Uncle Daniel's Story Of "Tom" Anderson Part 7

He was very desirous of getting away and having the a.s.sistance of a surgeon, who, however, could do no more for him than was being done.

In the afternoon late, however, there came an ambulance and the Post Surgeon. This seemed to give new life and spirit to all. The Surgeon entered the cabin, and, after pleasantly conversing about the Colonel with us, proceeded to make an examination of his wound. Aunty was determined to be present. She raised the Colonel up, and showed the Surgeon where the wound was, its condition, etc. He said it was healing rapidly, and would be well soon, but that he would be some considerable time gaining sufficient strength to do any service. He said that aunty ought to have a diploma; that she had treated him as skillfully as anyone could have done, and much better than some might have done, Aunty at once replied:

"'I tell you where you gib de "'plomas." You jes' gib dem to de Laud. He is de one what do dis work. I tell you, He keep Ma.s.sa Tom for some good.

I don't know what, but he is got some good work afore he, sho' I tells you, de Laud never show dis pore old n.i.g.g.e.r what to do, des like she be a doctor, less He wanted Ma.s.sa Tom to do something. He know what He wants. He know all t'ings, de Bible say so, an' dats the book you can't 'spute.'

"We all agreed with aunty, and she was happy. The next morning the ambulance was arranged in the best possible manner and the Colonel tenderly carried out and laid in, his wife and Aunt Martha having a place arranged so they could stay in the ambulance with him. We all started, old Ham tying their belongings up in a couple of blankets and las.h.i.+ng them on a horse loaned him by one of the escort. We were two days in making Bolinsburg, but did it without any very great inconvenience or suffering to the Colonel. When we arrived Col. Harden welcomed us most heartily, and made all necessary arrangements for the comfort of Col. Anderson, as well as the rest of us. I noticed that Col.

Harden said nothing about the two colored people, and did not seem to notice them, so I called his attention to them. He looked at me rather quizzically and remarked:

"'Why, I did not observe any colored people. You did not bring any through the lines, did you?'

"I took the hint, and said:

"'O, Colonel, what did I say? I was a little absent-minded being up with Col. Anderson; and loss of sleep has bothered me."

"So, you see, I got out of the sc.r.a.pe. Orders then existed against bringing colored people through the ines, as I learned afterwards.

He (Col. Harden) always said that he was color-blind, and could not distinguish between the color of people. I remained several days, and Col. Anderson continued to improve. I, however, felt that I ought to go home and look after the family. So old Ham and I got ready, and bade good-by to all, after returning thanks for the kindness shown us. We took the two horses that Mary and I rode to Dolinsburg and made our way through in several days to Allentown. I preferred to go all the way on horseback, to save, perhaps, some trouble about Ham. He claimed to be freeborn and from Ohio, where I formerly lived. This went as sound, and no trouble ensued. Ham lived at our house and did ch.o.r.es for us and made himself generally useful. I related the whole story to the family and made all happy, especially little Mary Col. Anderson's child, who had the impression fixed on her mind that her papa had been killed, like her Uncle Harvey. We received letters from David and James, in the Eastern army; also, from Stephen, who had marched with the regiment to which he belonged to the Army of the Center, then in the western part of Kentucky, and on the way to Pittskill Landing, where the Union forces were now concentrating. Henry wrote that his regiment of cavalry had been ordered to the East to report to Gen. Kilpatterson. Having heard from all our family, except Jackson, we were again happy. We all longed for the day to come when Col. Anderson and his wife would return home, and were anxious also to see the good old colored woman who had been a mother to him during his illness. The children especially asked me every day about Aunt Martha; how she looked? if she was as black as Uncle Ham?

and why Mr. George sold her children? and in any other questions that could not well be answered."

"Uncle Daniel, I knew Col. Harden, of whom you spoke," said Maj. Clymer.

"He was a good soldier, went all through the war, and died in 1868. He was rather an old man for the service, and was never well after the war closed."

"Yes; I heard of his death; I kept track of him up to that time; he was a good man."

"Uncle Daniel," said Dr. Adams, "the implicit faith of those two old colored people was an example that might well be followed by the masters now."

"Yes; the colored people are the most faithful on the face of the earth, and deserve better treatment than they are getting in the South."

"Why is it that they are deprived of their political rights in the Southern States?"

"My dear sir, that is easily answered. As I have heretofore repeated in the discussion of other points, the controlling element in the South is now, as it ever has been, an aristocracy of and for power. They do not intend that in any way or by any means, lawful or otherwise, the control of their States shall pa.s.s out of their hands; by this means they will control the General Government. It would be the same were these colored people white; if they were poor and not of the ruling cla.s.s, they would be deprived of their rights in the same way. They believe that they were born to control, and control they will, unless we shall find men hereafter in charge of this Government with nerve enough to see that the rights of the people are protected and enforced."

"Yes," said Col. Bush, "another war will come some day, and it will commence at the ballot-box. People will suffer just so long and no longer. The idea that I gave my right arm away for a Government that allows its citizens to be bulldozed and murdered merely for desiring to partic.i.p.ate in the affairs of the Republic. No, sir! I fight no more until I know what I am fighting for and also that we will sustain the principles for which we contended."

"This is a curious people. They are nearly ready for any kind of government to-day, when only a few years ago they expended billions of money and rivers of human blood for liberty, and now care nothing for it. They made the gift of franchise to millions at a great sacrifice, and now quietly smile at its surrender. O, yes; but how can you expect anything else. Are we not apologizing every day for what we did? Do we not avoid speaking of the war in the North? Are not some of our great leaders to-day men who aided and sympathized with treason, while we teach kindness to our erring brethren and forgive all? Do we not find our flag despised nearly everywhere in the South? Do they not march under their State flags instead of the Stars and Stripes? Are not all their monuments to rebel leaders and Generals? Are not their school books full of Secession sentiments? Do they not teach the children that we conquered them with hired Hessians? While this is so in the South, and any allusion to the war in the North is regarded as stirring up bad blood, is it not submissive, cowardly and unworthy of any brave people, and will it not result finally in their dominating over us? These are the reflections that annoy me in my old and lonely days."

