The National tribune., 1882-11-23

rear and carried to others still farther back,
! giving new courage and strength to those who
were almost exhausted with the weary march
! | have looked at fine clothes since then, but
| never saw any that looked so well to me as
! those cavalry jackets did on that day. But If
| we were glad to see their clothes, they were
mad when they saw ours. When the captain
of that troop looked at our gaunt, starved per-
| sons, our rags, and our wretchedness, he stood
up in his stirrups and swore a terrible oath of
vengeance against the men who could treat
! prisoners So
| We came to the infantry picket and dropped
down for little rest and asked the news. We
knew nothing OF how the war was progressing
since Hoods defeat at Nashville. Imagine,
then, the food that poured in upon us when
the guard told us that Richmond had fallen !;
| that Lee had surrendered that Johnston had
surrendered to Sherman; THAT LINCOLN WAS
DEAD. Probably three hgndred of US had kept
up, and heard this news. Language cannot de-
scribe its effect on men in our condition. We
had fallen exhausted at the picket-line. We
sprang to our feet, and did not feel one bit
tired. In a kind of wild frenzy we started
toward the town and the camps. About half
way we met field band and colors, coming
out to meet us-the cavalry picket had re-
ported that we were coming. We were wild
enough when we left the Johnnies. The fact
Of being in our lines, and the news we had
heard, put is in kind of frenzy. But when
we met that flag we went stark raving crazy.
If we had all been drunk on laughing gas, we
p0ITlG hoy-n hoho,-oI riaI
skeletons, that could not straighten limb
danced around like puppets, and kicked sand
twenty feet high. Some shouted, some laughed
some prayed, some swOre, some cried. 1t was
a wonderful medley. We had divers gifts, but
the same spirit. l felt like l needed q sinker
to keep me from floating off in the air. I could
have walked on eggs without breaking them.
could not keep my face straight, but would
break out into b0isterous laughter. One tall,
ragged skeleton began to sing: ooh, wrap the
flag around me- boys" and reaching out his
gaunt, fe5hIess arm, he caught the corner of
the flag, and began to wind it about his vermin-
eaten shoulders. Others tried to join in his
song and pull the flag about, till soon there
were from thirty to fifty sprawIing under and
over it. The band stood in mute amazement
at the treatment the flag was getting, till some
of the boys called for the Star SpangIed Ban
ner.' The band began to play, and the boys
to siRg. They got on somehow till they came
to the line, Oh say, does the star spangled
banner yet wave?" when raising one wild
shOut-yelling &" this is Gods country" they
rushed onto the drummecs, upsetting one an
other in the sand, and ending all attempts at
music in one wild hurrah! for Gods country
Yes, I see it all, but language will not de-
scribe it. If l could paint for you the un-
trimmed tangled hair, that stood out or hung
matted tags above brows that had once been
noble and fair, but were now all blotched and
stained by disease; if l could paint the hollow
cheek, the dull eyes, hands like bird-claws the
filthy, vermin-covercd rags and could then
put my picture through all the contortions Of
unrestraincd motion-even then 1 could not
tell what is IN my memory. But enough,-you
have felt, you remember
It gives a deeper meaning to that starry
banner that hangs outside our window to-day.
Others cannot feel as we do about it, They
have never missed it and longed for it as we
have. They can't understand our feelings.
We lay at Jacksonville about three weeks.
One morning, when the tide was out, we waded
and swan far out into the sluggish river Saint
John, and there pulled Off the filthy rags that
we had worn out OF Rebedom and leaving
them, we swan ashore. 1t was a frightful
wreck-thousands of lives were lost in that
briney deep. But we drew new, clean clothes
and from that morning till this day | have
never seen any one that looked like prisoner
of war