The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-09-09
A Noble Revenge on Sherman.
From the LawrenceSillc Herald.
MEMPHIS Tenn, 1871.


lNeSsys. Editors: I have read
with deep interest the series of
articles by a "Georgia Lady"
under the caption of: "In and
Out of the Lines The last
number, in which she describes
| the destruction of Cassville, re-
calls forcibly to my mind the
feelings 1 had in September,
1864, when l saw the thousands
of hopeless sick women and chill
drcn at Lovejoy's who had been
driven out of Atlanta, and tum-
bled out of the cars, without any
friendly face to appeal to. l was
describing the scene to an old
army friend whom had not seen
for many years, and he too had
his story to relate of Sherman's
barbarity, and the sweet revenge
that came to him not long after
the war was over. Said he:
was IL surgeon in the Con-
1e,leratc army. When left Mem
phis to join the army l was OBJ
liged, of course, to leave my wife
and two little boys, who were
then aged respectively five and
seven, to take care of themselves.
devoted myself with great earn
estness to the cause, and my wife,
like other Southern women, SYM
pathiZed with me. l gained, l
suppose, some prominence, as my
wife and children were singled
out by Sherman, when he occu-
pied Memphis, for his especial
hate. He sent them over the
Mississippi river, and turned
them adrift in the woods of Ar
kansas, without food and without
any clothing except what they
had on, and issued an order that
any boat which should dare to
take them down the river would
be confiscated. There they re-
manned; in what state of anxiety
you we'll can imagine, until they
were found by an old family ne
gro, who had managed to elude
the sentinels in order to go to
their relief. by this old negro's
efforts they were conveyed down
/ the river to another landing, and
at l O'Clock the next morning
were taken on board of Il steamer
whose CAPTAIN had been apprised
of their situation. You can i'm
agine my feelings when l heard
my wife describe her sufferings,
and then I decided, if ever Sher-
man came in my way, to I've re-
venged.
Not long after the war, was
travelling to st. Louis. About
two o'clock in the morning l heard
some one ask, in Il loud voice, If
there was doctor on the train
replied that I was Il physician,
and desired to know what was
| the matter? He said Mrs. Gen.
! Sherman was very i'll in the sleep
! ing coach, and unless relieved,
he feared she would die. Said /,
now my time has come, and l
went at once to her relief. new
cr waited on Il lady with such
tenderness and attention in my
life, and although she had a Vio-
lent attack of cholera morbus, of
eating imprudently Of oysters
the night before, I succeeded in
giving her relief and sleep. She
was very thankful, and desired
my address, which [ avoid giving
her. When we reached st. Louis
she and her attendants and my
sons and self happened in the
same omnibus. Mrs. Sherman
began Il conversation about the
bitterness that still fingered il
the Southern heart, and said the
people had not been sufficiently
hunblcd. One of my little sons
who was about twelve years old
replied:
"Madame. how can you expect
} anythins bat bitterness, when We
remember how we have beer
treated When T think about
their scndin" my mother ant
brother here, and turning us loose
in The Sw:,mpS of Arkansas,
hate them, and always shall. The
: Yankees sent us ont of Memphis
without amy clothing or food
i away from amy house, for nc
reason except that fat th"r WAS i,
the army.
Mrs. Sherman looked up il
surprise, and remarked: 'Sonny
who could have been SO cruel?''
"Why, General Sherman! he
the very man who did it, and
shall always hate him for it,
If shell had burst, it coul
not have created more constel
nation and confusion.
did not say Il word, and
fact not another word was spoke