Here he stopped, was silent for a moment, then said in a low tone:

"Why should I have lived to tremble now for the future of my country."

The tears stood like crystals in his eyes, and he ceased to speak for the present.

CHAPTER V.

ANOTHER GREAT BATTLE--TWO DAYS OF AWFUL FIGHTING AT PITTSKILL LANDING--HARD-WON VICTORY-UNCLE DANIEL'S SONS BEAR THEMSELVES GALLANTLY.

"But whether on the scaffold high, Or in the battle's van, The fittest place where man can die Is where he dies for man."

--Barry.

"During the suspense great preparations were being made for the various campaigns by the several ar-armies of the Union, which caused much excitement throughout the country. The many prisoners captured at the fall of Dolinsburg had been sent to different camps in the North. The secession sympathizers were vieing with each other as to who should visit them the oftenest and show them the greatest consideration. The whisperings of releasing them and organizing for 'a fire in the rear,'

as the saying went, were loud and plentiful I traveled to Indianapolis and Chicago to see if I could learn anything of a definite character on these points, and at both places heard mutterings and threats that were calculated to produce alarm and also to make any loyal man feel like beginning a war at home. Everything that was being done by the authorities was denounced as arbitrary and despotic--their acts as unconst.i.tutional. In fact, no satisfactory act had been performed by the Administration that was calculated to a.s.sist in putting down the rebellion (according to their way of thinking). When I returned home I found a letter from Peter, who had been promoted to a Majority in his regiment. The Lieutenant-Colonel (Rice), as I before stated, had been made Colonel, Major Pierce Lieutenant-Colonel, and Capt. Lyon (Peter) Major. They had not as yet learned of the discovery of Col. Anderson.

I wrote to Peter, giving him in full the details in reference to the Colonel, but told him not to reveal the facts to a soul until it should be reported officially. In his letter, however, he informed me of the ma.s.sing of the rebel troops at Corin Junction, and the like process going on at the High Banks, on the Little Combination River, now called Pittskill Landing, and that he looked for hot work as soon as the Army of the Center, under Buda, could make a junction with Gen. Silent. When I read Peter's letter all the family were anxious about his fate, should there be another battle fought. Old Ham was present and seemed to be much interested in what I was saying. He had been entertaining the three children with his simple stories about the 'Sesh,' as he and Aunt Martha called the rebels. He spoke up, saying:

"'Ma.s.sa Daniel, I tells you da's no danger, sah. I had a dream 'bout dat. Ma.s.sa Peter am all right, sah; I tells you he is. I neber dreams 'bout anything but what comes out good.'

"My wife asked Ham if he could interpret dreams. 'No, missis; I not know 'bout dreams 'cept my own. I knows dat Ma.s.sa Peter all right.'

"There was no way getting the cunning old darkey to tell his dream. My wife said to him:

"'I am troubled about a dream that I had at the commencement of the war.

It distresses me still.'

"She then related her dream, and he broke out into a laugh, saying:

"'Yes, but you see, ma.s.sa got all he hands, all he fingers; dey all dar--none done gone. Dat dream all good, kase, you see, he fingers all right. O, dat's nuffin. De bug he be Sesh; skare you, dat's all; bite de chilien little spec, dat's all.'

"We all laughed at the curious speech of old Ham, and yet he sat down and commenced counting his fingers, and said: "'How many chilien yo'

got, misses?'

"'Seven.'

"'Ham became silent, and nothing more could be got from him on the subject of the dream. He never spoke of the matter again to any of us, except to Peter. I found after all was over that he and Peter had the same interpretation--strange, yet so true."

"Uncle Daniel, what was the interpretation, may I inquire the second time?" said Dr. Adams.

"It was very strange; but the interpretation is disclosed by the casualties of war, and as we proceed you will recognize it. But to my story: The rebel and Union forces were now confronting each other, and each was constantly on the lookout for the movements of the other. About midway between the camps of the two armies they were almost constantly having skirmishes, sometimes with cavalry, and sometimes with infantry.

The successes were about equal. Peter related the story of an old colored man, I presume something after the style of old Ham, meeting him while he was making a reconnaissance with his regiment. The old darkey was tall and very black, and was walking in great haste when Peter called to him:

"'Uncle, where are you going?'

"'Ise gwine to de ribber, sah. Ise ti'd ob de wa', Ise been cookin', sah, for de 'Sesh.' He say he gwine to whip dem Yankees on de ribber,--dat dey am gwine to come right on and drive dem in de ribber and drown dem like cats; dat's what he say, sho'. I heah him wid dese old ears, I did.'

"'When did he say he was coming?'

"'Well, ma.s.sa, he say he comin' right off, sah; he say he kill 'em an'

drown 'em all afore de res' ob de Yankees come for help dem; dat's what he say.'

"'Who was it said this?'

"'Why, sah, it wah de big Gen'l--de one what boss all de res'; he name wah Ma.s.sa Sydenton Jackson. He say he kill all ob you stone dead--he not leab one ob em.'

"'If he is going to kill all of us, you don't want to go to our camp and get killed, do you?'

"'No, sah; I doesn't spec' to git killed; I 'bout 'cluded dat I wait till de shootin' git goin' pretty libely, den I jes' skip de ribber and neber stop 'til I be done gone whar dey done got no wa'.'

"'How many soldiers have they in Gen. Jackson's army?'