The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1916-03-31
By NJ. QUAD

moSC Iuil COmpduy again as we Curn-
ed out-on the meadows of Arlington
for the last roll call. Upward of sew
enty living men could have answered
here" to their names.
Fall in. company G.. Attention to
roll callr'
called the roll after Fredericksburg,
after Charlottesville, after Gettys-
burg. 1t was a new man-one who had
been promoted before his cheeks had
scarcely been burned by the southern
sun. But he had heard of the ties
which bound the old veterans together
he realized what this last roll call
meant to the survivors. And from the
musty archives Of the past he took the
roll of the dead and called:
"Anson, Armstrong, Armitagey' No
one replied.
Berry. Bloomingdale, Benson, Bar.
ston, Benham! No one replied.
Cary. Carter, Carnahan. Cummings.
Comstockw No one replied
And SO he called. and so the silence
of the death roll grew deeper.
Young. Yeomans, Yager" No one
replied.
york."
"Here!'
And so he of all was the sole surviv.
or. the last living man of company G.
the only one who had a right to stand
there in that line and answer to the
last roll call. The others-ninety and
nine-were crippled at home or sleep
ing their last sleep on the hillsides, in
the valleys, in the forests and the
thickets Of Virginia
The line cheered him as he stood
apart. the last survivor of glorious
band which had fought in dozen bat
ties. but he turned his head away and
wept.
Perhaps no act of war engendered
more bitterness than the burning of
the barns and houses in the Shenan-
doah valley under Sheridan's official
order
No warning was given unless the
great clouds Of smoke rising up here
and there to signify destruction were
taken as warnings Of what was to
come. A squad of men galloped up.
the women and children were told the
substance Of the order. and the match
was applied. An hour later they SAT-
on the grass houseless and homeless.
some of them naked and dumb in ter
ror. There were tears and prayers
and pleadings. but the order had gone
forth.
By and by. as we rode up to quaint
old farmhouse. half hidden among the
fruit trees. rifle cracked and troop
horse. The black pillars Of smoke dot
ting the valley had told the people
what was coming. Here was one de-
termined to protect his property-one
man 'gainst company after company
riding up and down and across. Ten
minutes later the barn and the stacks
were on FIRE and men under cover were
keeping up hot fire on the rife pit
Just as another squad. attracted by
the firing. came up second man was
hit and grievously wounded.
There was no more firing from the
pit. Some Of the scores Of bullets
fired into it must have found a target.
There was a rush from all sides and
the pit was captured. Fifty men had
captured one. And that one? 1t was
lad not a day over fourteen, and one
Of our carbine bullets had taken his
life. And when we laid him on the
grass and saw that he had come home
wounded from some battle up the val
ley-when the mother came out TO us
from the house and fell on her knees
and walled and sobbed-when an old
white haired grandfather stood in the
door. helpless to come out and look
into our faces. but wailing out as II
the sight Of the dead boy was break.
ing his heart. what could we say?
Nothing. What could we do? Only
ride away and bemoan the cruelties of
war.