Arizona republican., 1894-11-02
STORY OF SHELL ANNIE,
An Incident of Sherman's March
 to the Sea.

Oh, no, in the natural course O,
 events he must have certainly shoul
 dered his way right straight on from
 the north, and accordingly the grim
 and grimy, frayed out fragments o1
 Hoods confederate army widowed in
 the stifing trenches all along the
 vast semi-circular line of outworks
 that faced the valley of the Chatta-
 hoochee and commanded the ap
 breaches from the Allatoona hills be.
 yond.
 But he of the eagle eye was strate
 gist. He wanted to cut off and coop
 up the gray jackets in the city, and for
 that reason he quietly marched the
 larger part of his army up the west
 ern bank of the river eight or ten
 miles, flung them across the river, and
 with mighty swing of that ponder
 ous trip-hammer of war he struck them from the south, thus cutting off their lines of supplies by the Georgia rail- road. Then followed those terrible days which wound up with the fierce onslaught of July 22, when the hope less, half-starved southern men, the gallant men of the west, met in a mighty gladiatorial contest which re- suited in the fall of Atlanta.
 These are matters for the historian but what I am going to recount is one of those wild, weird romances with which this terrible conflict was so fraught, and here is. the strange story:
 ''On to the sea" was the watchword of Sherman's armies, and the sullen and dogged retreat of the confederates to Jonesboro was the first movement of the defeated and despairing confed- crates.
 Jonesboro was little inland town. nestled amid field and forest, inter- spersed with beautiful undulating hills and grassy valleys green with the hope ot the harvest, but little suited as defensive point for the bruised and battered legions who were recoil- ing slowly toward the southern sea.
 Breastworks had been hastily thrown up fanlSing the line of the Central railroad, and in the ditches behind them the struggling remnants of obsti- nate confederates were entrenched.
 It was gloriously beautiful sum- mer day when the skirmish line of the northern hosts debouched from the works and took up position in front of these breastworlSs..
 Taken by surprise after relying in vain on the ability of the southern troops to check the onflow of the le- glons of the conquering hosts, the women and children, led by the lame and the halt and the aged men of the country, were fleeing for life, panic stricken. and utterly demoralized.
 As the sun rose over the swelling ridges the eyes of the soldiers of either army caught the gleam of little white tent, half hidden in a wood inst little to the left of the line of attack. and above it fluttered tiny white flag, no bigger than Elan's hand.
 It was woman's handkerchief, and all the chivalrous feelings of the American soldier were aroused as the grim veterans caught sight of that llt- tie appealing bit of cambric floating there through the uprising mists of | war. The order was passed to respect that flag, and when the great guns be- gan their work and shot and shell were hurled blazing and crashine across field and wood from either di- rection, never a gunner trained his piece toward a point near that little white house.
 The battle was fercely fought, but the combat was of short duration. and as the shadows heightened eastward the southern troops were seen in full retreat, leaving the field to the tri- victors.
 As they swept forward drummer boy, Otto Harden, of a Pennsylvania regiment, passed by the little white tent i1 the wood.
 Guards in blue uniform surrounded 1t, and while the smoke of battle swlrled above and around there was a ola1ntive cry from the tent, and the stalwart surgeon lifted the flap of the little tent and emerged followed by an old negress, bearing in her arms a tiny. white bundle.
 Please God, marsa, is you gwinter take us off ter de norf?' walled she, with the big tears coursing down her 1ithered face. It'll sho' kill Miss Annie eff yo' does"
 Not a bit of it, old lady, not a bit 'f it," replied the good-natured sur yeon, with smile.
 Hello, Otto, you're the very boy I want. This is your prize, as you are learest her age, and we are going to tetail you to take charge of this wee prisoner and see that the little reb lon't escape"
 The rough soldiers came crowding .round for a peep at the prisoner, and many eyes filled with tears of tender