The Princeton union. [volume], January 23, 1913, Page 2, Image 2

About The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976

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2
LOVE LETTERS OF
PICKETT ABE
Missives Written Mid Roar
Of Gannon In Bloody
Civil War.
UNDER
the socrecy preserving
caption of "The Love Letters
a Confederate General" a re
markable series of communi
cations sent by a soldier to his beloved,
under the most dangerous and des
perate circumstancesletters written
from the thick of war, ringing of love
and of valorhas been running in the
Pictorial Review. The letters have
stirred up a controversy that has run
with particular zest through the south
ern states, and now that the last of
them is about to be printed the woman
to whom they were written has con
sented that the anonymity be destroy
ed. They were written by General
George Pickett to the girl who was
first Lasalle Corbell, afterward Mrs.
Pickett.
Mrs. Pickett is now living in Wash
ington and has been the leader of the
southern coterie there for many years.
The "little general" to whom the let
ters refer came in after years to be a
major in the United States army and
died a year and a half ago, returning
from service in the Philippines. His
two little sons now live with their dis
tinguished grandmother in Washing
ton.
Allegiance to the South.
in the first one of the series Gen
eral Pickett tells why his allegiance
went to the Confederacy. He writes:
No, my child, I had no conception
of the intensity of feeling, the bitterness
and hatred toward those who were so
lately our friends and are now our ene
mies. I, of course, have always strenu
ously opposed disunion, not as doubting
the right of secession, which was taught
In our textbooks at West Point, but as
gravely questioning its expediency. I be
lieved that the revolutionary spirit which
Infected both north and south was but a
passing phase of fanaticism which would
perish under the rebuke of all good citi
zens, who would surely unite in upholding
the constitution, but when that great as
sembly, composed of ministers, lawyers,
3'udges. chancellors, statesmen, mostly
white haired men of thought, met in South
Carolina, and when their districts were
called crept noiselessly to the table in the
center of the room and affixed their sig
natures to the parchment on which the
ordinance of secession was inscribed, and
when in deathly silence, in spite of the
gathered multitude, General Jamison arose
and without preamble read, "The ordi
nance of secession has been signed and
ratified I proclaim the state of South Car
olina an independent sovereignty," and,
lastly when my old boyhood friend called
for an invasion, it was evident that both
the advocates and opponents of secession
had read the portents aright.
You know, my little lady, some of those
cross stitched mottoes on the cardboard
samplers which used to hang on my nurs
ery wall, such as "He who provides not
for his own household is worse than an
infidel." "Charity begins at home," etc.,
made lasting impression upon me, and,
while I love my neighborthat is, my
countryI love my householdthat is. my
statemore, and I could not be an infidel
and lift my sword against my own kith
and kin even though I do believe, my most
wise little counselor and confidant, that
the measure of American greatness can
be achieved only under one flag, and I
fear, alas, there can never again reign for
cither of us the true spirit of national
unity, whether divided and under two
flags or united under one.
The subject is pursued in a later let
ter, which runs:
Why, Chulita mla, all that we ask is a
separation from people of contending in
terests, who love us as a nation as little
as we love them the dissolution of a un
ion that has lost its holiness, to be let
alone and permitted to sit under our own
vine and fig tree and eat our figs peeled
or dried or fresh or pickled, just as we
choose. The enemy is our enemy be
cause he neither knows nor understands
us and yet \vill not let us part in peace
and be neighbors, but insists on fighting us
to make us one with him, forgetting that
both slavery and secession were his own
Institutions. The north is fighting for the
Union and we for home and fireside. All
the men I know and love in the world
comrades and friends, both north and
southare exposed to hardships and dan
gers and are fighting on one side or the
other and each for that which he knows
to be right.
Will you come, my darling, and have
some coffee with your soldier? It is some
we captured, and It is real coffee. Come!
The tin cup is clean and shining, but the
corn bread is greasy and smoked. And the
baconthat is greasy, too, but it is good
and tastes all right if it will only hold
out till our stars and bars wave over our
land of the free and our home of the
Ijrave and we have our own home. Nev
ermore we'll hear of wars, but only love
and life with its eternal joys.
