The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-10-04


from the time they left franklin, mid.
die o. March, Till they got to Natchi-
tochcs-Mackintosb, the darkies call
it, There was good foraging every
day and big sugar houses every few
miles. Did you ever drink any sugar
house rum2 Well, you don't want to.
"Aiter we left Nntchitochcs we got
into the piney woods; wasn't but one
road through the hull State, | guess,
and that WA narrow-just about room
for two teams to pass.
"Well, Banks had his hull army,
about 10000 men-.they'd make n lins
morcn three miles long-nn' | don't
know how many batteries ofartillcry,
an about 10 miles % wagons-had
them along to fetch back the cotton bo
expected to get--all stretched out on
this one rond. But the wagons and
the troops did't get along first rate
and some how or other the wagons got
most ahead of the army. The regiment
! belonged to was on wagon train
guard one day-'twas the 9Th of April
an long in the afternoon we heard
firing ahead. Us fellows in the ranks
didn't know there war n rcb around.
Banks didn't nnther, guess,
"Well, We kept ON moving up the
road kind o. slow, nm doubling up
the wagons thick till the hull road was
rhock full. We couldn't go ahead and
couldn't turn out to get by, cause Of
the heavy woods on both sides,so there
we was stuck, an the fighting was
getting hotter in front every minute.
No use guarding the wagons any more
they couldn't get away; nobody
couldn't get 'om; so we marched of
toward the front.
"Jcst fore dark we come to little
clearing, and formed line of battle on
the right of the road. There wasn't no
fighting after dark, but we laid on our
arms all night, an could here troops
marching and wagons rolling the hull
night long, though we didn't know
what 1t meant.
"Soon's it came daylight wo got or
dcrs to move. There wasn't any troops
In sight nor nary wagon. We started
along back down the road We had
come up the day before, scairt expect
ing every minute the rebs would take
MS in the rear; but they didn't, an
after we'd marched two or three milei
we got careless again, AN things seemed
just as they had all the time.
"Bout 8 o'clock. when we got 'mosi
back to Pleasant Hill, we heard big
noise behind us. A squad of cavalry
came flying down the road, turning ir
their saddles and firing behind ZEN
fast as they could with their sever
shooting carbines. They rode right
into us, shooting and holloring 'Th,
rebel cavalry is comingl Git out O..
the wayl Fore we could realize what
II all meant they had passed us an
gone on to the front. Then the was o
valley In the rear, and the bullets sung
around our heads lively, an then We
skedaddled. Less'n two winks the
wasn't man in the road. Every one
of 'em took to the woods. The under.
brush was so thick you couldn't see q
rod, an the bushes tripped us up, and
every man that went down left every
thing behind him that wasn't fast to
him. Then we begun to strip down to
business. Guns we pitched away, then
knapsacks, an overcoats. an haver-
sacks, an canteens, an belts, an
straps.
swell, we jest cleaned ourselves, an
how we did run. We run for about Q
mile till we got to Pleasant Hill.
where there was clearing There we
found Our brigade in line o. battle. We
went on to tina rear of them, but it took
us more'n an hour to git our wind and
to gather our wits enough .to know
whether we was regiment of soldiers
or jest lot o. scaift Yankees" Nat.