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WAR REMINISCENCES.FAITHFUL SERVANT.Sat Evoni llrrttli lirlemed Him From lh« Pntjr lmpn«lt;*d.“You ran talk nil you want to about faithfulness and steadfastness to duty,” said nn old army captain to a number of listeners, '’but when it comes to be-in? true to a trust, the colored race takes the blue ribbon every time. During the war.” he continued, “a slave came to my headquarters and begged me to let him stay and make himself generally useful and act as my private twxly guard. Well, I didn't need the fellow, hut I sort of took pity on him and let him remain, and 1 was always very glad I did. for he would do any tiling I told him to, no matter how much of nn effort it cost him.He was pretty handy as a forager and never seemed to have much trouble in locating a hen roost. We always had chicken to eat if there was any in the country. I remember one time 1 told him to go out and bring in some poultry. He said 'All right, mass;*!’ and started off. Morning came and he failed to return. A week had passed and I saw nothing more of him. I felt sure he had grown tired of camp life or had been captured or killed, lhit mn* morning he came into camp with two large roosters. He looked raff get! and worn, and as ho threw domi bis burden he said: 'Thar, massn. is yere blame olechickens. Them robs g*’t 'tween me nn* do lines an* made me trabbiu ’bout fonh hunVd mile to git yore.*“At another time I had stored some valuables in my tent, ami on starting out ivith a skirmishing party I told my colored man not to allow anyone to enter the tent. We had no inoro than got away when the enemy rode into earnp and took everything except my tent, which my Negro defended against the whole army, and all because I had told him ho should keep every one out.1 have thought since that if I had only told him to go out and put down the rebellion he would have done so. I had become very much attached to him, when one time he went with me on a secret roeonnoitering trip. My horse had been sled from under me and I was riding a mule. We reached a thick clump of bushes when 1 dismounted and told him to hold my mule till 1 returned, and started away on foot. I had gone some distance through the woods when 1 saw several eonfo lerates between me an i where I had left my mule* My safety demanded that 1 hurry still further on to another thick growth of timber. The enemy seemed to be lollov. lng me, and I kept going forward until finally I reached camp b.t'it before the opening of a severe ° j buttle. We wore forced to fall hick,| and during tin* night started ol a long j march. I had but little doubt that my Negro and mule had fallen into the enemy's hands. 1 never saw either of them again during the war, and after it was over 1 on me north.“Twenty-live years later I took a trip j j outh and visited the old battlegrounds. Is • 1 found the same dvn-e eluL*r of brush **' i and trees, where in the midst of which 1‘ I had ieft my Negro with instructions to hold my imitb. until I returned. And, although it was no more than I had a right to expect of him. I will confess I \xus somewhat surprised to.find standing there the skeleton of that Negro, its bony lingers clutching the strap to which was attached the skeleton of a mule, dust the instant I said. “There, Jefferson, you needn't hold the mule any longer,” both the skeletons fell in a heap and I threw a few leaves and some dirt over the bones, and, turning away with tears in tnv eyes, 1 said: ‘How seldom do we see such fidelity to duty.’ Hut, notwithstanding that Negro’s good qualities, he had his fault. He would lie. Do the best I could with him he still seemed to have but little regard for the truth, lint I’ve often thought if he could have associated with me till the end of the war it might have made a different man out of him.” —Chicago News.
Newspaper Details
Mount Vernon Daily Democrat
Mount Vernon, Indiana, US
Thu, Feb 02, 1893
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 08 Nov 2024
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