Mrs. Anderson, although
stricken down with grief, insisted that her husband was not killed,
or he would have been found among the slain; that a man of such marked
features would have been noticed by some one who did the interring. The
Captain insisted that there could be no doubt but that he was killed.
Time passed on, but little Mary would continually ask, 'If her papa
was dead?' 'Was he shot?' Who had killed him?' and a thousand other
questions which constantly kept her mother thinking of the Colonel's
fate, and soon she determined to go in search of him. Peter was leaving
for his regiment, now under command of Colonel Rice. Col. Anderson
having been reported as killed, Rice had been promoted Colonel, and
the regiment had moved with the army in a southwesterly direction some
considerable distance from Dolinsburg. Still there had been troops left
there, so that it was perfectly safe to visit the battle-field, there
being no rebel force in that part of the country at that time. I agreed
to go with her, and made all the arrangements necessary for the family;
the farm of Col. David having been looked after, and our family-school
reorganized under Jennie, which had become demoralized by the news of
Col. Anderson's death. In the meantime we had heard from Col. David and
James, who were well, and also had letters from Stephen and Henry; both
had joined the army: Stephen in an infantry regiment from Ohio, where he
lived, and Henry in a cavalry regiment from Michigan, where he had been
employed for a time in surveying for a company; so at this time I had
one son left not yet in the army, he being my third son, Jackson, who
was then engaged in railroading in Minnesota. We had not heard from him
for some time, and his mother was sorely troubled, expecting soon to
hear of the last of the Lyons being in the army. This, she thought, was
a little more than ought to be required of any one family."

"So say I, Uncle Daniel," spoke up several of the listeners.

"True, true; but our country's demands should be satisfied by her
citizens, no matter what they may be. Well, when all was arranged, Mary
Anderson and I started. We went as far as we could by cars and boat, and
then obtained horses and traveled on horseback to Dolinsburg. Coming to
the pickets we were halted, and, on telling our errand and where we
were from, we were taken to the headquarters of Col. Harden, who was in
command of the post. We were well received and most hospita