The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-06-27
A Battlefield
Baby
By ARTHUR W. BREWSTER


Missionary Ridge. A young man ac-
companied our party who told US that
as a baby he had been in a battle.
When he had grown old enough to be
told anything about himself his sup
posed father informed him that he (the
father had been a Unit4 soldier in the
battle Of Missionary Ridge and during
the fight, hearing cry in some bushes,
had gone there and found baby. He
took the little chap out of the fight,
and when ordered to march on the
baby was adopted by the company and
carried along. The finder afterward
took him home and brought him up.
He was now on his way to visit the
battlefield with view to learning
something Of his parentage.
/ remained for some time at Chat
tanooga, and the young man, Runyan,
who was looking for his ancestors re-
manned with me. was engaged In
certain work on the battlefield of
Chickamauga, and Runyan was engag-
ed in his own search. There was an
old negro in the hotel at which we
stayed who did odd jobs, and I paid
him to do things for me. He was a
lugubrious old fellow, and l never but
once saw a smile on his face.
One day asked him why he was so
melancholy.
"Dat are a story by its own SELF"
was his reply, with a solemn shake of
the head.
"Well, uncle" l said to him, you
might as we'll tell me, for I'm SO Gu
rious to know that won't let you
alone till you do"
He hemmed and hawed awhile and
finally told the story:
IT wor horned on plantation on de
redge, and my mars wor one oh de
best young men in de souf. wor glib
en- to him by his fadder when he wor
married. Dat wor not long befo' de
wah broke out. My young mars he
had little plantation OBJ he own, and
he wuk it with no mo- n dozen mig
gahs. wor house servant and, hav-
in belonged to de family TO- so long.
had charge of eberyfng.
"Den de wah come on, and mars he
60 jine de Confederate army. When he
went away he say to me, Joe, rs
gwine to Leah my wife and my chile
what isn't bawn yet in yo' car''-his
voice trembled when he spoke OBJ de
chile-'and l spect yo' to glib up yo'
own life befo' yo' let any trouble hap
pen 'em.'
II toll him dat it don't make no diff
ference wedder it no'the'n or southern
pusson, l kill him If he touch ha'r Of
missiles head
"While he wor away fightin' wo'd
come to missile dat he got token sick.
By dat time de baby wor bon and
about a yea old. Missile say to me
one day, says she: Joe, my husban'
am berry sick, and l got to 60 to him.
Do yo' tink yo' kin take car OBJ de
baby till l come back?' l say, L sho'
I kim So missile told me all about de
baby's food and what to do when dis
happen and dat happen till l don't
know wedder wor on my head or my
heels. Den she went away.
"Missie hadn't been gone berry long
befo' dere wor fightin' at Chickamaugy
creek, and l wheeled de baby out to
de brow OBJ de redge where l could see
de battle goin' on. De no'the'n folks
wor driben purity nigh into dis place
and after dat de fghtin' stopped fo'
long time. Mr. Bragg's army VOL
down below de redge, and then he come
up on top OBJ de redge. Meantime mis-
sic come back, and when de south'n
army wor camped on de redge mars
he got token sick some mo-, and she
went away ag'in, leabin me In charge
OBJ de baby.
Zone day | wor wheelin' de baby
along de brow OBJ de redge. and l see
de no'the'n folks down below all
marchin' up and down g If dey wor
paradin'. Fus' ting knowed a lot OBJ
dem sojers JUS started to climb de hill
De men on top wor shootin' down al
'em, and dey wor de debble to pay.
wheeled de baby back towa'd de house
as fas' as l kin, but l meet some
southern sojers, and one OBJ de ossifers
say to me:
"rHeah, yo' niggah, yo' put shout
der to de wheel OBJ de gum
II didn't dare disobey. put my
shoulder to de gun, and we took it to
de brow OBJ de redge. De Yankees
come right up and took de gun, and
wor in de middle OBJ de fight tried to
git back to de baby, and when l got
dar whar I lef' him In de bushes he
wor gone"
Runyan while the story was being
told was sitting by table reading q
newspaper, though he was really lis.
tening to the darby. At this point he
Jumped up and shouted:
"What was the name of your mas.
Ier?'
MARS Goodridge"
"Then GoodNdge must be my real
name. was the baby you were wheel
ing about on Missionary ridge. What
became Of my fatherY
"You dat baby! Dat can't be 30
mars. He want mon foot and a
half high"
Runyan. who had taken the name