On the night before General Pickett
was wounded at Gaines' Mills he wrote
the following note:
This was never contemplated in
earnest. I believe that if either the north
or the south had expected that its dif
ferences would result in this obstinate,
-cruel war the cold blooded Puritan and
the cock hatted Huguenot and cavalier
would have made a compromise. Poor old
"Virginia came ofte.ner than Noah's dove
with her olive branch. Though she de
sired to be loyal to the union of states,
she did not believe in the right of coer
cion, and when called upon to furnish
troops to restrain her sister states she re
cused and would not even permit the pas
sage of an armed force through her do
main for that purpose. With no thought
of cost, no consideration of disparity of
relative strength or condition, she rolled
up her sleeves, ready to risk all in defense
a principle consecrated by the blood of
her fathers. And now, alas, it Is to iate!
We must carry through this bitter task
unto the end. May the end be soon.
Begged For Immediate Marriage.
In April. 1863.. General Pickett, so
distraught with the fear that death in
ibattle would overtake him before he
ieould make "Little Miss Sallie" his'
Wife, wrote her to come to him at once
and be married, if need be, by a road
isffle. In this letter he says:
This morning I awakened from a beau-
GENERAL
FIN E MCE
He Tells of Battles and of
Valor and High Ideals
of Warriors.
tlful dream, and, while its glory still over
shadows the waking and fills my soul
with radiance, I write to make an earnest
requestentreating, praying, that you will
grant it. You know, my darling, we have
no prophets in these days to tell us how
near or how far is the end of this awful
struggle. If the "battle is not to the
strong" then we may win. but when all
our ports are closed and the world is
against us, when for us a man killed is
a man lost, while Grant may have twen
ty-five of every nation to replace one of
his. it seems that the battle is to the
strong. So often already has hope been
dashed to the winds.
As you know, it is imperative that I re
main at my post and absolutely impossi
ble for me to go to you. So you will
have to come to me. Will you, dear?
Will you come? Can't your beautiful
eyes see beyond the mist of my eagerness
and anxiety that in the bewilderment of
my worshipworshiping, as I do, one so
divinely right and feeling that my love is
returnedhow hard it is for me to ask
you to overlook old time customs, remem
bering only that you are to be a soldier's
wife? A week, a day, an hour, as your
husband would engulf in its great joy all
my past woes and ameliorate all future
fears.'
So, my Chulita, don't let's wait. Send
me a line by Jackerie saying you will
come. Come at once, my darling, into
this vaiiey of the shadow of uncertainty
and make certain the comfort that if I
fall I shall fall as your husband that you
will bear my name, will have been my
wife and will have all the rights of a wife.
You know that I love you with a devo
tion that envelops, absorbs all elsea de
votion so divine that when in dreams I
see you it is as something too pure and
sacred for mortal touch. And if you only
knew the heavenly life that thrills through
me when I make it real to myself that
you love me you would understand. Think,
my dear little one, of the uncertainty and
dangers of even a day of separation and
don't let the time come when either of us
will look back and say, "It might have
been."
If I am spared all my life shall be de
voted to making you happy, to keeping
all that would hurt you far from you, to
making all that is good come near you.
Heaven will help me to be ever helpful
to you and will bless me to bless you. If
you knew how every hour I kneel at your
altar, if you could hear the prayers I of
fer to you and to our Heavenly Father
for you, if you knew the incessant
thought and longing and desire to make
you blessed, you would know how much
your answer will mean to me and how,
while I plead, I am held back by a rever
ence and a sensitive adoration for you,
for, Chulita mia. you are my goddess, and
I am only your devoted, loving
SOLDIER.
On Road to Gettysburg.
The following exquisitely lyrical and
spiritual passage was written on the
road to Gettysburg:
Our whole army is now in Pennsylvania,
north of the river. There were rumors
that Richmond was threatened from all
sidesDix from Old Point, Getty from
Hanover, Keyes from Bottom's Ridge, and
so onand that we might be recalled. It
turned out to be a Munchausen, and we
are still to march forward. Every tramp,
tramp, tramp is a thought, thought,
thought of my darling, every halt a bless
ing invoked, every command a loving ca
ress, and the thought of you and prayer
for you make me strong, make me better,
give me courage, give me faith. Now, my
Carissima, let my soul speak to yours.
