Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-11-05

F=5kst
WE SAW AN OLD WHITE BEARDED NEGRO.
Like every railroad within the Con-
federate lines in the summer of 1864, that
leading west from Savannah was in
very bad state and the rolling stock was
quitein keeping with the roadbed. Ten
miles an hour was considered good speed
for a passenger train, but, as prisoners
were carried in freight cars, and on a
freight schedule or on no schedule at all,
delays on sidings were frequent, and
knowledge of the distance to be travelled
gave no idea of the time when one might
expect to reach his destination. 1t was
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon Of June
81 when we left Savannah, and the officer
in charge Of the guards, Lieutenant
Grimes, of the Thirty-second Georgia,
told US that he expected to get to Macon,
about 100 miles away, the next day at
/ noon.
We left Camp Davidson in a driving
rain, which poured down, almost with
out cessation, for twenty-four hours.
Although close to the hole which Bell
had cut in the bottom of the car and
over which he lay, l went to sleep, as I
have known weary veteran soldiers to
do when lying down under fire. 1t was
near midnight when was aroused by
the stopping of the train and the beating
of the rain on the roof. Bells whisper and
his hand on my arm assured me that he
was near and dispelled drowsiness. We
supposed the train had come to a stop
for wood and water, and as it was dark
inside and out, and all the conditions we
were hoping for aaarnad 10 be at hand,
/ we were about to drop through the hole
I to the track, when the door at the side
was thrown violently open and man
appeared. holding lantern above his
head.
/ Guards, turn out herel" he shouted.
The two guards, who had been sleep
ing, one at each end Of the car; crept
over the recumbent prisoners and got
out through the door that was open.
With the voice Of one in authority. and
blessed with good lungs, the same man
called in:
"The prisoners must get out hereI"
rs this Macon% some one asked.
No; it's Millen, = said the. man.
But amt we going on to Camp Ogls-
thorpe?"
"Not that I'm aware Of. | reckon we
can care for you here" Then, in an au-
thoritative voice: "Come, hurry upl
don't want to stand here all night
Bell and myself were the last men to
leave the car, but fortunately the hole
in the bottom escaped the notice of the
man with the lantern. AS soon as the
prisoners were out we were formed by
fours, my companion and myself bring
ing up the rear with another prisoner,
who was suffering from infammatory
rheumatism and who moved with much
| pain and difficulty Somebody near the
head of the line called out
How far are we to march, captain?'
Its right smart walk for night
like this was the unsatisfactory re-
sponse
Tonight, if we uns is shot TO hitr"
whispered Bell. and he emphasized his
words by grip on my arm.
The guard at the rear of the line, evil
IDENTIFY of the home variety, was tall,
gaunt man of sixty, with detected air
slouchy walk and an utter lack of in
terest IN the count of the prisoners that
was made as soon as we left the cars.
There were five lanterns along the line,
and excepting that carried by the man
who seemed to have taken command,
they were all circular, tin affairs with
perforations, through which the light of
the tallow dip within strained. When
the line was formed the nearest of these
lanterns was about thirty feet to our
front, and was carried by man who
stood off about ten feet to the left of the
\ line
The guards must see that the prison.
ers are kept closed upr'
This command came down the line
from the man with the best lantern; then
the order "Marchlr was given, and we
started off through mud so thick and
tenacious that it threatened to pull our
boots off at every step 1t was not till
we got away from the lights Of the
shabby little station that we realized
how intensely dark it was. Before we
had gone 300 yards the line had lost
formation and prisoners and guards were
struggling and staggering through the
mud. Although helped along by two
friends, our rheumatic comrade finally
came to stop and said to the guard:
you can kill me if you want to, for
it will kill me to go another hundred
yards. I'm played out"
Thar amt no way to tote you as
see," said the perplexed guard
Cant you get a stretcher or an am
bulanceT some one asked
"We amt got no sich things in Mil
len ez ever heard on. said the guard.
We had come to halt. and mean
while the others had gone on twenty or
thirty yards, and the dim light from the
swaying lanterns was not sufficient to
enable us to see each others forms.
Since leaving the station Bell and had
walked holding each others hands so as
to be able to communicate without
speaking when the time for action came
Bel pressed my hand and drew me away
in the direction of the line, but before
we had gone five PAGES he turned sud-
denly to the right, for in the distant left
there were few lights burning that in
dicated habitations. A steady east wind
and the swish of the rain prevented our
being heard. II indeed the guard took
any notice Of our departure, which is
doubtful. We crossed a ditch. knee
deep with water, and were in the act of
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