The Shasta courier., 1865-01-21


GEORGIA UNION HOME GuARD.-The Chat
tanooga Gazette vflSih November says:
A company. bearing the title of the Geor-
gia Home Guard. has been rendering good
service to the Union cause in the upper coun
ties OF Georgia during the past six months
The hand was composed principally of deser-
tiers from the rebel army, men who had been
conscrpted into the rebel ranks and subse
quently escaped, and number of Murray
Walker and CatOcsa counties. Georgia. and
were commanded by Colonel Ashworths of
Walker county. They had been out on
scout for several days. and had captured
and picked up several squads of rebel prso-
oners, among whom was a colonel. On their
return they did not preserve as good order
and discipline as they should have done, and
the homes of many Of them b ing in that sec.
ton Of country considerable struggling en-.
sued. When near Elijah about 65 miles
northeast of Dalton on last Friday, they were
surprised by force of rebels under the COM
mand of Tom Polk Edmonsen. The rebel
force is composed in the greater part of men,
bers of the lst Tennessee Infantry, who rot
cut off from their main army at the beginning
of the campaign last spring. and lave re
manned in that country ever since The
Home Guard numbered l25 men, while the
rebel force consisted Of 300 Finding that
thew were surrounded and that escape was
impossible. the Home Guard surrendered
aud then ensued the fearful part of the trag
edy The most of these men being deserters
from the rebel army, as we stated above, and
all Of them being well known as having acted
az guides for our forces, the rebels determn-
ed to show them no mercy Taking the prso-
ners off into the woods shor. distance. their
inhuman captors shot or hung all but 2l of
them. After the commission of this savage
and unparalleled butchery, the monsters de
parted for their retreat into the mountains.
taking their remaining prisoners including
Col. Ashworth-with them. On the road one
of these prisoners managed to escape and
made his way into Dalton, where he made
the above statement to the Provost Marshal
1t is supposed that our authorities will be
able to effect an exchange Of Col. Ashworth
for the rebel colonel whom the Home Guard
had captured and sent into Calhoun. A fag
of truce for that purpose was to have left Cal
houn last Sunday. 1t is to be hoped that
these beasts may get caught and have
their just deserts meeted out to them. No
quarter should be shown to the perpetrators
OF such an act Of inhumanitv aud bioodshed
CoURTsHIP OF WILLIAM THE CoSQUER0R.-
The following extract is from the life of the
wife of the Conqueror. 1t is exceedingly
curious, as being highly characteristic of the
manners of a semi-civilzed age and nation
After some years delay William appears
to have become desperate. and if W NAV
trust to the evidence of the Chronicle Of
lnserce, In the year l047, waylaid Matilda
In the streets of Burges, as she was returning
from mass. seized her. rolled her in the dirt
! spoiled her rich array. and. not content with
these cutrages. struck her repeatedly, and
rode oil at full speed. This Teutsnic method
brought the affair to crisis; for Matilda
either convinced Of the strength of William
passion by the violence of his leaavior- O,
afraid OF encouhtering second beating
consented to become his wife, How he eve,
presumed to- enter her presence again afte,
such series of eDormities, the chronicle,
saith not. and we are at n loss to IMAGINE