| Show ember 25 25 1862 1562 Was a Day of I Truce Along the Rappahannock Day 75 Years Ago Clad Blue K f Christmas Yank and Johnny Reb Rob getting etting the tho Recent Horror of Fredericksburg Declared an Unofficial Armistice and andt i f t Between the Lines Linet for a Friendly Exchange of Food and Other Gifts e C Western rn N Newspaper Union UNon 1 MX- MX 4 I CHRISTMAS DAY ON THE TilE I In Drum Drum But Best of the Nation by Char Charles In picture n Carl Carleton ton Corn comO Courtesy Courtey Harper r and n publisher By 0 o SCOTT WATSON N EARTH peace good will toward men Ian an ironical sound that must have to the man mann n December 25 25 finds j wearing the uniform common soldier and id d in war taps aps somewhere h ere II on on 1 there is peace B But u t himself bitterly it ere ere where he and his des ies in arms are dem- dem ting their good will willmen willmen willmen men by trying to toe toie ie e spark of life from men across the lines appen to be wearing a ant at at nt t uniform and holding nee ce to a different flag lizes of course that he hate those fellows over d that he is doing noth noth- e than his soldierly duI du du- I trying to kill them And on Christmas Jet Private John Jahn R. R Pax Pax- boy in blue in the Army Potomac speak for all ben en my of the Potomac dished dis dig hed ed by its many defeats incompetency of its corns coms com com- TS s is resting upon the Fal Fal- hills in Maryland Across is Gen RobLee's RobLee's RobLee's Rob- Rob Lees Lee's Confederate army only two weeks earlier General Burnsides Burnside's ad d hosts back down the I slopes of Fredericksburg uch ch fearful losses It is isas isas nas as day 1862 to te i Paxton is speaking now ugh the pages of Charles Jon II 11 Coffins Coffin's book Drum I the Nation He says o Is war And I am out h here re to toM tot M t lean lank coughing cadaver cadaver- i I g butternut fellow over the thethis thethis thethis this Is WAR this is being a Hello Johnny what are you youver vet ver was narrow but deep and gt t was wa a wet cold not a freez freez- Th There re was no ice too swift Johnny what you coughing so 10 with no overcoat Iho shoes s full fuU of to eat but parched corn acco acco and with this dern d I 1 snow mow a foot de deep p. p there Is fa noth noth- but to get up a ar ay y 1 r way of Oj protester Un against this 1 treatment Bl-treatment of the body We We- We-au We au all have a cough over here MS re rei no which will run us bole hole first fint the cough or your now still sell fell k keen en winds raw w. w e cut to the bone It was Gods God's I Weather Weather In Gods God's PJ t spot pot of ground that Christmas t 62 on the Rappahannock a a half ball low the town of Fredericksburg e P pick k up your prostrate pluck private Eu S ly there Is I i. i It d dampness TEne around und without radd- radd addI add add- with your tears lean I laugh boys boy aw Johnny yourself yours yourself lf Yank fry ry Christmas Johnnye Johnny e to you Yank Jeffi JOhnny ny got anything to trade Inn bed hed corn orn and tobacco tobacco the the size Ilze Christmas Yank right you sell hav have some ome of off f es ee boats boat 18 and sugar luga mad nd perk P Boys BoY y- y boat Some me v Yankee desperately for tobacco invented them for with ith h the J Johnnies s. s Tb They y w were re a ay in under the banks of the river r of pIcket t thelba ti An old out the boals An n old d tor br a sail saU We loaded filth a d th e sugar lurar ir pork set et the Watched them i slowly creep to liV er hore ore the Jo rep I To see lee them crowd and an push and scramble cramble to be and seize d Ize the boats boat going Into the i Then ell stretching oat their long fer when they pulled the boats boals and toad stood ti In a group over the led and to h hear ar their exclamations Ii b for lor hog Say but that that's not roast roast- r genuine codee Smell It It And auger lugar tool lathe they the laughed consignment nL and shouted Reckon Beckon been n gOOd to we uns w-uns uns this thI Christy Christ Christi Sacco Jt Then they put P parched hed acco and andi d ent i ent n ripe then h. h P back n mons to Ui us s Into And nd Ine V elf the parched c m uc a leaf af ate a t persimmons persImmon s Contracted W weren't erent rent very dung at atour our our to lo the Christmas dinner And nd so 0 the day passed We shouted d M Merry rry Christmas Johnny Th They y shouted shout about ed Same to you Yank And we forgot for for- got the biting wind chilling cold we forgot those men ov over r there w were re our enemies s whom it might be our duty duly to shoot before evening v We had bridged the river spanned the bloody chasm We were broth brothers r. r not nt fo foes s. s waving salutations of good will In the name of the Babe of Bethlehem h m on Christmas day in 62 At the very front of the opposing armies 1 the Christ Child struck a truce for us broke us-broke broke down the wall of partition b became came our peace We exchanged d gifts We shouted gr greetings greet greet- et ings Ing back and forth We k kept pt Christmas Christ mas mae and our h hearts artl were lighter r for It t our shivering bodies 1 not 10 so cold Nor were Private Paxton and his comrades the only ony soldiers along the Rappahannock who thus kept Christmas in 1862 In Frank Moores Moore's collection of Anecdotes Poetry and Incidents of the War North and South 1860 