Soldiers' record, 1869-03-27

              f m
D e v o t e d t o thi© i : n . t e * * e s t » ot t h e S o l d i e r s audi S a i l o r s o f t l i o l a t e W a r .
VOL. I. H A R C T O R B , COOT., S A T U R D A Y , M A R C H 27, 1869. NO. 38.
ioira at Dome.
" ARMY BLUE."
For the Soldiers' Record.
How we love it, the Army Blue,
Symbol of freedom and right;
Tlie color worn by the iricd and true,
III many a deadly fight.
How many fingers have sown the thread
In the coats of Army Blue.
Wliile hearts awhile were filled with dread,
For those who should wear the Blue.
We sent them away, the dearest, best,
All clnd in the color true ;
Alas ! of many that went that day,
Their fate we never knew.
But down they went in the leaden hail,
Or on to some prison drear.
While hearts that were waiting faint and fail
For tidings they will not hear.
And some of our bravest, dearest, best,
Are sleejiing in Army Blue,
With still hands clasped upon the breast,
That was ever loyal and true.
Then wonder not that onr eyes will fill
At sight of the Army Blue;
It shrouds the forms of the truest ones
Our sad hearts ever knew.
Bockville, March 1st, 1868.
THE TELEGRAM.
Dead ! did you say 1 he ! dead in his prime!
Son of my mother! my brother 1 my friend !
While the horologue points to the noon of his
time,
Has his sun set in darkness •? is all at an end 1
{"Bij a sudden accident,")
Dead ! it is not, it cannot, it must not be true!
Let me read the dire words for myself if I can.
Relentless, hard, cold they rise on my view—
They blind me! how did you say that they
'ran 1
("He was mortally injured,'^)
Dead ! around me I hear thei singing of birds,
And the breath of June roses comes in at the
pane;
Nothing—nothing is changed by those terrible
words;
They cannot be true ! let me see them again !
Q'And died yesterday.")
Dead! a letter but yesterday told of his love !
Another to-morrow the tale will repeat;
Outstripped by this tluinderbolt flung from above,
Scathing my heart, as it falls at my feet !
(' 'Funeral to-morrow.")
Oh ! terrible Telegraph ! subtle and still!
Dartmg tiiy lightnings with pitiless haste !
No kind warning thunder — no storm boding
thrill-
But one fierce, deadly flash, and the heart li-cth
waste!
(''Inform Ms friends.")
SARAH E. HENSHAW, in March Galaxy.
COL. THOMAS F. BUEPEE.
One of the most interesting phases of
the historic elements developed by our
war, is the effect on charactcr of personal
consecration to the country's cause in the
field. Weak souls Jailin the hour of tri-al.
Strong ones not only show their
strength, but experience an increase—an
elevation which enobles—sometimes glo^
rifies. To the future historian, no part
of the record of these days will be more
interesting than tliat which exliibits the
thoughts and feelings wiih which individ-ual
men, in common life, went to the
field, bore its burdens, and met its dangers
and death. These are the materials for
the higher, spiritual history—the most
significant of all of these eventful times.
With this view, I send you some me-mentos
of the inner life of a brave sol-dier,
lately fallen, not widely known, but
whose reward it is believed, is on high ;
and will ho a source of pride to his chil-dren's
children,—Col. Thomas F. Burpee,
of the 21st 0. v., killed in the Army of
the Potomac, about the 10th of Jiine last.
Col. Burpee was a native of Tolland
Co., and a quiet, modest, unpretending
citizen of Rockville, for several years be-fore
the breaking out of the war. In
Juno, 1862, he enlisted in a company
raised chieHy through his influence, in
the place, for the 15th Regiment, of which
Co. he was chosen Captain. Before leav-ing
for the scene of conflict, however, he
was transferred to a Majority, and soon
promoted to the Lieut. Colonelcy in the
2lsc, in rendezvous at Norwich, under
the command of Gol. Dntton, whose glo-rious
death his junior officer was destined
so closely to follow. The fortunes of the
regiment were his through the campaign
of Gen Burnside before Frcdericksburgh,
Portsmouth, Norfolk, Newborn, Little
Washington, and the advance ol Gen. But-ler
up the James River, until assigned,
with the 18th Corps, under Gen. Smith,
to the army of Grant. In the severe and
critical action, when the flank of Butler
was turned in the fog of the morning, in
front of Fort Darling on the 16th of May,
tiiia Regiment bore an important and
very honorable part, commanded by Col.
Burpee, Gol. Button acting as Brigadier.
On the death of Col. Button, Col. Burpee
was promoted to the Colonelcy proper,
but a few days before the fatal bullet that
drank his own life was sped. The peru-sal
of his letters, revealing a most pure
and lofty type of character, has led me,
his pastor, who knew him well, to ex-claim
: "VVe knew not the man before."
