Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-12-02

Mr.. sawyer proposed to his wife that
they make an excursion and visit the
field themselves. Mrs. SAWYER would
not go without taking their son. Tom
my, now four years old. and that in
volved taking me along to have the
care of him while his father and moth
err were visiting the scenes of the diff
ferent fights on the battlefield
So we all went down together on one
OF the anniversaries of the struggle,
and, since Tommy manifested desire
to go about with his father and mother,
l had an opportunity to go too. The
veterans we saw moving about in
groups locating different scenes Of those
| exciting days of 1863 were not the old
men they are today. Many of them
| had fought as mere boys, and they
were fine looking middle aged men.
One Union veteran-he was between
thirty-five and forty years old-a friend
OF MIR. Sawyer. took charge of our par
ty and showed us over the field. telling
us In very interesting manner where
this and that engagement had taken
place, Little Round Top Cemetery
| Ridge and other interesting points,
pointing out where his own regiment
mad fought without claiming that it
had won the fight or, indeed, saying
anything about its or his achievements.
There was something in his appear
ance that attracted me, and this re-
raining from making claims for his
regiment or himself added to my admit
ration for him. / had bemoaned my
humble position, but now it was dou-
bly, hard to bear, for l could not but
think that. though he was courteous to
me as to the others, he must look down
on me as simple nursegirl
| After we had seen the scenes Of hero
ism of others | asked our guide to be
more exact in the matter of his own
participation in the battle Yielding
to my solicitations, he told his story.
which was interesting. though he re-
Trained all through it from claiming
to have done anything very brave.
After driving about the field we STOP
ped at farmhouse not far from it for
dinner. A woman who served us SEEM
ed interested in our chat about what
we had seen and, being asked whether
she had lived there when the battle
took place, said:
Yes. | lived here, and / wish I
hadn't, for there Is a matter connected
with the battlefield that has been re-
| greet to me ever since and always will
be. A lady had come from the city of
Philadelphia to be in the country for
her health. She boarded with my
mother. who lived in house where
part of the fighting took place. We
country people didn't know that there
| was to be Il battle here and were not
| prepared for it. There were lots of
soldiers gathering here, and we were
all much excited over their coming.
This lady from Philadelphia had
baby and had brought nurse with
her to take care of it. The nurse was
/ taken sick and went home. Then the
lady hired me to take care of her child.
! "One morning l wanted to 90 to see
my aunt, who lived across the field
where the soldiers We're to fight, and l
thought 1t good plan to take the baby
with me In her little carriage. So I
| put the bottle in her mouth and start
ed. l was passing along quietly when
! | heard a lot of firing all about me,
and it seemed as if dozen thunder
storms had broken out at once. l was
scared to death"
The woman seemed to live again in
the scene she was describing and trem-
| bled
''Then l did what l have regretted
all the rest of my life. l deserted the
baby, leaving the little thing sucking
at its bottle in its carriage. and ran
away and hid in the first house | came
to. The child was probably killed. fol
| nobody has ever heard of it since
81 can assure you" said our guide.
that it wasn't killed, for our regiment
moved through the trees when you left
it. My captain detailed me to take
charge of it. l never have since liked
to talk about my part in the battle of
| Gettysburg-at least, to mention this
incident-for when l say was wheel
ing a baby carriage everybody laughs"
For lands sakew exclaimed the wo.
| Ildu. w nat ulu YOU uO Will II!
Put it In a barn till the battle was
over, then found 1t safe and sound. but
bawling for more milk. Before the
next days fight came on l had provid-
ed for it temporarily, and. after the
fighting was over and the Confederates
had withdrawn. my captain sent me
off to hunt for its mother. | couldn't
find her. and l was sent to Harrisburg
with 1t. where | chucked it in an or
| phan asylum
81 am that baby I exclaimed, much
| excited and, not realizing what was
doing. threw myself into the arms of
the man that had rescued me.
There was a commotion at this, and
then the rest of the matter came out.
The woman who had been my nurse re-
membered my mothers name-Cheno'
with-and had been baptized Harriet.
| This correspondent with the initials III.