Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-11-06
YEARS AGO.
The Twentieth Anniversary Of Sher-
mans Visit to Atlanta.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta OOnStltutlOn.
Twenty years ago Sherman's victori
GUS hosts marched into Atlanta, and
like blue wave spread into every nook
and corner of the city, $4,000 strong. The
last retreatlng cavalryman of the de-
feated rebels dasheo down Decatur street
twenty years ago to the invigOrating
rattle of musketry as Slocum's men came
down Marietta street behind them.
"Yes, sir" said COuncilmen Mahoney,
Il saw the last cavalry man dash down
this street followed by the whiZZing
bullets. AS the ConfederaCes clattered
down the street, one man-the last man
dropped his musket Did he stop to
pick it up? No. He drove the spurs
into his horses sides and soon was in
the midst of his ieeing companions.
The Y anks were too close to him and
the bullets we're flying too thick for him
to lose any time picking up musketP
1t was or the first of september, 1864.
The city had been shelled for six weeks.
and reign of terror was at its heat. The
battle of the goth of July, the great bat.
tie of the 22d, and the battle of Ezaa
church had been fought, the JOnesU0ro
fighting was over, and defeat had set
tied upon the Confederate banner. Many
houses were deserted by the panic
stricken people. For two days the non
com mbatants had been unable to get any
reliable Information of the movements
of the two armies. On the night of the
lst there was an unusual clatter of
horses hoofs in the city and an increas>
ed tramp, tramp, tramp of the moving
army as Hood prepared TO withdraw his
troops from the city he could no longer
defend.
AT midnight the ordnance train and
seventy odd Car loads of powder. shells
cartridges were run from point near
the center of the city to about opposite
Gen. Gartrell's residence. and the rebels
began the destruction of the engines of
death they could no longer use. Boom
after boom of battle thunder rent the
air and startled the city, shaking it AS
an earthquake. AS a mass of explosives
would fire off the air for hundreds of
feet upward would be, "as If filled with
million rockets Women and children
screamed with terror. In the midst of
all this there lived near the place many
families of very poor people, whose mis-
cradle little children ran about the yards
begging most piteOusly to be saved from
the volcano of fire that every moment
flashed from the burning ambulance
train, flashed into the darkness far
above their heads and then fell backward
to the earth. The rumble and thunder
of the exploding ordnance train was ac
by wild shocks of loomco-
tives as their boilers went to pieces I'M
der the exploding hands of the COnfed-
crates.
When morning broke most of the SOL
diers were gone. only few Struggling
being left behind to bring
up the rear, and they seemed bent on
getting out of town as rapidly as possi>
ble. In the midst of this. the nOn-com-
batants were in state of terror and for
the greater part. remained in doors. As
soon as the Confederates had left town,
however. a horde of people from the |
came in and proceeded to plum
der houses and stores, but they were
quickly put To flight when the first blue
coat showed up.
Gen. Sherman came into Atlanta the |
second day after the Confederates had |
left it, and Immediately made his head. !
quarters at the old Lyon house. now the |
girls high school building. How many |
AtlantiaDs to-day recall his figure as he |
passed to and fro about the house or sat !
on the shady veranda?
Gen. Geary made his headquarters in |
the lovely Rawley mansion, and Gen.
jeff. G. Davis made his headquarters in |
a house about two doors below the jew
ish synagogue on Forsyth street.
And then what wonderful change |
came over the city! Ht
Within forty-eight hours every busi-
ness house in Atlanta was occupied by
suffers stores. There were book stores,
stores, confectionery stores, dry
goods stores, and to cap the climax, n
show opened on Decatur street,
and two or three billiard saloons put in
full blast. There was reyelry in the
house of death.
On Sept 4 Gen. Sherman issued his
order for all the non combatants to
cave the city within ten days. and the
and children prepared TO shake !