Listenlistenlisten! You hearI am an
swered
This was written the night before
the chai-ge of Gettysburg:
Well, my sweetheart, at 1 o'clock the
awful silence was broken by a cannon
shot and then another, and then more
than 100 guns shook the hills from crest to
base, answered by more than another 100
the whole world a blazing volcano, the
whole of heaven a thunderbolt, then dark
ness and absolute silence, then the grim
and grewsome, low spoken commands,
then the forming of the attacking col
umns, the hurrying of the men to the po
sition assigned to them. My brave Vir
ginians are to attack in front. Oh, mayheart
God in mercy help me as he never helped
me before!
I have ridden up to report to old Peter.
I shall give him this letter to mail to you
and a package to give you if Oh. my
darling, do you feel the love of my heart,
the prayer, as I write that fatal word
"if?"
Now, my darling, I go, but remember
always that I love you with all my In-art
and soul, with every fiber of my being
that now and forever I am yoursyours,
my beloved. It is almost 3 o'clock. My
soul reaches out to yoursmy prayers.
The following is part of the dramatic
narrative of the battle of Gettysburg:
Ah. if I had only had my other two bri
gades a different story would have been
flashed to the world! Poor old Dick Gar
nett did not dismount, as did the others
of us, and he was killed instantly, falling
from his horse. Kemper was desperate
ly wounded, was brought from the field
and subsequently taken prisoner. Poor
old Lewis ArmisteadGod bless him!was
mortally wounded at the head of his com
mand after planting the flag of Virginia
within the enemy's lines. Seven of my
colonels were killed, and one was mortal
ly wounded. Nine of my lieutenant colo
nels were wounded, and three lieutenant
colonels were killed. Only one field officer
of my whole command. Colonel Cabel, was
unhurt, and the loss of my company offi
cers was in proportion.
I wonder, my dear, if in the light of the
great eternity we shall any of us .feel this
was for the best and shall have learned
to say, "Thy will be done?" No castles
today, sweetheart. No the bricks of hap
piness and the mortar of love must lie un
touched in this lowering gloom. Pray,
dear, for the sorrowing ones.
Writes on Birth of Son.
This letter was written upon the
news to General Pickett of the birth of
his son, "the Little General," as he
was known in the whole Confederate
army:
God bless you, little mother of our boy
bless and keep you! Heaven in all its
glory shine upon you! Eden's flowers
bloom eternal for you! Almost with ev
ery breath since the message came reliev
ing my anxiety and telling me that my
darling lived and that a little baby had
been born to us I have been a baby my
self. Though 1 have known all these
months that from across love's enchanted
land this little child was on its way to,
our twin souls, now that God's promise
i
is fulfilled and it has come I can't belief
it. As I think of it I feel the stir of parai
dise in my senses, and my spirit goes up
in thankfulness to God for this, his high
est and best, the one perfect flower in the
garden of lifelove.
Blinding tears rolled down my cheeks,
my sweetheart, as I read the glad tid
ings, and a feeling so new, so strange,
came over me that I asked of t!-- angels
what it could be and whence came the
strains of celestial music which filled my
sou!, and what were the great, grand,
Stirring hosannas and the soft, tender,
sweet adagios that circle around and
around, warmed my every vein, beat my
every pulse. And, O little mother of my
boy. the echoing answer came, "A little
baby has been born to you, and he and
the new made mother live."
Following the failure of the peace
conference which preceded General
Lee's surrender General Pickett wrote:
On every side gloom, dissatisfaction and
disappointment seem to have settled over
all, men and officers alike, because of the
unsuccessful termination of the peace con
ference on board the River Queen on the
fatal 3d. The anxious, despairing faces I
see everywhere bespeak heavy hearts,
our commissioners knew that we were
gasping our last gasp and that the peace
conference was a forlorn hope. Because
of the informality of the conference and
my knowledge of Mr. Lincoln, his human
ity, his broad nature, his warm heart, I
did believe he would take advantage of
this very informality and spring some
wise, superhuman surprise which would
somehow restore peace and in time insure
unity. Now, heaven help us, it will be
war to the knife with a knife no longer
keen, the thrust of an arm no longer
strong, the certainty that when peace
comes it will follow the tread of the con
queror.
Again in the same strain he writes:
Ah, Chulita mia, the triumphs of might
are transient, but the sufferings and cru
cifixions for the right can never be for
gotten. The sorrow and song of my glo
ry crowned divisions nears its doxology.
May God pity those who wait at home for
the soldier who has reported to the Great
Commander. God pity them as the days
go by and the sad nights follow. The sol
dier is done with tears and time, and to
him a thousand years are as one.
