Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-02-26
Last View OF the Confederacy,
From New York SIM,

"hen den. Jubal A. Early, on hear
irg OF Lees surrender, exclaimed,
"Blow your horn, Gabriel" he but ex-
pressed the universal sentiment ofthe
south, certainly that of the soldiers;
tor we knew that it was only Il ques-
ton Of time, and q very short time,
too, when there would be a. general
collapse. And so when we started
homeward, in April, 1865, we knew
that we were going there to stay, that
the end had come at last. Although
many OF the men had secured horses
still the large majority were on foot,
like myself, and I trudged back on
about tlSe same route by which had
come to Virginia four years before.
What eventful years! And what a
difference in the country through
which | had travelled, q boy of l6, in
a fast train filed with my young com
rades, cheering and singing i'm
provlsed Wet songs, greeted every
where along the road with over
flowing hospitality, speeding day
and night Through land teemine
with abundance, and now! More than
hall OF my young comrades had found
Swallow graves here and thers, from
Malvern Hill to Appomattox, and /
was tramping back alone, through a
desolate, war-stricken country, with
a thousand miles between me. and
homs-
Da1.vile was tl1s' FIRST town [ re;pch-
ed after the surrender, and runners
had already reached there of that
event. There were few who We're
loud in sheir assertions that the Gov
! ernment could hold: cat still, but there
was Org sure sign that those ira
authority there had no hope-the.
men vera breaking into the commits
sary stores and Government wAre..
houses. aad no effort was made to-,
stop. then. Seeing %: train of two !
coaches and a baggags car at the de-
pot, headed south, I thought it would
be good opportunitH to get a ride.
A number eli kegs about the size OF
beer kegs, ard strongly 2,ooped, stood
OH the PLATFORM, and four men were
with much effort loading ;them in the
car.
''What is ttsst?' asked one Of the !;
snen.
"specia," he replied.
1t WAS the C>H1fed treasury and
the contents OF the Richmond Bank |
vaults
Stepping on tie platforms cE one of
the coaches, a coaored porter met me
at the door with a whisrsrea, "Mr.
Davis is in dar. ~
'4WMo,'
''Nlr Davis!"
Not only did Thus train contain the
Confederate treasury, but the whole
vernnleE,t--Pres;dlent. Cahiret, arch
ives, everything.
50 started southwark araRI home
ward afoot- The railroad was now
lined with men, sal moving in the
same direction, and no one could have
told from any worts or act eli theirs
that they were soldiers of cstlefeated
army and a lost cause, for WisiIe there
was no emulation, there was, mo de
lectlon;; the one dominant thought
and feeling was, Tie war 10, ended, {
we are going home" which many had !
eft four years before; and had not
'Ven hesDd from in three years.
caught a freight train ON the road and (
ode into Greensboro, NJ c. at !
about midnight, on top Ola Som car, {
whence could be seen on all, sides {
around and in the town inn,,nesable J.
'amp fires, of stragglers, parclsd men, '
end desa-ters, and beyond those in t
n the. woods was Johnson's ,
llssolVing army. His men vera. Ieay- !
ng by l,ns9dreds.
Getting INTO q car Of Il train on a {
'ide track to sleep, foand it, loaded
With blankets, and the sun wgs, high +
Up before I awoke The first thing {
hat greeted my sleepy eyes, next s
:aornlng WAS this: In the shallow 9
Try ditcEs not five yards away stood {
ten. Be:aregard, speaking in, 6. low 6
7oice to an officer seate! on a1xe,,pty !
>ox. He held a cup OF coffee un one
1and, and gesticulsatea slowly {
md earnestly with tho other. 9
Two or three officers were break i
astng off q pine b3x,~ while a 1
1egro was baking hot cakes at a little t
ire on which steamed g. pct Of coffee Y
Recognized no oneexcept Beauregaru. !
Some fifty yards hey ondthis group, l.
ia a low hill, stood q very, small one i
story house. It was Johnstons head 1
quarters. On the Opposite. side OF the /
rain were 81 number of snaaG fires, at t
which men were bookings. eating, or g
sleeping. Some genius discovered that {
part OF the train Was loaded with
powder, and in a short time barrels =
we're rolled or thrown oat, the heads S
knocked in, and canteens and bottles /
we're filled to carry home. Out of {
mere wantoness, barrels of cannon t
powder were upset, and: lay in heaps t
near the fires. Rennonstrance and !
were received With ieers and ,
cidlcule; SO got out Of my car on the
other side and cautioned one ,
Of Gen. Beauregard'sr staff. l had \
scarcely got to the end of the train, y
when a pile of the loose powder went 7
of, and fortunately, only one pile.
The only damage was the literal skin t
ming Of three or fourr men.
This first serious evidence of tur- Y
bulence occurred within few yards OF
headquarters, and, the reckless spirit S
seemed to increase as the town be-
came more crowded with new arrivals, |,t
and eliminated when the men found s
liquor. There was immense quantities
Of army supplies stored here, and many
Of the soldiers seemed DESTROYS cfhelp-
ing themselves. Accompany of cavalry
broke into a. house where soma. fine
uniform cloth was stored. The guard I
gave the alarm; an infantry force was
aoub'e-quicked to thespot, coming up
Just as the cavalry were riding away.
There was a quick command to halt a
saucy reply, a single shot,: a volley,