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The story below was emailed in by Jerry Pait, jpait(_at_)cfl.rr.com
Click here to download it as a text file
Good evening:
My mother-in-law's family are world renowned "pacus rattius." That is Latin
for pack rats, kinda. She is almost ninety three years and some of her
family used to live and work in Richmond VA. Dr. J.W. Eggleston, DDS, was a
close friend of the family. I do not have the actual date, but sometime
after the Civil War, he wrote an article for a newspaper. He gave his
original hand written story to one of her mily and it has been passed down
ever since. I transcribed it verbatim and felt you could post it on your families site.
Maybe there is enough information in his story which will allow someone to
connect him to their family tree. Enjoy his story and if there is anything I
can do further, please let me know.
This is the only item I have that pertains to the Eggleston family. Almost
forgot, Dr. Eggleston's office location was: 601 East Main St. Richmond VA.
It would be interesting to see what is there now.
Jerry Pait
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A Rebel in Yankeedom
By J.W. Eggleston D.D.S
It feels odd to be paroled and sent home a disarmed
prisoner broken in fortune and starved to weakness after four years
hard fighting. To have a regiment of the men you have been shooting at
and sometimes capturing, quartered at your County seat weilding the
only authority over you and yours is not comfortable. To find that your
little all is in danger of being lost by a State confiscation law in
process of being passed in a distant Northern State is to say the least
depressing. Such was my case in 1865. I one day received one of
the earliest telegrams to reach our county from my brother, advising me
to hasten to Indiana and sell my share of my fathers land before the
Legislature got the bill through confiscating it because I was a rebel
soldier. My father moved to that State and died there leaving some of
his worlds goods, and some years after my mother died also after having
married a worthless man, who thus became my guardian. At my mothers
death I had gone to live with my uncle in Virginia when I was twelve
years old. My sensations were not agreeable when I found that it
was necessary for me to make a long trip through the North when I knew
feelings must run high and it is my purpose to describe how I fared on
that trip in this story. I managed to borrow $75.00 for thirty
days and started wearing my uniform with the buttons covered because I
had no other clothes. I was in trusted with the mission of getting
President Johnson’s pardon for a friend who owned more than the
$20,000.00 in confiscation limit and therefore stayed twenty-four hours
in Washington. Here I knew my experiences would begin. Knowing of no
cheaper place and with our southern idea of always going to Respectable
hotels I went to the Metropolitan. Next morning as early as I could I
started out to buy some citizens clothes and as my means were limited
and clothes at that time high I had to contend myself with something
decidedly cheap. I returned to the hotel with no very exalted opinion
of my appearance and determined to keep myself to myself. I took a seat
in the reading room and began observing those around me who were of all
walks of life civil, military, and political. My attention soon
wandered from The Senators and Congressmen to a certain New York
Artillery Captain who was the first Yankee in uniform whose bearing had
ever been agreeable to me. He had that jolly whole souled way that
takes with strangers and his clear blue eyes told of bravery and
tenderness combined. He addressed himself to anybody and at last took a
seat by me and said, "You seem to be a stranger here." "Yes I
answered". "Got anything particular to do". "No" said I. "Well lets
walk round town". "Excuse Me,” said I "perhaps if you knew who I
was you would withdraw your proposition". "Well who the devi1 are you"
was his rough soldiers reply. I then told him I was a Rebel soldier
compelled to go to Indiana and was trying to keep to myself to avoid
difficulties, as I was rather fiery by nature and of course at a
disadvantage. "Give me your hand old boy." "I love a fighting man no
matter which side he was on". I Was utterly "taken abacks" and his next
remark was an invitation to go take a drink, an invitation I am sorry
to say seldom refused by soldiers. I declined however not that I had
yet become civilized or had recovered from the demoralization of the
war but because as I frankly told him I could not afford to treat and
would not accept it: "Ah come along" said he, "we have been robbing you
steadily for four years, and it ought to be our treat now all the
time", "besides I want to talk to you." He went with me to the White
House and took me to see all the sights of the city introducing me to
all his friends in the most cordial manner and if I attempted to reach
for my pocket book he fired up at once and simply would not allow me to
pay for anything whatever. If he had been my elder brother he could not
have been more devotedly kind. He never left me until I boarded the