The End In Sight.
The final letter of the series was
written a few hours before the surren
der of General Lee at Appomattox. It
follows In part:
Tomorrow, my darling, may see our flag
furled forever. Jackerie, our faithful old
mail carrier, sobs behind me as I write.
He bears tonight thishis lastmessage
from me as "Our Cupid." First he is
commissioned with three orders, which I
know you will obey as fearlessly as the
bravest of your brother soldiers. Keep up
a stout heart. Believe that I shall come
back to you and know that God reigns.
After tonight you will be my whole com
mandstaff, field officers, menall. Tne
second commission is only given as a pre
caution lest I should not return or lest for
some time I should not be with you. Lee's
surrender is imminent. It is finished.
Through the suggestion of their command
ing officers as many of the men as desire
are permitted to cut through and join
Johnston's army.
It is finished! Ah, my beloved division!
Thousands of men have gone to their
eternal home, having given up their lives
for the cause which they knew to be just.
The others, alas, heartbroken, crushed in
spirit, are left to mourn its loss! Well, it
is practically all over now. We have pour
ed our our blood and suffered untold hard
ships and privations, all in vain. And
nowwell. I must not forget either tl|at
God reigns. Life is given us for the per
formance of duty, and duty performed' is
happiness.
It is finishedthe suffering, the hocrors,
the anguish of these last hours of strug
gle, of these men, baptized in battle at
Bull Run, in the lines at Yorktown, at
Williamsburg, where they, with the Ala
bama brigade of Wilcox, withstood the
advance of the whole of McClellan's army,
driving them back at Seven Pines, at
Gaines' Mill. Frazier's Farm, Second Ma
nassas, Boonsboro, Sharpsburg, Gettys
burg, and the engagements in front of
Bermuda Hundred, Fort Garrison. Five
Forks and Sailors* Creek.
The glorious gift of your love will help
me to bear the memory of these days. In
this midnight hour 1 feel the caressing
blessing of your pure spirit as it mingles
with mine. Peace is born.
The Battle of Seven Pines.
There follows part of a vivid and
stirring description of the battle of
Seven Pines:
A violent storm was raging, flooding the
level ground, as I wrote you last, followed
the next day by one of fire and bloodthe
battle of Seven Pines.
I pray that you accepted the invitation
of your mountain lassie chum and that
your beautiful eyes and loving, tender
have been spared the horrors of war
I which this battle must have poured into
I sad Richmond. Three hundred and fifty
of your soldier's brigade. 1,700 strong, were
killed or wounded, and all fought as Vir
ginians should fighting as they did for the
right, for love, honor, home and state,
principles which they had been taught
from the mothers' knees, the schoolroom
and the pulpit
Under orders from Old Peter (General
Longstreet* we marched at daylight and
reported to D. B. Hill, near Seven Pines.
Hill directed me to ride over and commu
nicate with Hood. I started at once with
Charlie and Archer of my staff to obey
this order, but had gone only a short dis
tance when we meta part of the Louisi
ana zouaves in panic. I managed to seize
and detain one fellow mounted on a mule
that seemed to have imbibed his rider's
fear and haste. The man dropped his
plunder and, seizing his carbine, threat
ened to kill me unless I released him at
once, saying that the Yankees were upon
his, heels.
HE PASSES WINTER IN BED.this
Railroad Man of Danbury, Conn., Is
Like Groundhog.
John Hart of Danbury, Conn., a rail
road man. has gone to bed to hibernate
for the remainder of the winter.
Like some animals, he believes the
winter should be devoted to continu
ous rest. He will not leave his bed
until spring comes, and then whether he
gets up will be guided by the ground
hog's example.
Hart has followed the practice for
five winters. He says it does him a
lot of good When he arises in the
spring he is weak, but after a short
time his strength returns.
Wireless Sent 4.400 Miles.
The wireless station at Nauen, near
Berlin, reports that it was in wireless
communication with New York recent
ly. This, it is stated, is the first time
direct wireless communication has been
established between Germany and
America. The distance from New York
to the kaiser's capital is approximately
4,400 miles.
THE PRINCETON UNION: THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1913.
NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL
AND SANITARIUM.