1865 published in 1866 you will find a story headed A Singular Singular lar Jar Incident which reads A soldier writing from his camp near Fred Fredericksburg narrated the following which occurred while he was on picket t duty with his hll company It was Christmas day and after par partaking partaking par par- taking of a Christmas dinner r of salt laU junk and hard tack our attention was attracted attracted at at- by a r rebel bel picket t who hall hailed d us u. from the opposite side of the river I say Yank if a fellow go goes over th there re will you let him come back again Receiving an affirmative answer he proc proceeded ed d to test the truth of It by paddling himself across the river He lie was decidedly dIy the clean cleanest st Ip specimen n of ofa ofa ofa a rebel I had s seen en In answer to a qu question he said IBId he be belonged belong d to the Georgia Legion One of our boys boy remarked remarked re reo re- re mark marked d I met quite a number of your boys boYI at South Mountain Yes I suppose so 10 so If U you w were re there said laid the rebel his Ms voice growing v very ry sad ead ad We left many of our boys bOYI th there re My brother r poor Will was killed kilted th there re It was a hot place for a w while Ue and we bad had to leave It In a hurry That so BO G Georgia jour jur f fellows fought well there and had all the advantage ad vantage but the old K Keystone yston boys were pressing you hard By the way I have havea a likeness here taking it out of his hll pocket that I picked d up on the battle field next morning and I have carrl carried d it ev ever ever r since lie He lie ban handed ed it tato to the reb rebel I who on looking at it It pr pressed sed it to his lips Ups exclaiming My 17 mother my mother moth molt er erl lie He exhibited considerable rable emotion at atthe atthe atthe the r recovery covery of the picture but on the ther recovery ry of his hi composure said that and r cov n had in sit hie his brother broth r had it In his possession and must have lost it in the tho fight light lie He then ten asked the name of the one to whom he was Ind indebted for the lost lIken likeness sl of his da be b better bet better t. t mother rem remarking arkin There may t ter r times soon oon and we wa may rosy know each b better other He lie had taken from his hll pocket a small mn to pocketbook pocketbooks in which to write the address ad dr dress sl wh when n Alex who Alex I who x-who who had taken noart no part art in the con conversation fairly fairly y yelled lIed lost it at Bull BuU rI I I know that book I Runt whar what I got It Mr Yank it to said uld the rebel and be he handed AlexI Alex much obliged d to you Mr Georgia Geor 1 it I am would not v eta gia gull Legion eglo I would not part with it Confederacy for the whole of the Southern a little curious to know something some some-so some I was of the book so 10 I asked k d dAlex further to thing thin I Be It to tome Alex Alex to l let t m me see It lie He passed paned me I open opened d It It and on the flyleaf ar was written in a neat hand band My Christmas 25 1860 Gift to Alex Ales December 25 Ella EUa Well Wen Alex Alex said uld I I. I Its not often orten one has hal the same lame lilt gut presented to hima him second time a could but see lee seethe leethe seethe and if U I True Captain the giver lIver of that gilt gift today t th there's theres re bulone but bul butone butone one oth other r gift ft I would want want Whal that Alex reb rebellion played out and my discharge in my poe pocket The boys boYI had all been buS busy talking to our rebel friend nd who se seeing a horseman horse hors In the n of his hll approaching man post post bid us a a hastin hasty haler y good good good-by and mad made a quick trip across the Rappahannock Night came on and those not on duty lay down on the frozen ground to dream of other Christmas nights wh when n we knew not of war As the war dragged on Its weary length such armistices inspired first by the spirit of Christmas In the winter of 1862 became increasingly common This was especially true during the siege of Petersburg in the winter of 1864 as witness the following following fol tol- fol- fol lowing from H. H Clay Trumbulls Trumbull's War Memories of an Army Chaplain A man on one side or the other would hold up prominently nUY a white handkerchief handkerchief chief or a Ih sheet et of white paper as n a sign liD of a desire for a tacit or Informal truce If 11 It w were re r responded spond d to by a simi similar lar sign on the opposite side Ide and was not at once forbidden n by the offic officer r In tn command it ft was accepted by all aU as bind log ing Ort Often n at such uch Umes times the men would Jump over their rifle pits or embank ments menus and m meet et each oth other r peacefully b between tw en the lines I swapping coff coffee e of which the Union soldiers had an abundance abundance dance for tobacco with which the Con Confederates Confederates f federates d ratel were well supplied exchanging ing newspapers bart bartering hard tack for corn com cake conversing pleasantly or bantering each other with natured good re references rence to th their local peculiarities Sometimes two opponents opponent would sit lit down for a friendly game of cards A fine I sense nse of honor prevailed In the g general n ral r recognition