Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-03-14

Campo ssAX
FIRE MA
WOMEN AT ARMY ROLL CALL
Mrs. John n. Mckay Tells How She
Answered for Her Sick Husband
at Camp Randall, Wis.

For six months in the year 1868
Mrs. John H. Mckay, who now lives
at 6S16 Wentworth avenue, answered
at the daily roll call of Camp Ran
dali, Madison, Wis, in company with
the soldiers Of the camp. She did
this in order that her husband, who
died nine years ago, might not become
technically a deserter from h army.
w were living in LeClaire, Iowa,
in 1854" said Mrs. Mckay. My hus'
band had tried to enlist in Wisconsin
and Iowa, but he could not meet the
physical requirements. In October OF
1864 he succeeded in entering tho
Ninth Illinois regiment. He went to
Rock Island to enlist and then came
back to LeClaire. The next day he
went to be sworn in and expected to
return to say goodbye to me. I wait
ed on the river bank for him that eve
ming, and the man who had gone with
him came bach alone, and said that
my husband had already beer sent to
Quincy on the way to Springfield.
He went south into Tennessee. l
have all the letters hat he wrote to
me then. Not one Of them was lost,
and every one of my letters reached
him. I had gone back to Madison
with my two children and was living
with my parents. I used to send him
80 cents and two or three postage
stamps in every letter, and 1 think
that the money kept him alive.
Il Intended to go to Tennessee Al
an army nurse with the wife of the
governor of Wisconsin, but the COVER.
nor was drowned at st. Louis and I
had to rtake care of his wife. / be-
came a nurse at Madison and saved
all the money 1 could. There were
many southern sympathizers in Madi-
son-copperheads, they were called
and I was sometimes ordered out Of
sick rooms when the patients found out
that my husband was in the northern
army.
MY husband was sick and he was
at last sent to the hospital at Jeffer-
sonville, Ind. The matron there wrote
me a letter saying that she hoped I
would raise my children so that they
would meet their father in heaven, be-
cause he would be there by the time
l got her letter. remember at about
that time seeing my father coming
from the postoflce with tears in his
eyes and I called out to aim: oh, is
John dead? and he said: No, he's a
little better, but Abraham Lincoln il
killed That was in the middle If
April.
Il was going to go to J~effersonville,
but my brother-in-law offered to go in
stead. and l gave him money to bring
back my husband or his body. My
brother-in-law went there and at first
he could not get into the hospital.
He inquired about his brother and
twice he was told that my husband
was in the deadhouse. but, as 1t turn
ed out, it was another man OF exactly
the same name. My husband was still
living, but the doctor said it would
not be for long. His brother nursed
him for four weeks and then brought
him to Madison. On the way they
stopped in Chicago and my husband
managed to get a big meal of sausage
and pancakes while his brother was
not looking.
I'm Madison I took my husband
home. He was assigned to Camp
Sdhodi ~ IhO oAlSClS at IHc CdLup
said l could take him to the house II
l would report at the camp every day,
80 that he would not be a deserted.
So every morning before breakfast l
went down to the camp and in
through the gate, where no other
women were allowed to pass, and /
answered for him at roll call. My
father or my sister or my brotherin-
law often went with me-, but they
were not allowed to enter the camp.
Because he was allowed to stay at
home my husband was saved to live
almost forty years"