Delta Kappa Epsilon - University of Alabama

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Psi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon at the University of Alabama

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Sighs of Psi 9 May before the site can be examined. It seems like a visit to the battlefields and military cemeteries of Virginia, as well as a visit to the great State of Maine, may be in order. To be continued in the next Sighs of Psi…. In addition to those individual Dekes named above, I would also like to thank the following people for their assistance: Doug Lanpher of DKE International; Robert E. L. Krick, Historian, Richmond National Battlefield Park; John Hen- nessy, Chief Historian, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park; Alice Sheppard, Anthony Douin and David Cheever of the Maine State Archives, and the personnel at the Town Office of Patten, Maine. In the Bonds, T. Semmes Favrot '82 New Orleans, La. Alumni Historian sfavrot@cox.net 1 See Gordon Rhea, Cold Harbor, page 386. 2 Despite its name, Cold Harbor was not located on any body of water. Rather, it described two rural crossroads named for the Cold Harbor Tavern, which provided shelter (i. e., "harbor") but not hot meals. 3 Brother Broughton is a collateral descendant of another Psi Deke who saw Confederate ser- vice, Brother Nicholas Stallworth, 1858. 4 The efforts of all of these other named Dekes directly benefited me in doing the research which led to this article; only space limitations preclude me from elaborating on the details of these earlier efforts and thus giving these individuals the full credit they deserve. However, a debt of gratitude is owed them by all Dekes. 5 For a fuller summary of this analysis, see "Psi Goes to War," Sighs of Psi, Spring 2012. A previously overlooked entry on page 1172 of the1890 DKE Catalogue also states that 54 men from Psi served in the Confederate armies, thus corroborating the accuracy of our own inde- pendent analysis. 6 The definitive history of the battle is Cold Harbor, by Gordon Rhea. 7 See Minot, John Clair, Theta of Delta Kappa Epsilon- The Story of Sixty Years- 1844-1904, p. 51-52. 8 See http://www.dke.org/chapter-roll/ 9 History of Penobscot County, Maine, Williams, Chase & Co., 1882, p. 479. Penobscot Coun- ty is where Rogers' hometown of Patten, Me. is located. The last line of this passage, stating that Rogers is "suitably noticed in the Bowdoin College Roll of Honor," is also reflected in a line in Minot's poem ("The Northern soldier's name is found on Bowdoin's honor roll"). Both of these are references to a booklet captioned "Roll of Honor; List of Members of Bowdoin College who have Served in the U.S. Army or Navy During the War of the Rebellion. Bruns- wick: Printed for the Benefit of the Soldiers' Memorial Fund. 1865." 10 History of Patten Academy, by Irene A. Olson, page 21. Rogers apparently attended this school. 11 Rhea, Cold Harbor, pages 381, 467. 12 L. O. Merriam Recollections, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Li- brary, page 45. 13 I have not yet located the specific "record in the [Adjutant] General 's office" referenced in the last sentence of Merriam's account, but he is apparently referring to the records of the Ad- jutant General for the State of Maine. The Maine Adjutant General published Annual Reports during the war years, and Merriam may be referring to those reports, but I have thus far only located the Annual Report for 1866, which contains several passing mentions of Rogers' death on June 7, 1864. 14 This information about Rogers initial burial and his 1866 disinterment also comes from Mr. Krick of the Park Service: "You probably also know that Rogers fills a marked grave at the Cold Harbor National Cemetery (Section D, grave #812). The records for that say that he was reinterred in 1866, coming from 'Woody's.' That very likely is a reference to the Woody House, which was immediately behind the 9th Corps lines on June 5-12…. The 9th Corps field hospital on June 7 was 'near Woody's.'" FROM THE HISTORIAN Upon a southern battle-field the twilight shadows fall; The clash and roar are ended, and the evening bugles call. The wearied hosts are resting where the ground is stained with red, And o'er the plain between them lie the wounded and the dead. And out upon the sodden field, where the armies fought all day, There came a group of soldiers who wore the rebel gray. But peaceful was their mission upon the darkened plain: They came to save their wounded and lay at rest the slain. And tenderly their hands performed the work they had to do, And one among them paused beside a wounded boy in blue, A Northern lad, with curly hair and eyes of softest brown, Whose coat of blue was red with blood that trickled slowly down. A bullet hole was in his breast, and there alone he lay At night upon the battle-field, and moaned his life away. The rebel paused beside him, and in the lantern's light He saw upon the soldier's breast a fair familiar sight. It was the pin of DKE, the diamond, stars and scroll, The emblem of a brotherhood that bound them soul to soul. He raised his hand and quickly tore his coat of gray apart, And showed the wounded soldier a Deke pin o'er his heart. Then close beside the Yankee dropped the rebel to his knee, And their hands were clasped together in the grip of DKE. "I'm from Theta," said the Yankee, and he tried to raise his head; "I'm from Psi, in Alabama," were the words the rebel said. "Brothers from the heart forever"-nothing more was left to say, Though one was clad in Northern blue and one in Southern gray. But the Northern lad was dying; his voice was faint at best, As he murmured out his messages to "mother and the rest." And as the rebel soothed him, with his head upon his knee, He heard him whisper "Bowdoin," and the "Dear old DKE." And he bandaged up the bosom that was torn by rebel shot; And bathed the brow with water where the fever fires were hot; And kissed him for his mother, and breathed a gentle prayer As the angel's wings were fluttering above them in the air. And to a lonely country home, far in the heart of Maine, A letter soon was carried from that Southern battle plain. It told about the conflict, and how he bravely fell Who was the son and brother in that home beloved so well; It told the simple story of the night when he had died- All written by the rebel Deke whom God sent to his side. And when it all was written, the writer sent within A little lock of curly hair and a battered diamond pin. And thirty years have passed away, but these simple relics are Of all a mother treasures dear, the dearest still by far. A simple tale and simply told, but true; and I thought it might Well thrill the hearts of loyal Dekes, so I tell it here to-night. The Northern soldier's name is found on Bowdoin's honor-roll; Anf the names of both are blazoned fair on Delta Kappa's scroll. God bless our noble brotherhood; its past is sweet to hear, And its grandeur and its glory grow with each succeeding year; And the story of its heroes shall an inspiration be To us who proudly wear to-day the pin of DKE. Brothers in DKE

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