The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-02-27
Morfha Harper, 1O3 Years
Old Writes or Skirmish in
Which 4. II. Aver Parti-
cspated and Which She
Witnessed Back .n.l664

n. kAytT, d., VI lulS WY Auo -
] letter from Mrs. Martha A. Harper
I of Trevilian, Virginia, telling about
an engagement which she witnessed
during the civil war, and in which
Mr.. aver took part. The recital OF
the battle is all the more interesting
because Mrs. Harper is 103 years old.
! Mr.. Aver says OF the incident:
Mrs Martha A. Harper. Trevilian,
Louisa county, Virginia. is said to
be 1OS years old. She was present
at the battle Of Trevilian Station and
assisted in caring for the wounded
of both armies Her account of the
battle has been extremely interesting
to me and may interest some of the
j other men OF the old armies still
living
General Grant, In his report to
congress, OF his part in the conduct
OF the war. made at the closa, speaks
of this battle simply saying that
General Sheridan was sent out TO
Join General Hunter at Lynchburg
and came up with the enemy at Ire
william Station and after two days
was obliged to return Just what 1t
meant to one Of Sherfdan's soldiers
to have General Grant say that Cen
eral Sheridan had been obliged to
give up the thing. any of them can
imagine.
"One Of my mess-mates was killed
in the afternoon Of the second day
fighting and our regimental surgeon
was left in charge Of the wounded
men Of both sides"
The following description OF the
battle il taken from Mrs. Harper's
letter to Mr., Aver:
| Learn Of Soldiers Presence.
Early on the morning of June IL.
1864, which fell on Saturday, my hus-
band started small boy that we
had living with us to the mill with
| q sack of corn to have ground into
mesl. In a short while the boy re-
turned and stated that he was met
ON the road and stopped by a stran-
ger who ordered him to dismount'
and who took his horse and threw his
sack Of corn on the ground. He said
that the stranger was dressed in a
blue uniform with brass buttons
That was the first real fact of the
battle we had cleaned. As we then
/ knew that Sheridan's cavalry was
Iupon US and that q battle would en-
sue. lust q few moments after the
/ boy returned the battle commenced.
| Our house was the nearest one to
the scene Of the battle, being less
than three miles away and when the
cannonading commenced It was
fierce. We had to put up the feather
beds around against the walls OF the
different rooms to keep out the bull
let's, and the noise was terrific and
! BY that time the yard and all about
the house was crowded with, soldiers
(northerners) and we were all scared
to death. All Of my brothers we're
fighting on the confederate side and
Of course, we (my sisters and ,mysciD
were all worried about them As We
! felt sure they would all get led
! SO I went to the nearest neighbors
and there I found several OF the
! reighborhood ladies gathered and We
determined to 90 closer to the scene
OF action to try to determine which
was winning. When we got closer
we could see everything very dis
tinctly. 1t was horrible. the dead and
wounded, the groans OF the suffer
| Ing. can never forget the boom
and roar OF the guns. As we could
not set close enough to recognize