(ESTABLISHED 1900)
A private institution which combines all the
advantages of a perfectly equipped hospital
with the quiet and comfort of a refined and
elegant home. Modern in every respect. No
insane, contagious or other objectionable cases
received. Rates are as low as the most effi
cient treatment and the best trained nursing
will permit.
H. C. COONEY, M.
D.t
iledical Director,
FRANCES S. COONEY, Supt.
NELLIE JOHNSON. Head Nurse.
The Future
of Your Child
Concerns youthe parentmost
vitally. It will worry you less if
you have something-'to remind you
of your child in those later days
when he has wandered afar. Bring
himor is it a girl?to our studio
and give us the privilege of making
that reminder for you.
PAYETTE.
Photographer of Children
Opposite Bakery PRINCETON
OSTEOPATHY
Osteopathy has cured many where
medical treatment has failed. Os-
teopathy is a drugless, natural sci-
ence which has been applied suc-
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DR. DARRAQH
Offices: I. 0. 0. F. Building
Princeton, Minn.
FRANK H. GOULDING
THE ONLY
Official and Bonded Abstracter in
nitle Lacs County
T. S. Phone 310. The First Door South of
Armory, Princeton, Minn.
Do not forget that a perfect title may save
you endless expense. The correctness of
my work is guaranteed by a bond for $5000
Your Druggist
Stops That Itel
If you are suffering from Ecezema
Psoriasis or any other kind of ski}
trouble, drop into our store for instan
relief. We will guarantee you to sto?
that itch in two seconds.
We have sold other remedies for ski)
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mend as highly as this, a mild wash
Oil of Wintergreen Thymol and a fev
other ingredients that have wrough
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try.
This compound is known as D.D.D
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Of course all other druggists have*
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But if you come to our store, we are'
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C. A. Jack, Druggist.
(First Pub. Jan. 23)
Citation for Hearing on Petition for
Determination of. Descent of Land.
State of Minnesota. County of Mille Lacs.
In Probate Court.
In the matter of the estate of Albert
Smith, decedent.
The state of Minnesota to the next of kin and
all persons interested in the determination of
the descent of the real estate of said decedent:
The petition of Ann River Farm Land
Company, a corporation, having been filed
in this court, representing that Bald dece
dent died more than five years prior to the tiling
thereof, leaving certain real estate in said
petition described, and that no will of decedent
has been proved nor administration of his
estate granted in this state, and praying that
the descent of said real estate be determined
by this court
Therefore you, and each of you. are hereby
cited and required to show cause, if any you
have, before this court at the probate court
room in the court house' in the village of
Princeton in the county of Mille Lacs, state of
Minnesota, on the 19th day of February, 1913,
at 10 o'clock a. m., why said petition should
not be granted.
Witness the judge of said court, and the seal
thereof, this 21st day of January. 1913.
WM. V. SANFORO,
CLAPP & MACARTNEY, Probate Judge.
Attorneys for Petitioner.
406 German American Bank Building,
St Paul, Minnesota.
**VWWV%%%w%*%'WWWVVi
Farm Mortgages,
Insurance, Collections.
.|.M.MM1H|..|I.|..1, I |I.|.,I,,
First National Bank
of Princeton, Minnesota.
Paid up Capital, $30,000
A General Banking Busi
ness Transacted.
Loans Made on Approved
Security.
Interest Paid on Time De
posits.
Foreign and Domestic Ex
change.
S. S. PETTERSON, President.
T. H. CALEY, Vice Pres.
J. F. PETTERSON, Cashier.
M. M. Stroeter will conduct farm auctions either on commission
or by the day.
Princeton State Bank
Capital $20,000
DOM a Gsfc*al
I .M. ,1 ,ti. ,t, ,t,, ,v, ,t, g,$++++++++++$ ,t, ,r ,v
Banking Business
Interest Paid on Time Deposits.
I Security State Bank
Princeton, Minnesota
Capital $32,000 Surplus $4,000
JOHN W. GOULDING, President G. A. EATON, Cashier
J. J. SKAHEN,
Cashier.
,t,,8,,|H
!!-t-!- .f !f 1 i 11111
I Farm Lands Farm Loans
ricMillan & Stanley
Successors to
I n. 5. RUTHERFORD & CO.
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We Handle the Great Northern Railway Co. Lands
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If You Are in Need of a Board or a 3
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We can sell you at a lower price 3
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GEO. A. COATES, manager 2
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