Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-02-23

war, Dill, anu I'm glad OF it. I've done
the state servis and she knows it. I've
handled guns-yes, guns-weepins of deth.
I've slept on my arms since I seed you
night after night hav l slept on my arms,
with hundreds of deadly weepins all around
me. All Bill, Patriotism is big thing.
When you once breake the ice, great
sluices of glory as big as your arm will
jest spring up like mushrooms in your
buzz'm; and make you feel like THROWN
yourself clean away for your country.
Let me set down and I'll tell you all
know, Bill, but as the feller said in the
theater, "when you in your letters these
unlucky deeds relate speak of ME as am
nothing expatiate, nor set down hot in
malice"
81 ''exaaktly-exaaktly so:5
Proseed, , :" ~.
"Well you. night after you passed
me, ny steer got away. Hang the de-
aeevin beast. hunted smartly for him
the next morniu, 1 hunted more forrerds
than bac' wards. Leavin my wagin with
widder woman, took it afoot across the
country by settlement road they called
the cut off, Devil Of a cut off it was to
me. I broke down in sight ola lit:le log
cabin, and never moved foot further that
day. The old man had chunk of nag
that worked in slide. perswaded him
to haul me to the eend of the cut off, ard
l know he done it for fear I'd eat up his
smoke-house. Every now and then he'd
look at the old oman, and she'd look at the
smoke-house and then look at me. But
that slidin bisness were the most orfullest
travellin that 1 ever hav had. Every time
the pony'd look back he'd stop, and
when he'd start agin he Civ such a jerk
that my contents were in danger. My
holt broke on one okkashun, a goin
down hill full of gdlies. rolled some
twenty feet into the edge of the woods,
ADD cotch up agin an odd pine stump
ths was full of yaller jakets. Three of tho
dinged things stung me before could rise.
but l got through the cut off and fell in
with some empty uagins that was STAN
pedin my way.
"Gittin on to Atlanty, fool Irishman
stopd me right at the edge of the. town
and demanded my papers. I dident have
no papers. Nobody had ever axed me for
papers, but lie wouIdent hear an argument.
AS Quarles would say, he wouldent jiins
'sshue, but marched me to an offs, and I
dident stay there ten minets. wer sent
OFT to Dekatur with some fifty konskripts,
who were all in mournin,. exceptiu their.
clothes. never seed sich pitifal set in
my life. talked with them all, and thar
was nary one but what had the dyspepsy
or the swinny, or the rumatics, or the blind.
staggers, or the heaves, or the humps, or.
sumthiD. Well, there want none of us dis
charged, for there was bran new orders callin
for everybody for thirty days to go to the
bitches. AS I couldent walk that fur, j.
was ordered to Andersonville to guard the;
prisoners. At Makon met and old ak
waintance, who was powerful big officer,
and be had me transferred to his own depart:
ment and pnt me in charge Of sordn anice.
There's where I handled guns, Bill, and
slep on my arms. Whole boxes Of mus
/ ke.s; was around Sms, aud Il dident NO more
mind taking q snoozei On q gun box than
lift had been}a couch of fethery down.
It's all in gitsin use 70 it. Bill-ali in the
time use.o E3.ss; ~; e y ~
"Jest 60, ,nsed I, 9thats: the way see IT,
sxakiy 80, my friend, Pressed. i. $. s,
ats bland lucky, Bill, that didept 20
to. Andersonyille. They would have had.
me alonside ofWirz, either. as principal,
witness, OF sumthin, aud some lyin yank
would hav had a swear or TWO at me about
shootin him on the dead line. Beforatbis
my carkass would have been eat up by;
worms or cut up BY Dootors,ss and my,
spiktsr spfed all 4 overs . & whole side; ;.ef
Harpers Week. as a. manster. sof; dst6.
{. s.Well,s ,sI kep handlin1 guns and bsyonets.
and dapgsrou, ;WeePinst until one dsyI got
g g farlost gos to Retne. Sherman swas
tp!ayipg base around about Atlanta, and
l:soI bad 70 circumferene around br the
way 81 ssnai and the very day ii 81 eot % 81
1shetss sssrtsstih blsst 81. s:WiisSn iaideis.
gos thsss to- Nass6t mo s smorss 81 81 h / lookin
ief ahsm ysak iins slmaS thA1 Is1ssS S:5sffor