The Calumet news., 1914-02-05
The Comforter
A Story OF President Lincoln
Founded on Fact
By F. A. Mitchell

| 10Y VI utlNdlc lllA Sluut' but wa iHf
of fire. ana, hearing that Abraham
Lincoln was coming s0uthward at tn,
head of IN armed force, WAS much
troubled because he was too young "a
shoulder II musket and repel the III
vader. He found il difficult during
those exciting times to attend To his
studies. and had ii not been for the
influence of his mother, whom he dear
ly loved. he could not have been kept
at school ut all.
In those days the passion attending
war ran high on both sides. The
songs. the gibeS, the speeches and what
was written concerning the great
| struggle were very bitter and usually
! far from the truth. In the north il
was Well hang Jeff Davis on Il sour
! apple tree and i'm the south President
! Lincoln was called the baboon" The
northern schoolboy conceived the idea
! that President Davis was an ogre, not
| realizing that he was an educated gen
tleman. had commanded Il regiment of
United States troops I'm the war with
Mexico. had been Il United States sen
atur ana secretary of war. The south
eri schoOlbOy considered President
Lincoln wild man from the western
woods who delighted i'm bloodshcd
Children whose minds are not devel.
opcd must concentrate upon one head
i'm any movement In which they are
interested. SO Alan's thoughts dwelt
upon Mr. Lincoln. embodyiug in him
the whole northern army. which was
To him II terrible horde coming down
To destroy the south.
When Allan was fifteen he begged
his mother to let him go to tight for
the Confederacy. Naturally she clung
10 her son. ana the matter was com
promised between them i'm this wise:
IL the war was not over i'm another
year Allan was 10 enlist with his
mothers consent Many boys Of his
age. both in the north ana I'm the south.
broke away from parental restraint
and enlisted without permission Food
for powder was in demand. and the
recruiting officers often winked at the
fact that the recruits were under age.
But Allan was his mothers only child.
and. being Of an extremely affection
ae disposition, the bond between
them was doubly strong.
SO Allan continued at his studies.
though he read more about the battles
hat were being fought than the sub
icCtS treated Of in his textbooks lie
lived in Richmond ana at one time had
listened 10 the roar of cannon during
the seven days battles that had been
fought between Lee and Mcclellan
Ills admiration for soldiers wore away
some Of his bitterness against the Fed
cral generals. but President Lincoln
WAS still the embodiment of his re-
pugnance for the northern people The
two heads-Duvis Of the Coufederacy
and Lincoln of the Federal Union
throughout the war continued to repre-.
sent the bitter antagOnism felt by
either side
In the early spring Of lSG5 Allan
Fitz Hugh camc to be sixteen years Of
age, and his mother reluctantly con
sentcd to his doing his part 10 ill the
gaps in the southern ranks made 10y
northern missiles When the time
came for him to leave his mother he
was seized with II foreboding that he
would not see her again. 1t is uueS-
tionnble which suffered the more nj the
parting, mother or son.
Allan enlisted in time to take part
in one of the last battles OF the war.
He saw II dark line of blue on the
ntlpa pf h,,,ip1 I
With the Confederate line of battle
he moved toward it. Suddenly a storm
burst in bis face lIc felt himself col
lapse and sank down ON the ground.
His companions in arms went on.
hut were soon driven back and over
him, leaving him there with Il stream
Of blood flowing from his side.
Later he WAS picked up by "A Fed.
eral ambulance corps and placed on a
stretcher. He believed himself to he
dying. ana oh, how terrible not 10 be
able To bid his mother goodby.
Mother he cried "Oh, MOTHER
\ tall. spare man i'm citizens apparel
heard the wall and directed the car.
rierS 10 put down the Stretcher and.
NH''llIS btoIhe u, dSkcu lcnueIlN.
What can do for you, my poor
bOyI"
You are Il Yankee. You will do
nothing for me | wish To send "A
message TO my mother. but it wil.nev-
er reach her"
Give mo your message and | prom
Use you that ! will send it for YOU"
The next morning Mrs. FitZ Hugh
heard Of the battle aud knew that her
son had been in 1t. While she was
wondering what might have been his
fate naG rode up TO her and gave
her message. stating that it had
come 10y nag Of truce.
Starting for the front nj once thn
anxious mother succeeded in bringing
her boy home. He hoverod for some
lime between life and death then be.
gan slowly 10 recover. Not long after
this Richmond was evacuated bv thp
Confederates, and President Lincoln
went down there from Washington
When he was riding through the street
on which the FitZ Hughs lived Allan
was propped mp i'm an easy chair ON
pillows, and his mother pointed out
Mr. Lincoln 10 him
"Oh. mother" exclaimed the boy.