The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-03-13
found ON THE:
BAT TLEF|ELD
Why a Soldier Didn't Like to
Talk About His Deed
BY F.. A. MITCHELL.

q
was born at the time of the war
between the states, but what, year I
have never known till recently. My
earliest remembrance >is being in a
founding institution in Harrisburg,
Pa. How I came to be there I could
never find out, for it was, judging from
my age, toward the close Of the war
and when everybody and everything
was in a. state of commotion. left
the asylum when I must have been
about sixteen years old. At any rate,
the inmates were not kept there after
sixteen, and since there was a. record
on the books in 1868 of "a female
baby apparently about a year old
that was called Betty or Hetty or
something like that-the first letter
was blurred-and I was called Betty
it was assumed that the record per-
tanned to me.
At leaving, being old enough to un-
derstand the Importance Of learning
as much as possible about my anteced-
ents, made every inquiry concerning
them, but all could learn was the
above. The clothes in which was
brought to the institution had been
preserved, but the only thing on them
for identification was the letters III.
CO. which were carefully embroid-
cred.
On leaving the asylum I went to
serve as nursemaid with a lady in
were refined persons and on hearing
my story took an interest in. me, ex-
pressing themselves ready to help me
to find my parents.
One day Mr.. Sawyer, husband of the
lady by whom was employed, return
ed after an absence.
He told me that he had been in Har-
risburgh and while there, being inter-
ested in my case, had gone to the asy-
lum where I had been brought up to
make inquiries concerning me. Being
a man of AFFAIRS he was more success
full than I had been. He had got from
the records the names of persons who
were connected with the asylum when
I was sent there and had advertised
for several of them. An elderly wo-
man living in the country not far from
Harrisburgh answered the advertis-
ment. Mr.. Sawyer learned from her
that she was at the asylum from 1862
to 1864; that during that time girl
baby was brought in by a union SOL
dier. That was all she could remem-
Der, for she had left the institution
soon after the child was received.
I think Mr.. Sawyer took more inter-
est in the matter than I. Perhaps it
was a detective instinct in him that
led him to busy himself about it. At
any rate, his curiosity was aroused,
and he kept thinking about it much
Of the time. .~.Y>,.. 49, =.
You're a war baby, Set, he would
say to me. II have AN Idea that you
got lost somehow during the war.
Maybe your father was a soldier and
got killed and a comrade took his little
girl and not being in a. position to
care for her left her at the asylum.
This theory is supported by the fact
that about the time you were taken
there General Lee invaded Pennsyl-
vanai, and every citizen who could
carry a gun turned out to oppose him.
We will establish your identity and
don't you forget it,
When the war ended, everybody,
both north and south, had had enough
Of it. About fifteen years after it's
| close those who were interested in it
began to talk about it and write about
it and discuss who should have the
credit of this and who was to blame
for that, and all the prominent Union
and Confederate officers who were
living found an opportunity to explain
| their records. AS to those who had
died in the struggle, they had nothing
to say and were lucky If they didn't
have to bear the brunt of plumbers
committed by those who had lived to
tell their stories. -:
It was about this time, I believe,
that people began to take an interest
in the battlefelds which now are made
national parks. When I was nineteen
years old there was gathering of vet
Grams on the field of Gettsburgh, and
Mr.. Sawyer proposed to his wife thai
! 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
er 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 a desire
to go about with his father and moth.
er, had an opportunity to go too. The
veterans we saw moving about in
groups locating different scenes Of
those exciting days of 1868 were mo-
the old men they are today. Many o.
them had fought as mere boys ane
they were fine looking middle age6
men.
One Union veteran-he was between
thirty-f1ve and forty years old
friend Of Mr.. Sawyer, took charge o.
our Dartv and showed IFS over. the field