The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-14
A C0NFEDERATE'S JOKE.
Sorry of an Adjournment Of the
Georgia Legislature.
Tho Motion Was Made by Citizen Of Ten
ncsseo Under the Benign Influence
of "Mounsain Dow" It
Passed the House.

1t is not often that an outsider,
especially if this outsider be a cit
izen of another state, can adjourn a
session of a legislature, yet this hap
pened once when the legislature of
the state of Georgia was adjourned
by o Tennesseean, says the Wash
ington Post. 1t all happened in the
fall of 1864, during the late civil
war and just after the battle of
franklin, Tenn.
1t will be remembered that the
battle of Franklin was o most dis
astrous one to the confederates so
far as loss of men was concerned.
Hood was in command OF the con-
federate forces, having recently
succeeded Gen. Johnston, and he
was foolish enough to think that he
could capture the Yankee forces
when they were ensconced behind
impregnable breastworks.
The action of Hood md the criti-
cism to which he has been subjected
on account of his management of af-
fairs during this and other battles
is a part Of history and has nothing
to do with the story which Con-
gressman McDearmon, of the Ninth
Tennessee district, was telling to q
crowd of friends. It was just after
this battle of Franklin, however,
and the confederate army was some
what demoralized, none of them lik-
Ing Hood as a commanding officer,
when Congressman McDearmon,
then q private in the rear rank, in
company with "Knapp" Gillespie,
of Humboldt, T enn., was making his
way to the army in North Carolina
to join their command.
On their way they passed through
Georgia and CHANGED to- stop in
Milledg dgeville, then the capital of the
state. The two confederate soldiers
were feeling pretty good, having on
their rounds been fortunate enough
to get hold Of o good supply Of
mountain dew" when, strolling
down the streets of Milledgeville,
they stopped in front of q little
church, and, learning from some
passerby that the Georgia legislature
was in session in the church, they
walked in.
The proceedings Of the session
were not Of an exciting nature, at
least not enough so to interest men
who had so lately been stirred to
action by the trumpet's blare and
the canuon's roar, and after listen
ing to the dull routine for half an
hour Lieut.. Gillespie, emboldened by
o goodly load Of mountain dew, "
rose from his seat and moved that
"the legislature do now adjourn. !"
Some old member from o back dis
,trict of Georgia promptly seconded
the motion. ITO what hour shall
the adjournment be?" asked the
chairman. -"Till eight o'clock" re-
piled Lieut.. Gillespie, and the mo-
tion was put and carried.
After adjournment some Of the
members got onto the joke, and
McDearmon and Lieut.. Gillespie
were the heroes of the hour, and
when they left Milledgeville they
had added considerably to their sup
ply of mountain dew" This is
the only instance on record where a
legislature was ever adjourned on
motion of an outsider, and Congress
man McDearmon vouched for the
truth of the story. Itmay be added
that these were war times, and since
that time both McDearmon and
Gillespie have reformed all their
wicked ways.
IT. Nrrhoe3n,