The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-31

ehefmaA's March.
WHAT THE NEGROES THINK.
Near Covington, one Judge Harris has =
large plantation before We arrived il was
veil stocked can't answer for its condi-
ton afterward. A jollier set Of negroes /
never saw than his were when the blue
coats came aleng. Horrible stories Of their
cruelty to the negroes were also told by
their masters to brighten them, but the ne
! asked Judge Harris head man: "Well,
how do you like the Yankees?" "Like
himl bully, bully, bully. Use wanted "a
sec him long time heard q heap bout 'em.
Say, Sally, desc here be gentlemen data
passing" A compliment to our soldiers,
which they no doubt would have apprecia-
ted could they have heard Mr.. Lewis.
"Yass sar, Use hope de Lord win pros
per dem and Mr.. Sherman"
why do you hope that the Lord will
help the Yankees7"
because thinks, ard 90 we ell links,
dat you'se down here in our interests."
"You're shout right there did you ever
hear that President Lincoln freed all Of the
slavee3"
mo, sar, / never heard such ting; the
white folks nebber talk fore black men !;
dey mighty free from dat"
In other parts of the South the negroes I
have seen seem to understand there il q
man named Lincoln, who had the power
to free them, and had exercised it. We
have reached here . stratum Of ignorance
upon that subject. All knowledge Of that
nature has not only been kept from the
blacks, but only a few Of the whites are
well informed. The Lieutenant command
ing the escort of Gen. Sherman, was born
and has always lived in Milledgeville, 10
an officer in the lst Alabama cavalry regi.
ment, tells me that he never saw . copy Of
the New York Tribune until he Joined our
teresting one, and will one day be worth
telling. His adherence to the Union army
grew out Of his natural adherence Of sla-
very, whose errors he had witnessed from
childhood. His name il Smelling, A young
man Of good education, Of high integrity,
simple-heart+d, brave, and has been most
useful to the cause Of his country.
Gen. She Aman invites all able bodied ne
groes (others could not make the march) to
Join the column, and he takes especial plea
sure when they join the procession, on
some occasions telling them they are free
that Massa Lincoln has given them their
liberty, and that they can 60 where they
please that II they earn their freedom
coin had given !. to them anyhow. They
all seem to understand that the proclama-
ton of freedom had made them free, and ]
have met but few instances where they did
not say they expected the Yankees were
coming down some time or other, and very
generally they are possessed with the idea
that we are fighting for them and that their
freedom IL the object Of the war. This no.
ton they got from hearing the talk Of their
masters.
''Stick in dar," was the angry exclama-
ton Of one Of . party OF negroes to anoth-
or, who was asking too many questions Of
the officer who had given them permission
70 join the column. stick IN dar, its all
Another replied to ! question, "Oh yaas,
massa, de people hereabouts were heap
frightened when dey heard you'se coming;
dey busted ont yer sudden"
Pointing to the Atlanta and Augusta
railroad, which had been destroyed, the
question was asked:
1T took . longer time to build this road
than it does to destroy itr
II would think it did, massa; in dat ar
woods over dar ID buried ever so many
black men who were killed, sar, yes, killed,
working on dat road-whipped to deth.
seed 'em, sAr."
.Does the man live here who beat themf"
''Oh, no, sar, he's done gone long time"
The most pathetic scenes occur upon our
line Of march daily and hourly. Thous.
ands Of negro women join the column, some
carrying household truck; others, and
many ofthem there are, who bear the heavy
burden of children in their arms, while
older boys and girls plod by their sides
All these women and children are ordered
back, heartrending though it may be to
begs that she may 90 TO see her husband
and children in Savannah. Long years
ago she was forced from them and sold
Another has heard that her boy was in Ma
con, and she is done gone with grief goln'
on four years."
But the majority accept the advent of the
Yankees as the fulfillment Ct the millenni
al prophecies. The ''day of jubilee" the
hope and prayer Of lifetime, has come
They cannot be made to understand that
they must remain behind, and they are sat
isfied only when General Sherman tells
them-and he does every day-that We
shall come back for them some time, and
that they must be patient until the proper
hour Of deliverancc comes.
The other day q woman with child in
her arms was working her way along
amongst the teams and crowds OF cattle and
horsemen. An officer called to her kindly:
"Where are you going aunty?"
She looked into lis face with hopeful
look, and replied:
Else gwine whar you'se gwine, massa,"
Alta house few miles from Milldgeville
we halted for an hour. In an old hut
found negro and his wife, both Of them
over sixty years old. In the talk that en-
sued nothing " as said " hich led me 70 sup
pose that either of them was anxious TO
leave their mistress, who. by the wsy, was
a sullen, cruel-lOokirg woman, when all at
once the old negress Strengthened herself
up, and her face, which moment before
was almost stupid in its expression, as
gumed fierce, almost devil;sh aspect.
Pointing her finger al the old man crouch
ed in the corner Of the fire. place, she his.
sed out:
what for you sit dar; you spose wait
sixty years for nutten? Don't yer see de
door open9 I'll follow my child not stay.
Yes, nudder day goes long wild desc peo-
pie; yes, sab, walks till drops in my
tracks"
A more terrible sight never beheld.
can think Of nothing to compare with i
except Charlotte Cushman's Meg Merriiies.
Rembrandt emily could have painted the
scene, with its dramatic surroundings.
n vvaa naap thia nj "a that several factO.