The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-06
THE ooLoRs OF coBs's LHa1oN.
How q Confederate Captain and Color
Bearer Cheated the Enemy OF Thorn.

TIE COLORS OF COBB'S LEG1ON.
How q Confederate Captain and Color
Bearer Cheated the Enemy OF Thorn.
81 see there is to be a reunion of the sur
vivors of Cobb's legion at the Northeast
Georgia fair at Athens, next Thurs day, "
said an old "confed" to Capt. A. A. Winn
yesterday. "You were in that legion, were
you not, captainr'
eyes" Capt VIM replied. 'I was pro-
NOTED from the Third Georgia regiment to
lieutenant of the Nell Voluni GERS, of
Athens, and afterward was captain of the
company. My brother, w. A. Vim, was
in command of the company, and was killed
at the Knoxville fight"
Are you going up to the reunioDW
Il cannot attend. Cobb's Legion and the
Sixteenth Georgia regiment are to meet on
that occasion. Many will doubtless be pres
emit who know but little of t hardships
endured by those who remained and fired
the last gun at Sailors Creek | would like
to be present and tell them of the fate of
our old batlle flag, as few survivors of that
hard fought battle know what became Of
the colors, as this is the first reunion of the
survivors of the legion"
What did become of itm
Il have met many members of the legion
since the war who thought the old flag was
surrendered and now occupies place in
the war department in Washington. Our
division, that of kershaw's, was Temporal
rily attached to Eve is command We be-
ionged to Longstreet's corps and occupied
the lines on the Richmond side of the James
river. A day or two previous to the evacu-
alton of Richmond, Gen. Longstreet, with
Feds and Plcketts divisions, was ordered
10 Petersburg to reinforce Gen. Lee, md
IN the evacuation he came out on the Peters
burg side, hence we did not reioln him, but
found part of Ewelrs command. 1t left
the lines Sunday night Ihad command Of
the Cobb legion picket line, and did
not get off till early Monday morning. We
lad to march five miles to Richmond
When we entered the city as grand an ex-
Inhibition of distinction was going on as the
world as ever Witnessed. 1t is not the i'll
fortune of many to witness the death throes
of a nation but it was before us that morn
ing in all its subimity. Richmond was on
fire. MAGAZINES were being blown up
stores of shot and shell exploding and the
streets filled with excited thousands Amid
such scenes the life of the young confed-
eracy went out, and the booming shells
and magazines were parting salutes
over its grave We were to get
rations at Amelia Court House, but didn't
get mouthfui yet, but We went on fight
ing step by step, with Sheridans cavalry
seemingly everywhere about us, to the
right, left, front and rear, and we fought
we lost the count of the days of the week.
Only those who shared in that retreat can
ever realize the hardships we endured or the
furnished con iition we were in.
But this isn't telling you, gentlemen,
about the flag Our command was capt
ured at Sailors creek three days
before Lees surrender at Apo
matox. The battle of Sailors creek
was fought on the evening Of April 6, 1865.
Our command, then attached to Ewels
corps, bore conspicuous part in t. q battle.
We held our part of the line against greatly
superior numbers until the troops holding
tee right and left TANKS were overwhelmed
and compelled US to give way We were
then ordered to save ourselves We fell
back in the direction of the high bridge
but were met by members of the corps who
Informed us that the bridge had been set on
fire and that we could not rejoin Lee in that
direction. AS | returned to the pine thicket
Jmet William Cook of Covington, Ga, the
color bearer of Cobb's Legion, who had
also made efforts TO escape. Seeing
that all avenues of escape had been closed
and that our capture would follow, the gal
liant bearer of the colors said he didn't like
20 surrender them. The enemy's shells had
set the brush on fire around us. | requested
him to lower his flag, and taking my knife
from nv pocket cut the colors from the
staff and threw them on the fire. We re-
manned long enough to see the old flag,
which had been carried in triumph from
Yorktown TO Sailors Creek, burn TO crisp.
The flagstaff, with the tassels. were thrown
uside, and the next morning, while Gen.
Custer and staff were making display of
the captured flags, Color Bearer ok aud
myself pointed out to some of the legion
the remnants of our old battle flag, the
staff and tasses.
Moving up to another point of the
kat oh
federates, mostly of our brigade, under
command of Col. Joe Hamilton of Phillips
Georgia legion, who had taken re uge in
the thicket and from this point managed to
repel several cavalry attacks. Being I'M
successful in our attempt to fight our way
out, and knowing it to be only question of
time as to our surrender, Col Joe Hamilton
called aside several officers to consult as to
what course we should pursue. 1t was
thought best to let a colonel, whom we had
previously captured and stll held as a
prisoner, go to the troops confronting us
and arrange for our surrender. The Colonel
soon returned accompanied by Maj. An
drew S. Glover Of the second New York
Cavalry, and another officer to whom we
formally surrendered. We were retained
In the pen that night near the headquarters
of this Mel. Glover who came over and
took Col. Hamilton and Capt. Gober, of the
Third Georgia Sharp Shooters, out to tea
with him. Aud about ~ O'Clock that night
Maj. Glover, attended by two soldiers made
another visit TO the pen and relieved the
prisoners of all the watches he could find
He pretended to be searching for arms and
said he was ordered 90 take all valuables.
Among those he searched were Col. Hamil-
ton and Capt Gober, his guests at tea a
few hours previous. had thus far escaped
with my own fine double case gold watch,
but when this New York plug. disgracing
the Federal uniform and epalets of an Off
GER of the United States Army, encountered
me. there was no further concealment and
the watch went with the rest.n