Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/93

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tlie war. I asked him would he allow the body to be thrown over the of the ambulance to be taken to the hospital, and he said: " Certainly." I wrote a note hastily, directed to the surgeon of our division, Dr. Turner, and others, asking them, if possible, to have ( ieneral Lytle's body buried. I conducted the ambulance back to where I had left General Lytle's body, and requested Colonel West to give me all the effects on his person, which consisted of his belt and scabbard, a most superb pistol, his private pocket-book, and pocket-book containing his military orders, and a small wicker flask. These I retained, and when I reached General Anderson that night, in bivouac near Snodgrass Hill, I detailed all these events to him.

We sat by the uncertain light of the camp-fire that night and read quite a number of letters, most of which appear to have been written by his sister, and were signed "Jodie." These letters contained numerous scraps of poetry written by General Lytle, and clipped by her from Cincinnati papers. All this was very interesting reading to us, but it was painful for us to think that we had assisted in putting out so brilliant a light. We talked of the poem which gave him his great celebrity, and I was enabled to recite it to General Anderson that night from memory, and I told him I had read it fully two years before the war. General Anderson said to me: "Major, what are 3U going to do with those effects of General Lytle."

I said I had promised an officer of his command to take the earliest jpportunity to send them to his family.

KINDNESS TO HIS MOTHER.

General Anderson said : ' ' Major, you will do me a great favor if
 * >u will allow me to do this, as General Lytle has placed me under


 * uliar obligations by having sent my old mother through the F"ed-

eral lines in his own ambulance."

I then gave him all the effects except a small wicker flask, which I stained as a souvenir. General Anderson sent these articles through Iragg's headquarters to Rosecrans' command under a flag of truce.

During the action, after the killing of General Lytle, I received a raund which gave me some concern, and I asked General Ander- m's permission to ride back to the hospital, and that I would report

dawn in the morning. I rode through the woods without guides, ixcept the stars and the sounds, and it was after midnight when I

iched the field hospital of our division on the Chickamauga river,