SMITH COUNTY, TN - MILITARY - Edmond R. League, Coming Home from the Civil War ----¤¤¤---- Homecoming By Edmond R. League, son of Ryleigh League One cold day in April and Assistant Adjutant General came in and, to shelter himself from the raw wind, came near me, as I was standing in a somewhat protected spot. He asked me what state I was from, what battles I was in, and about those battles. I answered as well as I could. He then told me that he had been left in his tent, when his comrades were about to be captured. Here, he was found by three Tennesseeans, who came to view the camp and took him to the home of one of them and secreted him in the house and provided physician and medicine, in all kindness until the doctor said that he was sufficiently recovered. These friends then took him on horseback for two and one-half days, traveling by night and sleeping by day, and brought him to the Union lines and bid him goodbye. I felt that there was one to whom I could appeal. I said, "Why can't I take the oath and go home?" I told him that the President could grant such a request. Finally, he agreed to write a petition to the President, we were to sign it, and he would use all his influence to have it granted. Fourteen of my company signed the petition; others thought it useless. The petition was mailed at four p.m. and next morning by nine a.m. it was back with orders to give us rations and transportation to the nearest point of our home. We were ordered to report at six a.m. next morning to take the oath at the fort. We took a boat and went to Philadelphia, went to the Provost Marshall, got out to Galatin, Tennessee, May 1, and reached home the 11th at 11 p.m. Galatin was 40 miles from home and we were so weak that it took us two days and part of a night to walk that distance. In the creek bottom it was so muddy-half shoe mouth deep-William would get stuck in the mud, fall over, and I had to help him up and lead him along. That was a long, weary walk, but at least we were in sight of hope (home?), and few people realize as we did what home means. We had not written home for three years or more. You may think this a great neglect on our part, but opportunity to write was not often. We knew not how soon we would be killed. If we did not write, they could still hope that we were alive. If they thought us dead, no use to make them mourn afresh as any hour we might be killed. When the army surrendered, some of the boys went home immediately and Father went to inquire of us, but only learned that they had seen us in that last battle and could tell him no more. He returned home and we were given up as dead, not only by our folks, but by all of our friends. When we reached the house all the folks had gone to bed. The lights were all out. We went through the hall to our parents' bedroom, expecting to find them still up, but when I unbolted the door and looked in, all was dark there, too. I said, "Huh! I guess they are all asleep." This awoke Mother and she said, "Is that you, Ed?" I said, "Yes." Then she said, "Where is William" I said, "Here he is." This also awoke Father. He got up, began to feel on the mantle for a candle and matches, all the time saying, "Lord, Lord, the boys have got home once more!" As soon as he lighted the candle, he came to us and embraced us. Although the Negro cabins were 100 yards away, old Aunt Dils, the only one of the colored people not gone to bed, was sitting parching for her family. When we passed through the hall, she heard us walking and knew my step. She awoke the other Negroes and told them that Ed had come home, saying, "I heard him walk through the hall." Then, here came all the Negroes (about 20). We were sitting in the middle of the room when they came in just as they had gotten out of bed, in their nightgowns. They formed a circle around us, opened their eyes until it look as though they would pop from their heads and stared at us. They could not believe it was really us. As soon as they knew that it really was, they dashed away to tell our sisters that "Ed and William had gotten home," and shouted the news at every house they passed. In our neighborhood, about half of the people sympathized with the North and the community had become divided, but before morning the house was filled with both the Blue and the Gray. The war was ended and we were all neighbors again and before noon, the yard was nearly filled. Father ordered the Negroes to kill and cook and asked that everyone stay and eat dinner. This they did. The strife of the war was laid aside and forgotten, once more we were a united family, united neighbors, and united community, knowing each other as friends. I had fought the Yanks, as became a Johnny, but I gained one more victory. I won the love and brought to my home the sister of a Yankee Captain. She was a devout Christian, a true and loving wife. THE END Edmond R. League was in James Company, 55th Infantry which became part of Company C, 44th Consolidated Infantry. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Barbara Velazquez ___________________________________________________________________