Under date of Sept. 25th, 1862, just
after the arrival of the Regiment near the
field of conflict, he writes:
"Tell Louise," (a sister whose eldest
son had enlisted in the 14th,) "Not to be
over-anxious about William. I should
rather see him sacrificed for a holy prin-ciple,
than to see him remain in inglorious
waiting at a time like this. The Lord
has said 'Whosover will save his life shall
lose it,' and this has often been the case
in this accursed rebellion. If any one
lacks enthusiasm in this cause, let him go
to work and if that don't awaken him,
then he is a coward. The lofty inspira-tion
of this cause is worth living a life-time
to feel; and if I had a thousand lives
I would not withhold one of thern. Yet
I do not knuw whether in actual conflict
I should be a brave man, or a coward.
But when I hear of the death of my com-rades
I feel as if I had the strength of a
hundred men in my own arm, with which
to avenge his death. * * * Don't bor-row
any trouble about any inconvenience
I mny be oliged to sufl^er ; it is nothing.
I am satisfied, so long as you and the chil-dren
are comfortable. Should I be laid
in the grave, rememb.T our Heavenly
Father doeth all things well. Look on
the bright side, and the bright side only.
God bless you and the children."
Dec. 16th, 1862.
Predericksbui-gh just after the battle.
" l am thankful that it has pleased God
to protect me from all harm, and bring me
safe to the present time. It fills me with
gladness to hear the expression of resig-nation
and happiness in your letter. It
It is all His work. Give my love to Bro. B.
and sister, and tell th?m that God is mer-ciful
beyond measure. I wish this mi'jht
p j to you, to relieve all your anxiety, but
that is not to be. But do not ever forgot
that we are always safe in the hands of
our Heavenly Father. * *
A great many of our soldiers obtained ar-ticles
of spoil (in Fredericksburg,) but I
did not feel like taking anything at all,
unless it was needed for immediate use.
"Let me again ask you not to feel anx-ious
about me. Every night, when I lie
down, I think how good God has been to
me, and I ask Him to take cstre of my wife,
and little onee, and that thjy may live to
be blessings to themselves, and to the
world."
Dec. 17th, 1862.
"I did not believe you were impatient
for me to go home at the expense of duty
and honor; but it did mo good to hear
you say so; for by that I know that you c »n
wait with paiieiiv^e until God in his own
good time shall bring it about. And let
me again urge you not to dwell upon the
weeks, and months of my stay, but seize
every means of enjoyment for yourself,
which will deprive loneliness of its sting.
I sometimes think that it is sinful for me
to permit my mind to dwell so muchujj-on
you—the companion of my secret soul.
But I cannot love you less;—but pray that
I and that you may love God more. To
say that you are ever in my thoughts,
does not express the whole. Whatever I
do, I do as though you were present with
me, and indeed, are you not so in spirit ?
When I lie down to sleep, my last
thoughts, and frequent dreams are of you,
and our dear children; and when I rise
up, and when I sit down to eat, whatever
I do, it is still the same."
Nov. 23d, 1863.
To the sister, before mentioned, whose
son, Wm. Goodell, had fallen, bravely
fighting at Gettysburg:
"1 was glad lo learn that you had re-ceived
William's Testament. It is in-deed
a testament to you, both from your
Heavenly Father, and from your son.
May it afford you much pleasure and hope
therem, to note the evidences of his se-curity
and happiness. Nothing can be
untimely which is ordered by an all-wise
God. I'he blow which laid him. low,
welded our hearts to our country's cause.
The sacrifice of suffering, and blood which
he poured out, sanctified to us its soil."
May 17th, 1864.
Butler's command on the James River.
"We lav at rest, after reaching Drury's
Bluff, on the 15th, until 4 o'clock P. M.,
when we took position in front of the
centre of the rebel works, which pos^ition
we were ordered to hold at all hazards.
On the next morning wo had a battle.
The night had been foggy and wet, and at
4 o'clock the fog was so thick nothing
could be seen two rods off. I had just
s(int out Captain Brown with his Co., in
front of the2lst, as skirmishers, when a
tremendous fire was poured on the right of
my Brigade, which was the right of the
whole line occupied by our troops. The
enemy had turned our right flank, and
were in our rear. The 9th N. J., and the
23d and 27th Mass., were almost used up
by the suddenness and heaviness of the
attack. ]* will not attempt to describe the
whole fight now; suffice it to say, that in
an hour and a half, I was left alone with
the 21st, to cope with the enemy, who
were in front and on both flanks, and
thick swampy wood in our rear. The
men fought well, in some instances hand
to hand with the rebels. We changed
our front to rear, and fought for five hours
through the swamp and timber, gradually
falling back, sometimes charging upon
them when they pressed too hard upon us,
and at last succeeded in bringing the Reg-iment,
and most of the wounded, on to
the open ground where we could get help.
