The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-10

ne SIOrY JOlu Wy NAi. cciiS ioiio""
his opening statement WIS an interest
ing and graphic one, touching upon
time of Gen. Sherman's wartime
record not 81 often dwelt upon as
other ACHIEVEMENTS of the hero of the
"March to the Sea-" and also full of
incidental interest that caused II u
be heard with the most profound at
tention.
A CIVILIANS WAR STORY.
During the year 1868, Mr.. Sells was
in the south in the interests Of his
firm, buying cotton from the pla nta-
tions of Mississippi and Louisiana. 1t
was business that could not be car
ried on with either commercial or per-
sonal safety 10 those stormy times,
unless a merchant were under the
protection of the union forces then In.
vading those st ltes, and most of MIR.
Sells operations were conducted prac-
tically from military headquarters.
The trading was done among those
plantations lyirg in the path of the
army, where cotton was still raised by
women and by boys despite the ter
rors of invasion and military occupa,
tion," and Mr.. Sells was necessarily
thrown much with the union officers.
His first meeting with Gen. Sherman
occurred at the Federal headquarters
at "Big Back" on the Biz Black
river, a few miles from Vicksburg and
was an incident of Sherman's march
to Jackson, Miss.
THE MARCH TO JACKSON.
sit impressed me at the time, say:
Mr., Sells in telling the story, "be
cause in one scene there seemed to be
shown in striking epitome the whole
dread extent of the wars ravages in
Gen. TuttIe, he OF GRAND ar nffyy eiaallnngg
whose howl over President Gle velaud'
possible presence at the G.. A. r
reunion in St. l. ,uis in 1888 caused {
reopening of his own particularly
shady war record, was then command
of the Union forces in what was called
the "Vicksburg District" / was
taking supper with Gen. TuttIe and
the officers of his staff at headquarters
1t was known that Sherman was
marching towards Big Black, and bis
advance guard was expected almost
any moment. No one was surprised,
therefore, when, just as we had fin
ished supper, word came that Sher.
mans troops were approaching, and
Gen. futile and his staff at once
mounted and rode forward to meet
them. accompanied the party.
SLAVES FOLLOWING THE ARMY.
"The improptu vanguard of Sber-
mans column was a remarkable and
picturesque gathering. 1t consisted
of negroes by the thousand, on foot,
on horseback and in vehicles of every
description. They were slaves from
the plantations and towns through
which Sherman had passed, familiar
contra5snd of var tines, and they
had picked up and followed, or
rather led and surrounded, the mill
tary, at moments notice. In addi-
ton to collecting their own movables,
the 'ransomed slaves had coniscated
the property of their former owners,
and their caravan represented the
EsErsSk Of many good old Southern
iafm "agOus were ivouv,.r ~-,-o-;e- o,d
negroes men, women and children
huddled together. Some were ex-
cited, loud and laxative some were
singing old cornfeId songs or camp
meeting hymns some were quiet and
haif-scared by the strange change that
had come into their lives. Many of
the negro women were protected only
by bed quilt or some similar cover.
ing wrapped around them.
SIN one of the wagons a negro wo.
man lay dead. She had died in Civ.
ing birth to a child on the drearv
night march of Sherman's army. and
her husband trudged along by the
side of the wagon, his black face filled
that deep and patient melancholy
characteristic of the African in times
of affiiction.
sHERMAN's TROPHIES OF WAR