of the sacredness ss of th these e Informal and tacit truces M Men n would not fire are at each oth other r. r at the close of one of these thee I seasons until both parties antes had had time to settle down to business business sl again If It on any occasion an officer seem seemed d to lack consideration t 4 Q p t r 1 I l WINTER SPORT SPOUT IN A CONFEDERATE CAMP From an aD Illustration In Battles and Leaders of the civil War Courtesy Courte the C Century Company for those who were on such luch friendly t terms rm his men were quite likely to feel that th their lr friends the enemy ought to be notified d of the fact Yanks k keep p your heads head und under r today Weve We've got an officer of the day on who wants want us u. to be firing all the time so 10 look out One ev evening at the P Petersburg front several v ral Confederate rate soldiers rs dragged d a aman aman aman man of our brigade Into th their lr lines linea at atthe atthe atthe the close cloe of one of th these e lea seasons Ions of truce and th they y took him as II a prisoner into the pres presence nce of their commander r. r Gen Rog Roger r A. A Pryor of Virginia The Union soldier protested and told hiJ hU story G General Pryor tum turned d to his m men n and sk asked d if t this thia was the truth Wh When n they admitted it was wal be said uld quietly to our man Go back th then n to your own lines and he add added d to the captors Let him go back I dont don't want anything any thing of this tb sort lort In my command On one occasion before Pel Petersburg a Union r regiment nt from Maryland serving with our brigade was over against a Confederate Con Confederate federate regiment nt from the same ume state During one of th these se tacit truc truces as a the them themen themen m men n of the two brigades 1 w were re together r between the lines 1 of works a II father ther Inthe In to Inthe the l Maryland Union regiment met his hll hisson hisson son a soldier in a the Maryland Conf Confederate Coaled d. d era orate erate Ie regiment The m meeting UnI was a surprise to both but It wen was an amicable one Each soldier sol aol dier had be been n true to his hi own eon vIe Uon The They greeted d each other affectionately e. e ly and and talked d together r until the signal Ignal came for the ending of the truce when th they y sprang apart each to his own lines and again th they y w were re over against each other In lo deadly dudly conflict con It is not difficult to understand why the Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil war should have celebrated Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas with an unofficial armistice For they were men of the same blood the same language the same traditions and not Infrequently infrequently as in the case of the two Maryland soldiers bound together together to to- together gether by the ties of family re re- So it was easy for the spirit of Christmas to elect effect its magic upon them But Dut what of other wars In which the opposing aides sides spoke a different language and had a long lone tradition of strong nationalistic feeling to breed the kind of hatred hatred hatred ha- ha tred so necessary for waging wagin a war warT For the answer to that question ques tion lion we need go back no farther than the Great war which was raging only 20 years ago One of the strangest episodes in that conflict was the unofficial armistice armistice armis tice which was observed in No NoMan's NoMans NoMans NoMan's NoMans NoMan's Mans Man's Land between English and German soldiers at Christmas Christmastime Christmastime Christmastime time during the first year of the war On Christmas eve 1914 a sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- geant in an English territorial battalion reported to his commanding commanding commanding com com- manding officer MaJ Henry L. L that there were unusual unusual un usual movements in the German lines less than yards away Fearing that an attack was impending impending im Im- pending the major went out to have a look and saw a a strange sight Across the muddy shell-pitted shell expanse of No Mans Man's Land little i triangles of light were twinkling I all along the German front and increasing in number every minute min min- ute Ordering his men to stand to arms but not to open fire until he gave the word the major waited Suddenly out of the darkness came a voice with a German accent accent ac no- cent English soldier I English soldier I We no shoot if you no shoot When the major demanded demand demand- ed an explanation the reply was that this German soldier was act ing as an ambassador of peace for his comrades They wanted to cease hostilities during Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas eve and Christmas day and proposed that the English soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers join them in celebrating the holiday by singing Christmas carols He lie also explained the object object ob oh- of the twinkling lights they lights they were Intended to represent Christmas trees Still suspecting a trick the Ule English major told the German soldier to return to his trenches and begin singing There were a afew afew afew few moments of ot tense silence then from across No Mans Man's Land came floating the voices of the German soldiers Stille Stifle Silent Night Holy Night |
