The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-28
STORIES OF THE WAR.
PIunkett Gives Instances of SOL
dierS Running.

For The Constitution.
at didn't NATTER said Plunkett, chow
good er soldier er fellow was, it suited mighty
wei to be err good runner for thar warnG
many soldiers but what had to run some
times"
"Cheathams division was as brave or set Of
men as ever fought or battle, and I've heard 1t
told that an old fellow from down in Spaldins
county come mighty nigh stanpeding er big
/ part Of en-. He had the rheumatics, and was
/ allowed to get him er horse, and one night as
! the division was marching erlong the road
! keeping their eyes skint for the yankees, the
/ old horse got scared, and the old fellow had
/ some fifteen er twenty canteens swung Ground
4 him. and the more capers the horse cut, the
I more fuss the canteenS made, anG pretty soon
/ the bit broke, and then the horse tC OK right
| down the pike arter the soldiers, and
/ the cantcens We're flying and er
! rafting and the old fellow was holding on and
/ er hoiering till the soldiers thought thar was
! erbout 10 coo yankees right onto en-, and thar
\ want no time for fooishness or waiting for or
/ ders to get outen that road and into the woods,
| and they got"
II don't blame 'em, winked Brown.
THE finest yankee regiment J. ever seed ana
! the only men / ever seed try to keep CT perfect
| dress in battle" resumed Plunkett was at
! the seven days fight Ground Richmond.
! They had on red caps red jackets, white
/ pants that come to iist erbove the knees and
! wimmn's stockings, that fitted up to the
/ pants with er little buckle. They were called
! the New York Zouaves, and | seed them run,
! and run mighty fast, too. They all got Killed
| pretty soon arer the started. and think
/ it was jist because they didn't run more n
what they did. never will forget how these
brave fellows fought at Gaines mill, for
| / was behind er pretty big stump and warnt
scared much for the old Thirteenth Georgia
| was 'twxt NE and them, and as they come
/ outen the woods into an open level field, the
/ old Thirteenth riz from where they were laying
/ in the bushes, and then they had it over and
under You could hear their officers right
! dress left dress and as er fellow
| would fall they'd close up the place,
| and they were list like they were
on dress parade, till there warnt none of 'em
! scarcely to dress! This was the way these fell
| lows fought, and arter the fight was over you
could sight up and down the places where they
had stood and the ones what was killed in
stantly was still dressed for while some
would fall forward and some backward their
feet were as though they had been laid to
line.
''Not only them" continued the old man,
after pause, "but right up here at Atlanta
at the twenty-second of July fight,
jist or little piece beyond where
Bill Hulsey house now stands, seed some
as brave fighting and some as peart running as
| ever was performed"
"You are right" chmed in Brown. They'd
| got me then and L was Ground thar"
| cit was old joe Browns pets, as they called
/
| ing and er right smart running too, but they
! had to run, and after the old soldiers of John
ston's army seed them fellows fight they didn't
! have no more to say erbout Joe Browns
militia. for thar was many or old soldier that
told me then, and they've told me since, that
the way that First Georgia regiment of state
troops fought had never been beat, and / don't
believe it ever will be. They were cut up
mighty bad, and as they run back er piece and
formed, and their colonel was standing with
his sword in his hand waiting for orders ter try
it ergin, could see the tears run down his
| cheeks as he looked and seed how his regiment
had been tore to pieces, and an old soldier what
was erlong with me, said I bet you that's CT
brave man and or kind officer and he was,
fer before the day was over he acted so valiant
ly he was promoted then and there"
cold soldiers didn't like the militia, much, !"
suggested Brown, "and they didn't like
to see er fellow with er billed shirt on and thar
warnt no fellow who ever wanted to so
ermong EN- but once with too many white
things erbout him. l tried it and I'd er left
the army in disgust, but couldn't When [
went up ermong them the old oman took
er right smart paines in fixing me up and
making me look nice. 1 passed erlong by the
camps and they seed me and acted like they
never seed a man before. | had er
long jeans coat on, and they begun
by picking at that, first saying, Come out of
that coat' Come out of that hatr we know
you're there we see your legs Lay down
miltCh and er thousand other things, till [
got so dad bringered mad that couldn't see.''
at didn't do folks no good to get mad dur
ing of the war, nor it don't do no good to get
mad erbout war things" resumed Plunkett
"There used to be some fellows GROUND me,
when | lived down ON the river, that would
get mad with me every time they got CT
chance, and they'd pick er chance, at that,
when I'd tell my war stories. got SO / didn't
care er darn, and pretty soon got up the repu-
taton OF being er pretty good liar on the sub
ject of things that happened during of the war,
and from that it got so they thought I'd lie
Just to please the boys, and humored 'em.
Things stood this way till one rainy day er
crowd of fellows had gathered over at the
'doggerie and pretty soon thar was or fine
looking follow rid up and tied his horse and
walked up to the crowd and begin TO lay it off
erbout things that happened on the Mississippi
| river during OF the war, till Tom Irwin turned
to him and lowed:
"'Lool er here, stranger, hahn you or III
Of or liar%
"'That's the reputation l bear in Arkansas,
answered the stranger.
"Wcll, wouldn't you like to see him and
Plmkett together" asked Tom.
The stranger remarked that if Plunkett
was such a liar he'd ride outen his way to
! swap q few, for, says he, 1 m the biggest
liar in the state of Arkansas, and if You have
anybody in Georgia that can hold me er light
| Ia like TO see him.
"Thcy told him where l lived, and it wasn't
but erbout three miles outen his way, so here
lie come and | was setting on the porch when
he rid up and stopped, and turned ard asked
"poeS Plunkett live here"
'"Yesi said l I'm Plunkett.'
""Well, Mr.. Plunkett, understand that you
are terrible liar?"
"Thats what they say, answered"
"'Well,' continued the stranger, 4 heard
erhout You over Mt the doggerie and I've rid by
to- swap few with You; L was in service with
Grant Mt Nicksburg and very often when we
were scarce Of ammunition we'd load our NOR
tars with rebel prisoners instead of she'll.
ooh. yes Oh. yes! l remember all about
that, In fact was one of the fellows what
You shot out of or big gun over into Vicks-
burg. and that's what makes me so used up
now"
"Good-hye. Mr. Plunkett.'
"And Off he rode-he was satisfied and so
was I. and I've never told er lie from that day
TO this"
Eve noticed one thing, though, j" suggested
Brown, "thar haint many folks that care er
darn how many lies er fellow tells if it's favor
able to them, but You ist be er little inaccu-
rate in err manner that would take erway some
of their laurelS and it's err d-n lie d-n lie {.
faster than err cat can wink her eye"
Well" returned Plunkett, Il would never
do anything TO detract from the brave fellows
I Al. - -