Our Brig. Gen. wag captured, and I re-ceived
no orders at all, until I had fought
three hours, and when the fight commenc-ed
I could not tell how things were going
on our right, and did not know that the
enemy had got around us until their bul-lets
came from that direction. I don't
know what the Generals at Headquarters
think of our conduct, but I hear that we
gained much credit, and that the Regiment
was handled well. We were so long in
the woods that they thought wo should be
captured. We lost 106 men, and four
commissioned officers. As for myself, I
received no scratch. A bullet struck the
spur upon my heel, and glanced off. God
covered my head in the hour of danger,
and brought me saftily through. We were
engaged from four in the morning, until
nearly noon, without an instant's rest, and
of deadly peril unharmed, and the bless-ed
assurance that you have committed me
to His keeping, makes me lighthearted.
0, how J bless you for your prayers.
When in battle my constant prayer was,
"God bless my dear wife and children."
* * * The papers do not give any- .
thing like a correct account of the fight
on Monday. The 21st was at that time
assigned to Heckman's Brigade, and al-though
we fought for five hours in one of
the most difficult situations in which a
regiment can be placed, we are not men-tioned
at all in the published accounts.
But this is of no consequence, except as
it shows the incorrectness of reporters.
If I can discharge my duty acceptably to
what others may say or think, is of
little moment. Some officers go so far as
to say that the stubborn fight rnade by the
2lst in the fog and obscurity of the woods,
saved the entire Corps from destruction
on that morning. But how that may be I
know not. I only know that we tried to
do our auty in the sight of God.
My best beloved, and brave wife, your
prayers and cheering words are to' me
like a well of life; and my life is a breath-ing
prayer for you, and our darlings.
God favors and blesses the brave, and
His mercy overshadow us, and His spirit .
make us pure."
Col. Burpee's last letter was written in
</je as at that period, about the
5th of June, portions of the hostile
lines lay within a few yards of each other,
and bre-athes the same pure, sweet, chris-tian
spirit, with those from which I have
already quoted.
"It is appointed unto men," he says,
"once to die; and it matters little when,
or where, if we are prepared, and engag-eCKd/^
iINn dRLuNtFyIY.'' '
A few days later, out as officer of the
day, at 4 o'clock in the morning, the bul-let
of a rebel sharpshooter entered his
breast, and another precious life, and
orphan's tears, and widow's bleeding
heart,were offered upon the altar of coun-try,
and liberty, and God. And over his
grave, sorrowing friends repeat his\ own
words, spoken of Wra. Goodell
"The blow which laid him low, welded
our hearts to our country's cause; the
sacrifice of suffering and blood which he
poured out, sanctified to us its soil."
c. w. c.
FOUND IN A CHICAGO
CAR.
STREET
The following story, as it was told to
ua, happeni-d near Lake City, Indiana,
where there lived at the breaking out of
the war a wealthv farmer whom we will
call Blank. This man kept a number of
servants ; among them was a good and
religious young girl, possessing unusual
attractions. She was courted by an officer
of some rank in the Federal army, while
at home recruiting for his regiment.
When the day of his departure came, he
made known to the servant girl how deep-ly
she had interested him, and bogged to
know if there was any hope. She confess-ed
tliat his attachment was reciprocated,
and they were at once affianced.
" Should Mr. Blank," said Jennie,
' come to kno w of this I shall at once be
discharged. He believes it was his daugh-
' ter for whom your visits were intended."
" Should this be so," returned the fond
had but little rest for the previous two ' lover, "only write and lot me know, and
days. Notwithstanding the hardships you shall not suffer."
\ye have beeu through, we have very few With an affoctionate kiss and promise
sick men. I think it is their pluck which that both would be punctual in their let-keeps
them up." ter writing, they separated, ho to join hh
Sunday, May 22d, 1864.
"I received yours of the 16th, this
morning, with much joy. You say "Go,
and God be with you." May (xod bless
you, my durling wife, for that. It gives
me unspeakable joy to know that you are j What'could it all
resigned to leave everything in the hands ^ false ? Ho could n
of God, and trust Him for the result. As '
you say, "He can take care of mo as weil
hero as in Portsmouth." And He has
heard your prayers, and brought me out
regiment among the boys on the Potomac.
He waited long and anxiously for ti-dings
of his loved one, but not one w rd
was received to ease his troubled mind
Finally, his own letters were returned.
mean ? Was Jennie
^t believe it.
After the soldier's departure, Mr.
Blank took Jennie in a room, fastened the
door, and, with rawhide in hand, com-m
uidod her to tell him if sho was betroth-