Page 235 - Arkansas Confederate Women
P. 235
208 Confederate Women of Arkansas
her engagement. "No, Tom," she said. "We can make a liv-
ing." There are hundreds of these noble, God-given Carrie Mc-
Neils and Maggie Pharhams all over our war wrecked South.
SPECIMEN CASES OF DESERTION.
From Underwoods Women of the Confederacy.
We by no means excuse or palliate desertion to the enemy,
which is universally recognized as one of the basest crimes known
to military law; but most of the desertions from the Confeder-
ate army occurred during the latter part of the war, and many
of them were brought about by the most heart-rendering letters
from home, telling of suffering and even starving families, and
we cannot class these cases with those who deserted to join the
enemy, or to get rid of the hardships and dangers of the army.
Some most touching cases came under our observation, but we
give only the following incidents as illustrating many other
cases.
A distinguished major-general in the Western army has
given us this incident. An humble man but very gallant sol-
dier from one, of the Gulf States, had enlisted on the assurance
of a wealthy planter that he would see his young wife and child
should not lack for support.
The brave fellow had served his country faithfully, until
one day he received a letter from his wife, saying that the rich
neighbor who had promised to keep her from want now utterly
refused to give or to sell her anything to eat, unless she would
submit to the basest proposals which he was persistently making
her, and that unless he could come home she saw nothing but
starvation before her and his child. The poor fellow at once ap-
plied for a furlough, and was refused. He then went to the
gallant soldier who is my informant and stated the case in full,
and told him that he must and would go home if he was shot
for it the day he returned. The general told him while he could
not give him a permit, he did not blame him for his determina-
tion.
The next day he was reported "absent without leave," and
