahead of me killed and another on
my left A big red-haired man. groaning hor-
rIbly suddenly clutched me-
"Look,' he exclaimed. Lieutenant Bache
is wounded!
why are you groaning?' asked. Are you
hurt?'
Yes he answered slowly and without
even a trace of concern for himself. I think
I'm 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 him, so was told"
Memorial Day to suggests the aag.
said Corp" James Tanner, known to Grand
Army men from coast to coast.
at have listened to many eloquent apos-
trophes TO our national emblem but never to
one that touched more than that which
came from hospital bed In September.