train and it was all I could do to prevent his paying for my ticket. I
had a sort of impression that his mind must be unhinged, and could not
bring myself to believe that his joy at the time, was the happy result
of the war and a soldiers sympathy with one whom he found, by comparing
notes, had been opposed to him in his own line of service on several
fields, could produce such sympathy and brotherly love because I was on
the losing side. I am convinced now, by having always since received
the same treatment from fighting men of the Union Army varying only in
degree and according to circumstances, that his course was dictated by
soldering instinct. I have always deeply regretted that I lost his card
and do not now recall his name. That night I took the B&O
train for the west and found myself in the smoker with a joyous party
of three soldiers just discharged and on their way home. As soon as we
were well under way they began trying to get up a game of whist and
applied to me to make up the four. Again I felt it right to state my
position and to my surprise was at once made the quest of the party
from there to Columbus, Ohio where we parted promising to be on the
same side in the next war that might occur. At last I arrived at
Madison, Indiana where my early years were spent and although I had two
step sisters married and living there I did not want to compromise them
and went to a hotel. That night I got acquainted with twelve officers
of different grades who were staying there under an oculist of
considerable reputation, to be treated for visual troubles brought on
in service. Nothing particular occurred beyond a hearty cordiality from
them until the second evening . It seems that Madison, unlike most
boarder towns, was not divided but the sentiment was very bitter
against the South. I was told that no democrat had dared to vote during
the latter part of the war. The second evening I was sitting in the
office of the hotel when a rather tough looking citizen entered and at
once engaged me in conversation. I answered him civilly but he seemed
to be in a towering rage and finally burst out in a profane
denunciation of every rebel living. I then called his attention to the
fact that I did not enjoy the honor of his acquaintance and added that
I did not desire it as I was a stranger and could not under the
circumstance afford to reply to him as his remarks deserved. He then
warned me that I was the third rebel who had dared enter Madison and
the other two had been run out by a vigilance committee and that my
turn would come next. I noticed the officers before
mentioned talking earnestly among themselves behind me and before I had
time to reply to the man, one of them stepped up and politely asked me
to allow him to say a word. His remarks were about as follows, 'my
friend you are a contemptable corn and trying to vent your spleen on a
man who has served the cause he considered right for four years and is
now a prisoner of war, here on business and conducting himself quietly.
If you had possesed the manhood why did not you join the army and help
whip these rebels you profess to hate? Now we have determined to
protect this man and he shall stay here as long as he chooses and any
vigilance committees you may get up we will attend to, and if you don't
get out of that door very quickly I will kick you out." Is it necessary
for me to add that he left and this soon became noised around town and
soon after another citizen about my own age came in but his bearing was
different. He offered me a cigar and stated that having been a cavalry
man for three years he would like if I did not object to have a talk
with me on the war to see if any of our experiences coincided but would
be careful to say nothing offensive. We talked for an hour or more and
I soon found I remembered him but did not tell him so at first: Finding
him cordial and kind I finally told him I had as a child lived in
Madison. He inquired what School I attended and found that both of us
were in the upper Seminary Grammer School in 1856. "Well who are you
any how" said he. "well" I replied "you and I sat at the same desk and
your name is Charlie Robins." I then told him my name and he grasped my
hand and poured out his feelings in a most touching manner. He begged
me to come and stay with him and gave me an order on Joe Rhea's livery
stable for his horse and buggy to be used whenever I wanted it. Enough
has been told to show the different spirit manifested by the citizens
along the border where feelings ran high in contrast with that of
genuine soldiers and I feel sure that all the real soldiers of the
Grand Army of the Republic who came to Richmond from the Washington
reunion some two years ago and were entertained by R.E. Lee camp C.U.
will bear me out in the statement that if all the questions arising out
of the war had been left to the soldiers to settle instead of the
politicians there would never have been any sectional precipitous left
to fester in the body politic. But I must not drift into discussion. I
have written this account to show how true soldiers always feel toward
a gallant enemy.