The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-11-21
SUMTER S. c., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 81, 1884,
;1on't need no chaWin. %


don't need no chawin. y
.tOf course, acquiesced the general.
stLook me- over, Gineral Thomas.
! Look me up one side and down the
other, good and hard. y
The old man leaped from his chair.
He was straight as an Indian. consider
ably over feet in height, there was no
fat on him, and every muscle, as he
braced himself for inspection, stood out
like wrought steel.
General Thomas obeyed the old man,
and his fine eyes lit up with admiration
as he said:
stYou have been powerful man in
your time, Mr.. Beatty. -
1.In my timer repeated the old man.
eyes, when you were younger, .
laughed the general
General Thomas, by G., I never
was braggin nor bettin man, and you
don't look like ez eff you was any sich
yo'self, though TIL allow you'd be a
ID hard man to tackle without out
side help, but if so be I can't take any
two sojers a-wearin blue in this h'ar
camp and down 'em as fast ez they can
git up, and without a-shuckin my coat,
or you can go out thar and whistle up
two officers, and you needn't be 'tlcklar
to get small sizes, and if I can't put
'em both to wanst on my knee and
lather 'em like h-'--
s.But, my dear sir, y interrupted the
astonished general, '1I am quite willing
to take all this for granted Now, tell
me what I can do for you
esYou are not willin to take all this
fo' granted, said the old man, his eyes
flashing and his voice trembling with
excitement. Il come up h'ar-a-refu-
geein, with sich Of my kin and neigh
bors as is left. led 'em to the ole flag,
and thar was tears in my eyes whln l
seed her a-futterin ag'in the sky, like a
angels wing, but they wasn't the tears
of child or of weak ole man. When
I left the mountains and looked to God
and the moth star to guide me, I WASH t
out s'archin for nuss and a hospital
cot. Gineral, I come b ar to fight fo' the
flag and to lay down my life, if she's
needed, fo' the Union. Amt that far
and squar', and man to oman? Can't you
understand hit?''
81 certainly can, my friend and there
is no man who appreciates more fully
what the noble mountain men like
yourself are doing"
CHATS right, gineralp' cried old
Hugh, and IN his delight he reached out
and seized the officers hand ssNow you
know what I'm heah fo'?''
ssYes; to fight for the Union. !"
eyes, to fight fo' the Union every
day in the week and twice on Sundays,
eff need be. 70 fight fo' the Union from
July to eternity, eff SO be hit takes that
time to git the flag back to whar she
hez rightto float fo'evah and fo'evah.
Amenp'
s.But no one opposes your doing this, y
urged the general
ssBut thar does some one oppose,
thought
''Who?''
ga id little cuss ez could hide
in my pocket. They calls him muster
in officer. I'm sorry didn It pick
him up and spank him good whin he
told ME was too ole to fight, and so
refused to give me the cath. But I took
hit all the same, and / reckon he won't
have more oatas in yeah than 1ired
into him in five minutes And then, eff
hit hadn' t arbeen for. Colonel Speed Fry
-he'sa white man, he is-they'd had
guard to drive me out of this camp!
That's why I've come, gineral, and let
me say thar amt SO many good men
a-hankerin fo' fight that you uns can
afford to kick 'enn out like dog whin
they does show up.
Come with me, Hugh Beatty, and I
will be your military godfather, /" said
General Thomas, and he shook the old
mountaineer's hand and led him to the
quarters of the mastering officer, and
that night met the captain disguised
in an army overcoat, and he was as
proud Of his muster in as West Point
cadet is when he gets his first commits
sion.
Through Andrew johnson, who soon
after this became military governor of
Tennessee, Hugh Beatty was commits
stoned captain, but his knowledge Of
the mountains was so great that, Instead
of being assigned to regular command,
he was detailed to act as guide and
scout with the brigade which, under
Colonel Garfield, began spring cam
paign in 1862 against the Confederates,
who, under Humphrey Marshall, occu
pied the mountains along the head wa
tiers of the Big Sandy and extending
down to Cumberland Gap.
When the Union forces under our
General Morgan seized and fortified the
gap in the early summer, Captain Beat
ty applied for and received months
leave of absence At this point he was
only about s5 miles from his old home,
and although that territory was sup
posed to be inside the enemy's lines the
desire to see his wife and '.to l'arn how
things had gone with the wimmin folk
and the chillen ovah on Batty's crick''