The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-12-29
INcIDEETs OF THE GRAND MARCH

lhdTCH through uCoISldi We HdNO
thousand interesting incidents. The
account of that march, written by a
competent pom, with all its humorous
and tragic incidents, will be the most
interesting portion in the history Of
these wonderful times. Burning the
storehouses, depots, and machine shops
of Atlanta, Sherman cut lOcsc from
his base, and moved into the heart OF
the Coniedcracy, Dividing his army,
hc.movcd along the railroads, SO Il
to destroy utterly 200 miles of the fas
nous quadrlateraI, of which Atlanta,
Macon, Augusta and MilIen arc the
four angles. This was done efectu,
ally, the rails being heated and twisted
so that not even a rolling-miIl could
render them useful again as rails
Moving through country rich in
grain and cattle, vegetables and poul
try, the soldiers feastcd royalty, turned
the immense herds Of cattle gathered
on the march, into corn.fclds Of Il
thousand acres, and, with light hearts,
shifted their shining muskcts on their
shoulders, and made the solemn pine
forests of Georgia ring with the songs
OF The Union.
AT MilIen they found the pen in
which $50 of ogr mon had died from
exposure and starvation. 1t was n
space Of ground 800 feet squarc, on
closed by stockadc, without any Gov
ering, and in which the brave defend
ors of tie Union suffered through many
months. No wonder that the cX-
changed prisoners aro demanding re-
taliation.
AT MiIIcdgcvllc, they fonnd the
Legislature fed and tho Senate Cham
bor empty. The officers of the Goth
Corps assembled in the Hall elected n
Speaker and Clerk, and opened ses.
sion of their own. The Yankee mem,
bcrs took their seats. the State was re-
constructed, and led back triumph
sntIy into tho Union.
Many incidents arc related showing
the ignorance aud credhjity of the
people. This ignorance is not con
fined to the poorer classes, but extends
to planters who own their thousand
acres, and who formerly raised cotton
by the thousand bales. They had no
conception Of what it was to be an
American, and their ignorance cX-
| plains the case with which few lead.
crs controlled them for years, and
plunged them into rebellion at last
Many of the inhabitants hid their boys
at the approach of the Army, as shcy
bad been told that tho Yankees killed
all the boys Of n certain age to pre-.
vent thoir growing up and joining tho
rebel army.
Thousands of negroes followed the
Army, not only men, bat women
some carrying two children, with three
or four following. They had been
told that tho Yankees burned the no.
groes alive, but few believed it. Many
had never heard OF the Emancipation
Proclamation while others had heard
rumors that some one away at the
North was coming to set them free
Most of them wanted to follow the
Army and could not understand why
they must remain behind. They
looked upon Sherman rs thor deIiv
crcr, for whom they had been looking
II life time. On Howell Cobbs plan
tation, from which tho able bodic,
slaves and the horses and cattle ha,
been removed AZ the approach OF tn
army, they found fifty old ncgr
men, crippIcs, and number Of womer
, and children in Il wrctchcd condition
One correspondent tells OF at cid ne
gro and his wife, rs follows:
= AT house few miles from Nil
lcdgcvillo we haItcC for an hour. Ii
= an old hut | found II negro and hi
f wife, both OF them over sixty year
old. In the talk which cnsued, no
thing was said which led mo to sup
pose, that clther 0f them was anXiou
to leave their mistress, who, by TIL
! way, was n snllcn cruel looking W.
, man, when all at once tho old ncgros
s,raightcned herself up, and her fac,
which moment before was amos
y stupid in its expression, assumed
fierce, almost dcvilish aspect.
Pointing her shining black iingc
ut the old man crouchcd in the COZ
ncr of tho fire place, sho Kissed out
. "What for you sit dNr; you sposc
. wait sixty years for nGtIcn2 Don't yc
Q SEQ do door opon, lse follow m
child; | not stay. Yes, nodd,r da
IA goes long wild desc people ycs, saj
i walks till | drop in my tracks i