Chapter IV: Fourth Year of the War (3)

I told mother how I’d been in 54 engagements, some hard fought and others not, but in nearly every one, some of my relatives, friends or acquaintances, were killed or wounded. We had left them buried or on the field in Md., Penn., all through the Valley of Va., at Manassas Junction, through the Wilderness of Spottsylvania, over the battle fields holding Sheridan back from Richmond, holding Grant back from Spottsylvania, on around to Petersburg and then to Appomattox C. H. None of father’s slaves left him for a year or more but he paid them some wages, of course, and they seemed as sad and disconsolate as we were when they did leave. My father was getting old, and as he had been security for a number of men who had lost their wealth in slaves, just as he had, he was placed in straightened circumstances. So we had to soon forget for a time, the sorrows we had passed through and turn our minds to caring for those around us. None of our property had been stolen or burned by raiders, so we were better off than the thousands of households and farms we had passed by, during the war and from whom we were obliged to steal some times or starve. While I often thought of four of the best years of my youth being wasted, as it was, in a lost cause, I didn’t regret it as it was obeying my country’s call, whether it was right or wrong. I had much to be thankful for and especially as I had gone through the whole war and hadn’t gotten a scar. God has blessed me with health and strength and while I’ve never had any of the luxuries of life, I’ve been, and am still, at my advanced age, able to enjoy its comforts.

THE END.

Transcriber's Note:

This book uses inconsistent spelling and hyphenation; the inconsistencies were retained from the original text.

Obvious spelling and punctuation errors were corrected. When an incorrect spelling was used consistently it was not corrected.

Ditto marks have been replaced by the text they represent.