ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS. ANECDOTE OF GENERAL GRANT. THE following was told by an officer of Gen eral Grant's staff: pains all the while to make loud professions of loyalty. The lieutenants ate as much as they could of the not over-sumptuous meal, but which cap-manded what was to pay. "Nothing." And was, nevertheless, good for that country, and dethey went on their way rejoicing. The hero and veteran, who was citizen, tain, colonel, brigadier and major-general within a space of nine months, though a rigid disciplinarian, and a perfect Ironsides in the discharge of his official duties, could enjoy a good joke, and is always ready to perpetrate one when an oppor tunity presents. Indeed, among his acquaintances, he is as much renowned for his eccentric humor as he is for his skill and bravery as a com mander. In the mean time General Grant, who had halted his army a few miles further back for a rather favorably impressed with, the appearance brief resting-spell, came in sight of, and was of this same house. Riding up to the fence in front of the door, he desired to know if they would cook him a meal. "No," said a female in a gruff voice; "General Grant and his staff have just been here and eaten everything in the house except one pumpkin pie." "Humph," murmured Grant; "what is your name?" That evening, after the camping-ground had been selected, the various regiments were notified that there would be a grand parade at halfOfficers would see that their past six, for orders. men all turned out, etc. In five minutes the camp was in a perfect uproar, and filled with all sorts of rumors; some thought the enemy were upon them, it being so unusual to have parades when on a march. When Grant was a brigadier in South-east Missouri, he commanded an expedition against the rebels under Jeff. Thompson, in North-east Arkansas. The distance from the starting-point of the expedition to the supposed rendezvous of the rebels was about one hundred and ten miles, and the greater portion of the route lay through "Selvidge," replied the woman. a howling wilderness. The imaginary suffering Casting a half-dollar in at the door, he asked that our soldiers endured during the two first if she would keep that pie till he sent an officer days of their march was enormous. It was im- for it, to which she replied that she would. possible to steal or "confiscate" uncultivated real estate, and not a hog, or a chicken, or an ear of corn was anywhere to be seen. On the third day, however, affairs looked more hopeful, for a few small specks of ground, in a state of partial cultivation, were here and there visible. On that day, Lieutenant Wickfield, of an Indiana cavalry regiment, commanded the advance-guard, consisting of eight mounted men. About noon he came up to a small farm-house, from the outward appearance of which he judged that there might be something fit to eat inside. He halted his company, dismounted, and with two second lieutenants entered the dwelling. He knew that Grant's incipient fame had already gone out ing order: through all that country, and it occurred to him that by representing himself to be the general he might obtain the best the house afforded. So, assuming a very imperative demeanor, he ac-alry, having on this day eaten everything in Mrs. costed the inmates of the house, and told them Selvidge's house, at the crossing of the Ironton he must have something for himself and staff and Pocahontas and Black River and Cape Girarto eat. They desired to know who he was, and deau roads, except one pumpkin pie, Lieutenhe told them that he was Brigadier-General ant Wickfield is hereby ordered to return with Grant. At the sound of that name they flew an escort of one hundred cavalry and eat that around with alarming alacrity, and served up pie also. U. S. GRANT, about all they had in the house, taking great Brigadier-General Commanding At half-past six the parade was formed, ten columns deep, and nearly a quarter of a mile in length. After the usual routine of ceremonies the Acting Assistant Adjutant-General read the follow HEAD-QUARTERS, ARMY IN THE FIELD. Indiana cav 6 LITTLE EDDIE THE DRUMMER-BOY. A REMINISCENCE OF WILSON'S CREEK. name?" "Edward Lee," she replied; then placing her hand upon the captain's arm, she her maternal feelings overcame her utterance, continued, "Captain, if he is not killed"-here and she bent down over her boy and kissed him upon the forehead. As she arose, she observed: won't you?" Captain, you will bring him back with you, bring him back with us. A FEW days before our regiment received orders to join General Lyon, on his march to Wilson's Creek, the drummer of our company was taken sick and conveyed to the hospital, and on the evening preceding the day that we were to march, a negro was arrested within the lines of the camp, and brought before our captain, who asked him "what business he had within the lines?" He replied: "I know a drummer that you would like to enlist in your company, and I First out of