Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-09-02
A Conscript's First Shot.

a writer who signs himself "E
D. P" in the West Georgia Gazette
tells this pretty good story:
Our corps (Longstreet's,) al,
ready decimated from exposure,
vant of food, clothing and medicine,
and by the deadly rifles of skulking
bushwhackers, in the vicinity Of,
Tennessee, where we bad wintered
cut off from all communication with
Dixie, sfter the affair at Missionary
Ridge, the lose of which stronghold
forced our leader to raise the seige
Of Knoxville after losing some hun
dreds of brave men 10 a fierce as
sault on Fort Loudon, reached the
Wilderness on the third day of the
battle, 10 time to cheek the enemy,
after one of the most desperate bat
ties sith small arms on record.
Oar stubborn old general, as every
body knows, was severely wounded
in this engagement, and the corps
almost annihilated.
Grant finding it was ono 60" to
Richmond via the Wilderness, be-
gan bis world renowned "AankiDg
in front" on the "home stretch -
the two armies reminding one of two
worthy shoats on opposite sides Of
The fence, cIinging at the gaps, haul
ing off to have another round at
the next gap, and so on. Grant gen.
orally found our corps waiting at each
successive gap, and although he'd
give us Jessie, he'd find what was
left waiting at the next when he got
there. But these almost daily bat
ties had so terribly tbinned our lit
tie remnant, that when we had ar
rived in front of Richmond there
sere so few left of US that we hailed
with delight the advent Of the con-
scripts, though we laughed till the
tears come in our eyes to see the
poor fellows come into camp look
ing SO sad ready to cry. Poor fel-
lows! We pitied them. But their
fearful countenances and long jeans
coat-the skirts of which almost
reached the ground--and haversacks
made Of half o bolster case, filled
with baked biscuits, to say nothing
Of two or three bed quilts hanging
on their shoulders, was intensely lu.
dicrous to US.
We we're getting together in skir'
mishing party early one morning to
drive some Federal sharp-shooterc
from our front, when one of the
above ''poor fellows "wbo didn''
want ter fite," came "ter be soger,'
and be was forthwith put on detail
armed, and told to do as the othel
men did. Scra milling over the
breastWorks, the line deployej anG
advanced briskly through feld
near the wood, along the edge of
which we're the Feds. Bangl whiz
zip |! and q Minnie made a day a.
our hero's feet. He cut a double
shuttle and looked askance at bis
comrades but seeing they took nj
notice Of it, concluded it was an &C
cident, and went on a few steps fur
ther, when crashing volley from th'
woods acted like q heavily charged
galvanic battery on our hero's sys
TEN. He fairly yelled with amaze
ment and CONSERVATION, as, cutting
a pigeon wing that would have don'
credit to a Blondin, be tore himself
loose from the quilts, hayersack ans
gun, and with bursting eyes an'
quivering lips through ~hich il
hard drawn breathing issued, 30
LordylO, me-e.e!'' and with tha
long coat tail Tapping perpendiou
larly to the zenith, be made for tn
safe side Of a tree, and 10 voice ol
agony, above the ringing of rifle
; and the wild yell Of our charging
line, be shouted:
81 say. you men over there i
the woods! My God Almighty
don't shoot this wayl Thar's folk
over here ~