Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-08
SURRENDER OF ATLANTA.
AZ HISTORICALLY TOLD By THE
ATLANTA CONSTITUTIONS
AS General Sherman Appeared to
His Captors - Initial Point OF
Sherm ans March to the Sea.
ATLANTA Constitution !

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Beyond the red clay fortress--over the
fragments of army wagons and caissons.
with eyes averted from the skulls and
bones that CLEANED like so many white
horrors in the fierce sunlight, the little
band with the flag of truce rode on. the
Mayor at the head They passed the rifle
pits and intrenchments of the enemy. Not
human being, not living thing was in
sight. Two, three, four miles, and not a
sign OF the enemy. A sudden turn in the
road brought them face to face with a
marching detachment of men in blue. A
brief halt, hurried explanation. A Fed
eral Colonel rode up to the spot and asked
a few questions. The white flag, the APP
pearance of the strangers in citizens garb
and the calm, measured words of Mavor
Calhoun, satisfied the officer, and an or
derly was at once detailed to guide the
visitors 70 the commanders camp.
Wnen the Mayor and his friends were
introduced to General Sherman, they saw
before them man of forty-fve who looked
fully ten years older. His bronzed face.
scanned with lines of care, and his ewes
told a tale of fsleepless nights. His wrinlled
brow and his rough, closely-trimmed heard,
together with his weather-Seaten field
uniform, made him look like anything but
a holiday soldier, and his appearance con-
trasted strikingly with the glitter and
harins colors of the imposing staff around
him
Still there was an air of leadership and
command about this man, and the messen-
gers from Atlanta wouid have picked him
out among a million. There was nothing
stately or dignitied about him His face
showed that it had never been handsome
one, and his head, phenomenally large and
bulsing at the top, sloped precipitately
down to the neck at its back The peculiar
shape of this remarkable head had caused
many officers at the beginning of the war
to insist that its owner was mentally un-
balanced, bat our followers of the white
flag did not waste any time in such idle
speculation. They saw SlocunI's corps
moving rapidly onward, and not a moment
was TO be lost in stating their business.
The stern commander, after searching
scrutiny of the faces before him, looked
down at the ground, while Mayor Calhoun
quietly informed him Of the helpless con-
dition of the city, and briefly surrendered
it upon the condition that life, liberty and
private property should te protected.
Then the General looked up again, and
in curt, businesslike way, said that he
would grant the conditions requested. He
said that the civil authorities had taken
the proper course in seeking him, and ex-
pressed the hope that their relations
would be pleasant and satisfactory.
But this is war, you know" he said in
his abrupt way, "yes, - it, this is
war, and must place your town under
martial law. That won't hurt good clti-
zens, but it will play the devil with the
bad ones"
"Now that we have surrendered" re-
marked one of the citizens, "you will
probably come in at once?'
The General darted quick glance at
him.
Come in" he answered, 81 think some
of my men are already there-they are
marching in that direction as fast as they
can walk"
With few words of parting the COM
mittee started to return.
"One word more" said Sherman. 'T
suppose it is understood that none of your
people will fire upon my soldiers
He was assured that nothing of the
kind would occur, and the Mayor and
the others then rode back to the city,
entering it with the advance guard of the
Federals only a few hundred yards be-
hind them.
Shortly after midday the streets were
blue with companies and regiments of
Federals.
All night the wagons and troops were
moving into the city, and the next day the
place was crowded There were billiard
rooms and drinking saloons over some of
the stores, and bills were out advertising
a minstrel show for that night on Decatur
street.
A dozen Generals occupied the best
houses, in some cases compelling the orig
inal occupants to move into other quarters.
General Sherman established himself very
comfortably in the present high school
building, on the corner Of Mitchell and
Washington streets, and engaged for a
housekeeper an old lady. who two DAYS
before had been denouncing him as a saw
age for whom even the worst fate was too
good. The two got along very agreeably,
and in less than week the housekeeper
told her friends that the General was the
incest man in the world, and had been
shametully slandered.