camp, our drum and fife playing In an hour after, our company led the Iowa have come to tell you of it." He was immediate-"The girl I left behind me." Eddie, as we call ly requested to inform the drummer that if he ed him, soon became a great favorite with all the would enlist for our short term of service, he men in the company. When any of the boys had would be allowed extra pay, and to do this, he returned from a horticultural excursion, Eddie's must be on the ground early in the morning. share of the peaches and melons was the first apThe negro was then passed beyond the guard. march from Rolla to Springfield, it was often portioned out. During our heavy and fatiguing amusing to see our long-legged fifer wading through the mud with our little drummer mounted upon his back, and always in that position when fording streams. On the following morning there appeared before the captain's quarters during the beating of the réveille, a good-looking, middle-aged woman, dressed in deep mourning, leading by the hand a sharp, sprightly-looking boy, apparently about twelve or thirteen years of age. Her story was soon told. She was from East Tennessee, where her husband had been killed by the rebels, and all their property destroyed. She had come to St. Louis in search of her sister, but not finding her, and being destitute of money, she thought if she could procure a situation for her boy as a drummer for the short time that we had to remain in the service, she could find employment for herself, and perhaps find her sister by the time we were discharged. tioned with a part of our company on the right of During the fight at Wilson's Creek I was staTotten's battery, while the balance of our company, with a part of the Illinois regiment, was ordered down into a deep ravine upon our left, in which it was known a portion of the enemy was concealed, with whom they were soon engaged. The contest in the ravine continuing some time, Totten suddenly wheeled his battery upon the enemy in that quarter, when they soon During the rehearsal of her story the little fel- In less than twenty minutes after, Totten had retreated to the high ground behind their lines. low kept his eyes intently fixed upon the counte-driven the enemy from the ravine, the word passnance of the captain, who was about to express ed from man to man throughout the army, "Lyon a determination not to take so small a boy, when is killed!" and soon after, hostilities having ceased he spoke out: "Don't be afraid, captain, I can upon both sides, the order came for our main drum." This was spoken with so much confidence, force to fall back upon Springfield, while a part of that the captain immediately observed, with a smile: "Well, well, sergeant, bring the drum, and order our fifer to come forward." In a few moments the drum was produced, and our fifer, a tall, round-shouldered, good-natured fellow, from the Dubuque mines, who stood, when erect, something over six feet in height, soon made his appearance. the Iowa First and two companies of the Missouri regiment were to camp upon the ground and cover the retreat next morning. That night I was detailed for guard duty, my turn of guard closing with the morning call. When I went out with the officer as a relief, I found that my post was upon a high eminence that overlooked Upon being introduced to his new comrade, he the enemy, until Totten's battery came to their the deep ravine in which our men had engaged stooped down, with his hands resting upon his assistance. It was a dreary, lonesome beat. The knees, that were thrown forward into an acute moon had gone down in the early part of the angle, and after peering into the little fellow's night, while the stars twinkled dimly through a face a moment, he observed: "My little man, hazy atmosphere, lighting up imperfectly the can you drum ?” drummed for Captain Hill in Tennessee." Our my ear near the ground and listen for the sound "Yes, sir," he replied, "I surrounding objects. Occasionally I would place fifer immediately commenced straightening him- of footsteps, but all was silent save the far-off self upward until all the angles in his person had howling of the wolf, that seemed to scent upon disappeared, when he placed his fife at his mouth, the evening air the banquet that we had been and played the "Flowers of Edinborough," one preparing for him. The hours passed slowly of the most difficult things to follow with the drum away, when at length the morning light began that could have been selected, and nobly did the to streak along the eastern sky, making surroundlittle fellow follow him, showing himself to be a ing objects more plainly visible. Presently I master of the drum. When the music ceased, heard a drum beat up the morning call. At first our captain turned to the mother and observed: I thought it came from the camp of the enemy "Madam, I will take your boy. What is his across the creek; but as I listened, I found that it came up from the deep ravine; for a few min- ton to cross his battery "as