The National tribune., 1883-09-20
AFTER MANY YEARS.
Frank W. Smiths Visit to Anderson
Ville---IntereSting Relies.
Special Correspondence National Tribune.
TorEDo Ouro Sentember 10

in detail, for the boys" who read The Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE, of his walk about at Ander
sonville and through the stoekade and of its
present appearance. The hour fixed for our
interview was II o'clock, aud at three minutes
before that hour he was on hand, with the
promptness characteristic of railroad men.
"Good morning, Mr. Smith. Are you ready
for the tour of Inspection"
"Yes, and most gladly will do my part in
guiding THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE boys over
the entire grounds. so far as that can be accom-
plished with the tongue. Have you any ques-
tions to ask or shall open up and talk it OFF
until you call policeman"
GO right ahead, Mr.. Smith. When l want
anything special, will shut you off, as the
railroad boys say"
"To begin with, / should wish every one who
makes the rounds to feel as | felt before enter
ing the historic inclosure. / should like them
TO have shared the same royal treatment at
Macon that / received from all classes, espe-
cially the Southern soldiers and their children
| had not been there long before [ was known
as the man with the flags, who was going to
the world renowned prison for the purpose of
decorating the graves of the men who died
rather than to obtain liberty at the cost of aid
ing the South. And to-day our friends there
admire and honor the heroic and grand deyo-
tion of those prisoners to our flag. THERE
knew you would have to whistle down brakes
Yes; yes, I'll promise not to wander again
Let me see, where was /? o, yes; / began
telling about my feelings while journeying to-
ward the old prison ground Well it did seem
as if the tracks were creased, and that we
never would get there. o, how l got up and
looked out the windows asked the conductor
(who by the way was an sx-Johnny) how far
it was to the next station, and how many sta
tiOns before we reached AnderSonvllle. Then
would go for the brakeman, then the news
boy, after which I would go and stand on the
platform"
"Would they allow that? I thought it was
| against the rules for passengers to do so"
| Against the rules why, you might as well
| make rule for the Smith family not to look
at the girls and expect me, as one member of
a small family, to keep it, as to have kept me
| inside that car. [ do wish you could have
| seen the passengers look at ME, then put their
heads together and whisper. This they kept
| up until little girl spoke loud enough for all
| to hear and said: Mamma, do you know that
! the man who keeps getting up and looking out
of the windows and going on the platform, and
who asks so many questions was prisoner at
| this bad place over here?'
| From that moment the wondering paSsen-
! gers wondered no longer at my uneasiness. And
when the conductor called out 'Andersonville'
| the little girl spoke up and said Mamma, look
| quick; just see how funny that man acts. o,
my, see his black eyes snap; wonder if he is all
right. Mamma, let me give him this orange;
! perhaps he is hungry
"After thanking the dear little pet jumped
off, and as l turned to wave a goodbye kiss to
my little champion saw her pretty head facing
| the direction of the cemetery, pointing toward
| the dear old flag, which was, as | afterwards
found floating over the City of the Dead
| FLOOD OF SAD MEMORIES.
GAS the train went laundering on I stood for
a moment perfectly dazed, not knowing which
| way to go or what TO do. Nineteen years ago,
| with several hundred other tired, heart-sick,
and home-sck boys, / had stood on the same
spot waiting for our captOrs TO give the order,
Fall in, Yaaks' And o, what falling in
that was. Yes, no wonder the tears start !!
How many dear boys gave up when they real
lied the fact that they We're really and truly
| within half a mile of those ponderous gates,
/ which to enter was to leave all hope behind a"
Excuse me, Mr.. Smith, but hard as it is to
stop you, you must not dwell on the sad side OF
the picture"
"Yes, very true But sad, sad yes, I should
say so. Think OF 500 smooth faced, eighteen
year old boys heading for that place, where $50
of their number never went out except with
toes up as we used to say of the dead. Well,
| was met by a Mr.. Wachter, one of the mer-
chants of Andersonville, who, somehow or other,
knew me, and kindly asked, Is not your name
Smith?' Yes, SIR Well, let me take your
valise over to the store. Mr.. Bryant, the
cemetery superintendent, will send for it.
Won't you step over and rest?' 20, no, sir
I'm not tired [ replied; please let me walk
over alone. | want to think of by-gone days.
"Of what did you desire to think, Mr.
Smith?''
"of what2 OF all that dying man gener-
ally thinks of-the past"
did it not seem like dream to be so neal
Andersonville?"
yes, and l had to pinch and prick myself tc
see if L was not at home dreaming As walked
up the roadway leading TO the old place kept
saying, is it possible-is it posi- ble?"
did the place look at all natural? p"
"Well, the old station which stood upon the
left side of the track had been pulled down
Part of the chimney is standing yet, surrounded
by old brick, mortar, and other rubbish. Bu
as l walked over the hot red sand the terrible
heat of former day came TO mind
How far is this station from the stoekade p
"Nearly, or quite, one-half a mile"
ain what condition is the road ?"
"Good, and just as it was nineteen years ago
Many of the old pine trees are still standing
BY this time [ was within stones throw o
the cemetery, and the superintendent came for
: ward, speaking such pleasant words of welcome
, that was indeed made TO feel as if | were tht
! President in place of a Y. NJ. c. A. secretary.
was anxious to start at once for the prison
; grounds, but had to be punished by being mad
! to eat dinner first"
''Do you call that punishment? supposed
every old Andersonville man was always ready
, to eat, to make up for lost time ~
$50 | was UP to this occasion; but turkey
dressed with quail and oysters would have
stood no chance whatever. Why, l was a
anxious to get in rs nineteen years before hat
been to get out. Dinner over, l started, will
: : the superintendent, armed with u large knife
bought for the purpose of cutting canes and
| other relics Turning to the left from tn
cemetery, we took well-worn footpath through
the pine forest, and in u few moments | say
something which / took to be old dead trees
+ and spoke of it. Trees those are not trees
) Mr.. Smith. They are some of the old stock
9 ade, said my guide. Had he said the walls o
Jerusalem l should not have been more anx
ious to hasten on."
r "Not quite so fast, Mr. Smith! Please G
? slow and take time, and give us clear descrip
: tion What part of the stoekade are you speak
ing Off"
. WITHIN THE SToCRADE.
e we were approaching the outer or seeon
4 line of stockade."
!, Were there two lines of palisades ?"
! Yes indeed the first as you approached th
$ ground was twelve feet high the second wa
n nearly twenty"
How far apart were the lines of stockade
a You must not forget that very many of th
children of the many soldiers who read TIL
}, | NATIONAL TRIBUNE will watch for the mex
G number in order to find out everything poss
: BILE concerning the old place OF captivity c
. . their fathers and uncles, for L promised theI
n | that | should send 81 second letter concernin