Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-04
SERGEANT BATES TOUR.
Hi> March Through the soaih with
the Flag.
Correspondence Of the World.


MoNTGoMERY, Feb. 21.-YoH may have
seen Geographic mention, that an ex.soldier
named Bates was carrying the flag. on foot
throughout the South, and desired some
fuller account of the undertaking. To
begin, therefore, Gilbert II. Bates, lives at
Edgerton, Rock county, Wisconsin, and
during the war served as a sergeant IN the
First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery. At the
close Of hostilities he went home, and after
meeting some reverses in business, which
deprived him of nearly all his little store,
purchased about FIVE acres of good, deep,
rich soil and went into the grape culture.
While thus engaged and having as little
idea Of coming South as he had Of flying,
tie ex-sergeant dropped into the village
one evening to get his mail. Some acci-
dent delaying the train he waited for
while at the Office and finally started home,
only TO remember after going few steps
that he wanted a pipe--a common clay
pipe, price one penny-and from the pur-
chase Of this pipe came the trip from Vicks-
burg to Washington City, az hereinafter to
be described. Stepping in for his pipe, our
grapist found the usual knot Of village poll
ticians holding high debate, the great
theme being, of course, reconstruction.
This was on the 18th of December last,
and now let me give the story for a while
as related to me by Sergeant Bates himself
Most of 'em was rampant RAIDS. had
never been in the war and didn't know any
thing about the feelings of the Southern
people, or anything of the sort. | direct
ed most of my conversation with one man,
and he says, "The people in the South are
Just as bad Rebels now as they ever were.
That's 30, Sergeant Bates, isn't it?" No,
says /, some may be that way, but be-
lieve the greater part of them gave mp in
good faith and are well disposed now to the
Union. Whoo ~ says he, "why don't
you believe if the troops was to be with
drawn that the flag would be torn down
and trampled under foot almost before the
blue coats could get out of sight? Why,
says he, why, d-n 'em, they're just ike
the Iniuns on the plains. They're just
like the Camanches by nature. They
possess no generosity"
Now, continued the sergeant | was 10
bad bumor that day, not that / often sm
generally Pm in good humor, but got a
little angry, little excited, in fact, and /
can't know what put it in my head, but
says /, are you in earnest2 Eyes" says
he, they'd tear the flag down and trample
il under foot" Well, says J. Pm a poor
man and can't afford to leave my family,
but, if you'll give me dollar a day for
them, I'll 90 to Vicksburg-I don't know
what made methink of Vicksburg, p'rhaps,
| because it was the backbone of the rebellion
without money, and then through the
South with the flag, unarmed, So after
some more talk, they drew up the writ
| ings there in regular lawyer form, and We
agreed on it. Pretty soon he insisted on
| my receding. "For Gods sake give it
up" said he, "you won't get ten miles
from Nicksburg;" and he honestly be-
lieved and so did the Others, and tried to
persuade me not to go. The man that
made the proposition tried again, saying
"Pd never get to Washington, that I'd be
wiped out, and then all the neighbour
I wonld blame him lor il. But it was no.
| use. | was determined togo hsa, and just
here the plueky grapist looked as firm as if
he was at his gun ready-for aotiou. Then
he resumed
This is the agreement: To enter FicEs-
burg without money, and carry the United
States flag from there TO Washington on
foot, through all cities aud towns and by
ali collections OF people, and carry the flag
unfurled OF nights and during storms TO
furl the dag, provided passed through no
such cities and towns and by no such col
lection of people And not 10 travel by
night, and at all times TO he unarmed. To
employ, If | wished, one person az guide,
but to have no person or persons 10 protect
me day or night, though any might ac-
company me who desired voluntarily. One
dollar day to he paid my family in case
/ got to Washington, but if the flag was in
suited or ], while bearing it, the one dollar
a day to be forfeited.
That's the agreement, and the way
came to take the walk, and up to the pre-
sent time the feeling has been intense.
Confederate soldiers have come from forty
five miles off my line to serenade me and
take me by the hand. In three cases
| women have come with their children and
| cried, and the old men would show tears.
Here, at Montgomery, Just outside the city,
a Young lady decorated the flag with lau-
rel and flowers. Her father, large planter,
who suffered a good deal, l guess, in the
war, had his cotton burned, large amount
OF it, his gin-house burned and the ladies'
carriage filed inside with brush and turned
upside down and burnt by Wilson or some
of 'em, came ont with me when | star ted
10 bid me goodbye, and put one hand IL
mine and one on the flag and burst intc
tears, broke completely down, and it was
some minutes before he could get out hi:
utterances. The tears ran down his cheeks
Some thought might apprehend men il
Iduor, and of course I've met some drunken
men, but the most they would do would b.
to take hold of me- or touch the flag and say
You know how men in liquor do-they
deGed anybody TO insult that flag or tn
man that had it. That's the way drunkeI
men would do-challenge anybody to insul
Sergeant Bates or the flag. Deputation
from towns TO the right and left of the lin'
would meet me, and invite me to pas
| through their towns and visit them anC
= they've sent money TO my wife and children
in great many cases. l have gone out il
, citizens dress, and gone among all classe
, in disguise, especially Confederate soldiers
: and they all say, "Ciive us the constitution
| and an equal chance; that all We want.
| One old gentleman came up TO me. | wa
resting, and had the staff in my hand, au
he grGsps il and comes mp long side IN
and SAYS: You're North and Pm Soutf
: and that's a. it should be, both under tn
D shadow Of the flag" Whole towns woul
!: come out TO ses me. Soon as the flag woul
? heave in sight, whole towns would turn on
T and run--here the sergeant grew eX
4 cited 10 his "Reminiscences and half roc
E from his chair and waved bis arm alo
. run like a charge of infantry to we
. come me, and extend the hand {
4. friendship Before noon, as would
walking along, have had invitations I
4 dinner ali along. In one day there wer
2 fifteen 15.) l counted 'em. They woul
e run out and say "Come sergeant, dinner
} all ready and you must stop and eat" 70
2 see, if I'd stopped before dinner, couldn
: have got five miles a day. At Nicksbur
a all crowded out 10 see me and every bod
n wanted to shake hands, and they crowde
; around, so the Mayor hsd to open pat
= through for me to start. Every body Wante
TO shake hands and almost every hand ha
n money. refused all but one mans han'
= saw it was white-a gentlemsn's hand
II clasped mine and left ssilver half dolla
!, That / kept. At Selma, ex-Governt
,e Moore, Governor of Alabama, when II
{, ordinance of secession was passed-wanie
T. me TO take quite an amount out OF b