soon as possible." utes it was silent, and then as it became more The captain asked, "Where are the boats?" light I heard it again. I listened-the sound Colonel Weer determined to beat Gens. Schofield of the drum was familiar to me and I knew and Herron, who marched upon two other roads, that it was Our drummer-boy from Tennessee A BRAVE WOMAN. - Captain Boight of Com pany H, Twenty-Third Kentucky Regiment, related the following anecdote of the war. replied: "Make them, sir, the quickest way possible!" Captain Stockton took two wagon beds of his mule wagons, and covered them with tarpaulins, and making a cable out of prolongs, was crossing his battery within two hours! The I was about to desert my post to go to his as- next morning the rope across the stream broke, sistance, when I discovered the officer of the and all attempts to get across by swimming guard approaching with two men. We all listen- horses and tying it to mules' tails, failed, when ed to the sound, and were satisfied that it was Stockton drove a plug into a shell and fired it Eddie's drum. I asked permission to go to his across! His lieutenant on the opposite shore, assistance. The officer hesitated, saying that the ran and picked it up, and all things went on orders were to march in twenty minutes. I swimmingly again. A trip with this boat was promised to be back in that time, and he consent-made and loaded in ten minutes! The boat was ed. I immediately started down the hill through in constant use four days, and not a single accithe thick undergrowth, and upon reaching the dent happened. valley I followed the sound of the drum, and soon found him seated upon the ground, his back leaning against the trunk of a fallen tree, while his drum hung upon a bush in front of him, reaching nearly to the ground. As soon as he discovered me he dropped his drumsticks and exclaimed, During the retreat of the army of Kirby Smith "O Corporal! I am so glad to see you. Give me from Cumberland Gap, the regiment to which he a drink," reaching out his hand for my canteen, belonged was in the van of the Federal army. which was empty. I immediately turned to bring One morning, when the regiment was about him some water from the brook that I could hear twenty-six miles east of the Wild Cat Mounrippling through the bushes near by, when, think- tains, they were surprised to see a file of ten ing that I was about to leave him, he commenced men, all of them secesh, marching toward their crying, saying: "Don't leave me, Corporal-I lines, and a woman marching in their rear with can't walk." I was soon back with the water, a musket in her hands; on their coming within when I discovered that both of his feet had been the Federal lines she coolly gave them up to the shot away by a cannon-ball. After satisfying his officer commanding as prisoners. In accounting thirst, he looked up into my face and said: "You for their capture, she said that her husband had don't think I will die, Corporal, do you? This joined a military company in the Federal serman said I would not he said the surgeon could vice, and had left her alone to take care of the cure my feet." I now discovered a man lying in the grass near him. By his dress I recognized him as belonging to the enemy. It appeared that he had been shot through the bowels, and fallen near where Eddie lay. Knowing that he could not live, and seeing the condition of the boy, he had crawled to him, taken off his buckskin suspenders, and corded the little fellow's legs below the knee, and then laid down and died. While he was telling me these particulars, I heard the tramp of cavalry coming down the ravine, and in a moment a scout of the enemy was upon us, and I was taken prisoner. I requested the officer to take Eddie up in front of him, and he did so, carrying him with great tenderness and care. When we reached the camp of the enemy the little fellow was dead. house, which lay between the two armies. Eleven They next perpetrated other atrocities of a destructive and objectionable character, which had the effect of making the lady of the house "furiously wild," as the captain expressed it, and she determined that such outrageous conduct should not go unpunished. She accordingly carried away their muskets to a place of safety, reserving two for her own use, and then going to the room in which they were regaling themselves on her defunct chickens, she informed them that they were her prisoners. One of them jumped up to HOW TO CROSS A RIVER. -Colonel Weer, at seize her, when she levelled her gun at him and the head of his division, arrived at White River, fired, causing him to bite the dust, which lay Arkansas, at night and found the stream impassa- thickly strewed on the carpetless floor. Throwble. The recent snow had gone off with a rain, ing away the now useless gun, she took the other raising the water very fast, and the whole army in her hand and ordered the remaining ten to was hurrying by forced marches to cross the march toward the Union camp threatening to river