The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-13
NEVER SHOT A YANKEE.
Ey-GOV. Savers Relates Some War
Experiences.

Confederate Omcer Fear Butler
Would Hang Him-one Time When
He Was Really Frightened-Har
Fighting With Gen. Canby's Forces
in the southwest-Why he Decided
Not to Shoot.
From the Chicago Times.
Ex-Gov. Sayers, the new chief of the
snDropriation committee, is a short, stout
parsonage, 1orid as to face, gray as to
hair and mustache. Gov. Sayers, how
ever. has escaped the bald spot, which is
such success in the landscape garden
ing. adopted in reference to the heads of
some other lawmakers.
The governor has had considerable war
experience. The other day, in recounting
some of the accidents which befall the
soldier, he went on to say
The time when l was really frightened
during the war was down in Louisiana.
Twas mighty young then. 1 was full of
ardor and enthusiasm, and was strongly
in for the side of the south. 1 came up
out of Texas with a company. One day
we captured a battery of six guns. They
were brass, and the most beautiful things
Think l ever saw in my life, at least 1
thought so then. They gave the battery
to me and l was as proud as a boy of a
pair of new boots. put in most of my
spare time hauling it around and trying
to get into trouble with it. l took two
guns and waded and pushed through the
swamps and uiorasses to the Mississippi
Here, after considerable lying in wait. l
managed to involve myself with a gun
Nv of "a CHI I
sunk the boat.
"Most of her people got away, and af-
terward appeared in New Orleans AT
that time Butler had possession. These
people gave terrific account of their ex-
perience, and told what a horrible crea-
ture and utterly blood thirsty citizen ]
was. They went on to say that l fred
into their gunboat after they had surren-
dered This was not true. l would not
be guilty of any such outrage anyhow,
and aside from that didn't have the am
munition. However, their account of the
fight was published in the New Orleans
papers, then under control of Butler, and
l was set forth in all sorts of disgraceful
colors in both the headlines and the arti-
Giles themselves.
GOT REAL TROUBLE AT LAST.
"Some time afterward l got into all the
trouble l needed. Even l was satisfied.
We got into fight one afternoon. There
were about 1900 men on the confederate
side and perhaps thousand or two more
Oh the federal. / was over on the right
of the battle. was so successful that l
managed to attract the attention of six
yankee batteries all at once. And the
way they pumped shot and shell into me
certainly made the affair very thrilling
episode in my career. Just to show you
how hard and close these yankees were
shooting l want to say that in forty min
utes they dismounted two of my guns and
killed or wounded at least forty-five of
my sixty-six men. You could plant corn
where my battery stood. it was so plowed
up and narrowed and raked by that can
nonading.
That was the time when I was so
frightened which / referred to in the be-
ginning. was standing near the No l
gun. A man by the name of Thompson
was aiding in reloading the piece. lie
had just stepped forward with the ram
mer when a shell tore his breast open,
and he fell over on the gun like a wet
towel. l ordered another man to the
place, and he got there just in time to
catch minnie bullet through his mouth.
1t came out back of his ear. This man
afterward got well, however. l ordered
the third man to the place, and something
seemed to reach down out of the atmos-
phere-a piece of shell, Ireckon-and hit
him on the top of the head l then took
the place myself. l had not been there
more than a minute when my leg seemed
to give way and fell to the ground. l
could not tell what had happened,
though [ remember thinking
must be hurt could not
feel anything. and the question of what
was the matter was a mystery. just at
this time shot from the yankees blew
up my ammunition wagon. l had 1000
rounds of ammunition in big army
wagon about 100 feet to the rear of my
battery, This all went up at once, and it
Is no prOfane expression to say it seemed
to me as if hell had broke loose in my
rear. 1t was good thing, however, for
the thick smoke, heavy as a blanket,
swept down over my battery and covered
It up. The yankees must have thought
they had blown us off the earth, for they
ceased firing. I still lay wondering what
was the matter with ME. At last one of
my men came down and pulled me out to
one side.
What's the matter, captain7' he said.
1 don't know L replied. 4 reckon
I'm hurt
COULDN'T FIND SCRATCH.
He tore open my coat. had on
white shirt, and, bar powder stains, it
eNtlutu al TlEnC. 1lef6 was no DlOOQ on
II at any rate. had on high cavalry
boots lifted up one foot and told him
10 pull of the boot. 1t came of, and
there didn't seem to be anything the mat
ter
1T was then that I began to get STAN
Peoed. | wondered if / had actually
tainted in the sight of two armies. The
Coll respiration broke out over me as l
IeIected that l was certainly disgraced,
ana tnat the next move would be the res
igHdtlon of my commission and the turn
ing over of my saber. l felt mighty weak
ABOUT 1t, but had one last chance. l
IN Yea up my right foot and told him to
pun on the boot. AS l lifted it up about
quart Of blood ran out of it. l never
ie.l so delighted about anything in my
ne. l would not take gold for that
Uood. The bullet had gone clear
through my ankle. and it makes consid-
eI1Ole difference with my getting around
even now
mat night il started to rain. They
.du taken me into one of the negro shan
otes. We had been fighting on sugar
zane plantation. and there was lot of
.t'eSe miserable huts scattered about, and
.De5 mad turned them into hospitals for
sHg wounded. Our surgeon came around
aug took look at my leg, then went out
q T,t Add pow-wow with another doctor.
"Aeu ne came back he said:
Joe, III have to cut your leg off, l
FUSED up in minute and said:
III no h ( will I'M