Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-10-17

N~---~
thing else was needed. Well, it scenes
as though the Providence which enabled
us to check the rebel charge on the frs
day of the fight just at the critical mo
. ment, still had His eye on us, for it hap
, pened, or was caused to happen, by som'
Omnipotent will. that just at this othe
crisis there came into that country fiocl
of robins so vast that | couldn't give any
idea of its extent l can only liken it to
those immense pigeon -roosts that some Of
you have seen. They came in millions
The ground was covered with them, and
many Of the branches of the cedars
we're broken by their weight. A man
could gather sack full of them in a very
few minutes. They were fat and tender
and furnished just the kind Of nourish-
ment our boys in the hospital wanted.
After my experience with the robins at
Murfreesboro, shall always believe in
the quails ami the mama. that were sent
to the children OF Israel in the wilder
ness"
- don't know whether Providence
sent us the grub on our march from At
lanta to the sea, but can tell you fellers
that it was pretty good living for soldiers, "
remarked the One Hundred and Fourth
Illinois.
"You see, the Confederacy wouldn't
take its own money for taxes, but they
levied what they called tax in kind.
They meant by that, that such part Of
every crop raised should be set aside for
the Government. Central Georgia is a
pretty good farming country and the tax
amounted. to considerable. | think it
was tenth OF everything. They had
their Government warehouses scattered
through the country and had collecttd d
their tax when we went through. When
we tackled one Of them warehouses we
colld find hams, bacon, corn, flour, corn
meal, sorghum molasses and all those
kind of things, and that made it quite
pleasant for us. They had kind Of
whiskey, too, that they used to make out
of cane seed. We found lots OF that in
the warehouses, but, of course, the boys
wouldn't disturb it. Besides. we always
had foragers out securing the country on
the flanks, and they would drive cattle
cattle. horses, hogs and wagon loads Of
sweet potatoes up to the road where the
column was marching, and the quarter
master would take charge Of them and
and issue them to the men. We only
drew rations from the wagon train twice
during the march, and then all we wanted
was coffee and little sugar and hard
tack. That was great country for pea
nuts, and had to laugh one day at a
regiment of Kilpatrick's cavalry that was
having skirmish in a peanut field. Our
boys were dismounted and going across
the field they found out that it was
planted to peanuts. They stopped and
ripped up handful Of vines apiece and
then went on with the charge with their
guns over their shoulders stripping the
peanuts from the vines and eating them
as they went. They drove the Rebs out
of the woods, but that regiment always
went by the name Of the peanut rangers
after that"
"What regiment was that:'
"You ask that Eighth Indiana caval-
ryman there, he knows. but if he don't
want to tell l shan't give him away. We
didn't see many white folks on that trip
and those we did see wasn't at all socia-
bic. But the darkies were glad to see
US, you bet. They gathered in to the
wagon train by the thousands, and when
we got to Savannah the darkey column
was bigger than our army. remem-
Der that in the early part CT the march
we struck little place called Dublin.
1t was close by where Stoneman surren.
dsred himself the sum ner before. There
was an old colo7el woni1 there that
pretty near went into Mysteries. She
stood in the door, throwing up her arms
and shouted
GLORY to God! here's the jubilee
come here's the jubilee-slory to G cd I!
an 4 then she ran back into the cabin and
and got a big basket full Of peanuts, she
called item 'goober peas) and rushed
out to the column and filled them into
the boys haversacks, gloritying God al
the time and announcing the arrival o.
the jubilee"
Talking about the darkies," sal
the Thirty-ninth Indiana, "remind
me of one Of those rice plantation
below where we found nothing but ne
: groes.
e 1t was in one of those malariou
d swamps where white man could nc
rl. J-l:. . H. N 4