before it rose, as it was so low as to be shoot the first who attempted to run away. fordable; but, with all his haste, his forces were Having a wholesome fear of sharing a similar fate too slow. Colonel Weer ordered Captain Stock-to that of their companion, they went quietly along, and were accordingly handed over to the military authorities. On being laughed at for being taken prisoner by a woman, they said they had been wanting to get captured for some time past, and were heartily glad that they were prisoners at last. They were entirely sick of the war, they said, and did not care how, so that they got out of it. UNDER THE WASHINGTON ELM. CAMBRIDGE, APRIL 27, 1861. BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. EIGHTY years have passed, and more, Our fathers gathered in arms, and swore Half of their work was done, Cambridge and Concord and Lexington! What shall be told of you? Hark! 'tis the south wind moans- Ah, the marrow was true in your children's bones, What if the storm-clouds blow? Then, when the battle is won, Our children shall tell of the strife begun Was bright on our brave old tree! and Burnside. "Eph" thinks a greater General than any of these had something to do with it, and remarked that "it was undoubtedly on account of the same One to whom Victor Hugo ascribes Napoleon's failure to win the battle of Waterloo." One thing is certain, the artillery and "pontoon" could move no more at present. The "meeting" was postponed, and after lying out in the mud and rain for three days and nights, the troops that had moved up the river came back, probably believing that it was "all for the best," but on account of the mud that obstructed their vision they failed to "see it." As we were to have crossed the river nearly opposite our camp, we did not leave our quarters, and had a good opportunity to witness the return of the muddy, straggling mass. The scene was anything but a pleasant one, yet there were many ludicrous incidents connected with it. 66 Eph" and three or four of the "boys" were standing near our mansion, looking at the floating mass of men, horses, mules, artillery, and wagons, when we observed a conglomeration of blue cloth and mud approaching. As it had on a gun, knapsack, haversack and canteen, we concluded it was a "straggler," and "Eph" hailed him with -- "Hallo! Earthen-ware! what regiment do you belong to?" The figure never paused, but the earth; visible under the visor of a cap, moved, displaying a cavern from which issued the words: "Don't speak to me! I'm a spared monument! I've marched in mud, swam mud, drank mud, and slept in mud for three days and nights. My colonel and regiment were all drowned in mud. I'm the only man left, and I'm demoralized as "Eph" extracted the leather pontoons he wears from the rich soil in which he was standing, retreated "without loss" to the "sitting room," threw himself into the "easy" chair before the "coal grate," elevated his pontoons to the "mantel-piece," and remained in this position FUN ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK: A soldier evidently meditating until we came in. After of the Eighth Ohio regiment, writing from Fal- we had requested him to remove his muddy mouth, makes the following notes on the move-" pontoons" from the "furniture," he said :— ments in that vicinity: "That's the first demoralized monument, I ever 66 his story." At this juncture some one called him out to look at the new balloon which was going up from near General Sumner's headquarters. On his return we asked him " what he supposed the professor saw that attracted him to such a dizzy height so often?" "Well," said "Eph," (at the same time setting one of his soiled "pontoons" down on our boots just polished for "inspection,") "I guess it ain't what he sees while he's up there so much as it is the five thousand dollars he sees every time he comes down." Everything seemed to be progressing finely saw. He was probably a brother of the Fire until Tuesday night, when the "heavens opened Zouave we saw over in Fredericksburg the and the flood descended." "Eph" suggested other day, and I am inclined to believe most of that the flood gates must be entirely off their hinges, as his sleeping apartment suddenly became a bath house, and his bunk a bathing tub. Indeed our "brown stone front" came near being dissolved, and the "aristocratic" inmates drowned. The storm continued with very little cessation until Friday morning, and as every hour made the "soil" more soft than "sacred," the roads soon became blocked with an indescribable mass of artillery wagons, and "pontoons," hopelessly stuck in the mud. It was very evident that this "delay of the pontoons" was not attributable to a lack of energy on the part of Q. M. General Meigs, nor yet on account of a misunderstanding between Messrs. Generals Halleck To-day we rode down to the river to look at the enemy's fortifications, see their cannon and ask their pickets the price of cotton. At Falmouth we visited the ruins of an old bridge, on |