Year: 1864

of relief now that the trial was over.


George Preston, the Jduge's only son,
had gone as captain of a company /; and
the family watched anxiously for the news
that was to bear to them the intelligence
4 of the movement Of the -th regiment. By
and by intelligence came. The regiment
was at Poolesville. The regiment was at
Balls Bluff. The regiment had been under
4 fire nearly all of that terrible day and a
fearful havoc had been made in the ranks
/ Where was George? Oh, how anxious
was Nellie Preston now. More than ever
before did she know that she loved her
brother.


Hal Good news. George is safe. The
Judge came home with his evening paper,
and handed it to Nellie, pointing with his
finger to the paragraph she was to read
She read as follows: S. r94saall
n" Captain Preston, after being exposed
to merciless fire for four hours in sue
cession, was one of the last to swim the
river. He had made his way down the
bluff, and was assisting some of his wound
ed comrades, when the enemy came pouring
down upon him. He was surrounded and
would have been slain, but for the. heroic
bravery and devotion of a sergeant of mis-
company. The sergeant, whose name was
Walter Evermond, seeing the captain in
danger, sprang to his side, and with his
revolver shot down three men who were
Epressing upon him. When they gained the
water, Captain Preston had received a
wound in his shoulder, which rendered it
impossible for him to swim /; but Evermond
did not forsake him. The noble fellow
clung to his captain like brother, and sue
ceeded in getting him safely over the river.
We are happy to state that Captain Pres
) toms wound is not serious"


"Oh, heaven bless that noble sergeant ~
calculated Nellie, as she finished reading
the account.


And her father joined her, with his


whole soul. a-


Later in the evening, curious thought


worked its way into Nellie Preston's mind.
; She wished the man who had saved her
brothers life so bravely, had been only a
corporal! And then she wondered where
that fair-faced, brisht-eyed soldier was
whom she had kissed in the depot. She
wished she knew his name. It would be
satisfaction to know how he Jared. She
hoped he was safe.


Ere long a letter came from George,
in which he gave thrilling account of the
battle. He spoke of Sergeant Walter
Evermond as he would have spoken of a
brother. "He saved my life at the risk
of his own," he wrote sand but for him
you would have no son living to write
this; and Nellie would have no brother"
There was q postscript to the letter as
follows: f9


"P. S.-Walter Evermond has just re-
ceived a commission as second lieutenant" ;"


The winter wore away, and George, in
his letters to his sister, frequently spoke
of Walter Evermond as of a very dear
friend. At length came letter with the
following passage ''My dear father and
sister, give me joy. I am major, and my
commission dates from the day of Balls
Bluff. My dear friend Evermond is cap
tain of my old company; and better
soldier does not live and l know there
cannot be truer friend"


Once more the Judge and his daughter
were anxious. The -th regiment was
before Yorktown. Then came the bloody
field of Williamsburg but George was
not called into the battle. At length, how
ever, came tidings of another bloody fray,
in which our regiment was engaged. FAIR
OAKS The list of killed and wounded
Jagged but the letter from George was
received. He was alive, but badly
wounded.


sour colonel was stricken down." he


wrote early in the engagement, 81 had been
! dSliiiS co iCdtOLoho SOiOhSl iOl SOIIlc tllu0,
and the command devolved upon me.
was following the lead of the gallant How
| ard, when bullet passed through my
thigh. Captain Evermond was on the
) right of the regiment, and / had just time
| to pass the command to him, when the


clash Of the final charge came was faint
and dizzy but saw him dash on at the
! head of our noble regiment, ,Eand the shout
r of victory struck my ear as l was borne
5 from the field. Late at night Captain
Evermond was borne into our quarters.
severely wounded, by saber wound on the
, shoulder He had hand to hand conflict


with the enemy over battery and he
took it and held it."


] Three weeks afterwards, another letter
E came


"Dear Nellie, I am coming home.
} have furlough for forty days. Captain