Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1862-12-18
HYRTTBVILLB, TBNN THURSDAY, DBCBnBER u, |

one instance Igently limited thai
| had sometimes thought it might
have been better for our glorious
Union cause if the President
oa,r President (Lincoln)-had not
sent out his last proclamation
They swore it was a id Rebel
lie, and concocted by the accursed
rebels, solely to injure the Union
cause in Tennessee, Kentucky,
Maryland and Missouri, and-asked
me if it was possible that | "a good
Union man could for q moment
be imposed upon by such a base
Rebel fabrication. l told him |
had never thought Of it before,
but | was willing then to bet one
thousand dollars that it was for
gerry.
| TO make short of a long story,
they treated me like Prince
gave me Peach, Apple Jack, broiled
ham, scrambled eggs, in fact every
thing that heart, or rather stomach
could call for, without price or
without money. They said man
who was right in Georgia was en-
titled to all the good things East
Tennessee could furnish-and told
me if secesh got too hot for me
in Georgia to go to them, and In
vited me to carry my family with
me and l have ding strong notion
of moving all hands up and stay
ing with them through backbone,
spare rib, and chicken season.
What do you suppose would have
been my fate could they have read
my heart, or could they have
known that | was a candidate on
a secesh ticket, and had spent half
-of the last eighteen months ours
ing Tennessee Tories, never forget
ting Andy Johnson or Parson
Brownlow? What do you say
would have been my fate? | am
myself unable to say how or in
what manner they would have
put me to death; but l can say
with perfect safety, that if they had
been posted, you would to-day have
had no daddy.
employed two of them to buy
hogs fer me and drive them to
Dalton, Ca, and then put out for
Knoxville, and found Gen. Bragg's
army, or a large portion of them,
moving in the direction of Chatta-
nooga or somewhere else. | have
no idea as to the number of troops
he has, nor have | any conception
of the wagons and mules, but, from
what saw, think there were wag-
ons and mules enough to pull all the
houses in Charleston, Savannah and
Augusta, brick, shingles ard all,
and then have q few hundred to
spare.
Next in order, | will tell you
how / made my escape from Knox
vile. After reaching here | found
that Gen. Bragg had seized the
railroad, and given orders tor no
one but wounded and sick soldiers
to be allowed to go aboard until
they all got of, and after that the
Road was to be used exclusively
by his troops for fifteen Or twenty
days. Now was not that a fix fer
man to be caught in five hundred
miles from home and nary mule 10
ride? After thinking the matter
over, Icame to the conclusion that
was. in want of new suit OF
lclothes. So l went to the tailor,
bought me a gray jacket and cap,
such as l frequently see gentlemen
volunteers have about their per-
sons. | then went to wood shop
and purchased a pair Of crutches,
then an old blanket from an old
negro woman, tied it around my
satchel-could get DO canteen CT
knapsack-but managed to get
near the shed before the cars arrl3-
ed. Atlast they came, and it would
have killed you outright to have
seen me mount my crutches, one
foot and leg twisted up, my
blanket, satchel and all tied on
my back. The guard gave way
and even assisted several kind
hearted persons TO get. me on the
train; they, all expressed great
sympathy for the poor old ,iat
! wounded soldier. One chap sad
he,thought the old man was about
to. faint, and that chap did not
miss it much for it was the hard
est work / ever did in my life, but