St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-12-08


Save In lone niRht-ttmos, i, may be,
When they and thou shall know it not
Their shining mskes some pathway bright;
One hears thee AS he tolls along.
And passes onward through the night.
Glad In thets srlendor ana thy song
a St J. Aacock, In Chambers Journal
STORY OF SHELL ANNIE.
An Incident Of Sherman's March
to the Sea.
come into Atlanta from the south.
Oh, no, in the natural course of
.cvents he must have certainly shoul-
.dered his way right straight on from
the north, and accordingly the grim
and grimy, frayed ont fragments OF
Hoods confederate army wallowed in
the sitting trenches all along the
vast semi-circular line of outworks
that tAced the valley Of the Chatta-
hoocEee and commanded the ap-
pros.ches from the Allatoons hills be-
yo.ld.
But he of the eagle eve was a strate-
gist. He wanted to cut of 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
Gus trip-hammer of war he struck them
from the south, thus cutting of their
lines Of supplies by the Georgia rail-
road. Then followed those terrible
days which wound up with the fierce
onslaught of July %. when the hope
less, half-starved southern men, the
gallant men Of the west. met in q
mighty gladiatorial contest which re-
suited in the fall of Atlanta
These are matters for the historian,
but what / am going to recount is one
of those wild. weird romances with
which this terrible conflict was so
fr1ught. and here is the strange story:
''On to the sea-" was the watchword
of Shermans 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 q little inland town,
nestled amid field and forest, inter
spersed with beautiful undulating
hills and grassy valleys green with the
hope of the harvest, but little suited
rs q defensive point for the bruised
and battered legions who were recoil-
erp clD lev t,v~ ha
Breastworks had been hastily thrown
up fanking the line of the Central
railroad, and in the bitches behind
them the struggling remnants of obsti.
nate confederates were entrenched.
1t was a gloriously beautiful sum-
mer day when the skirmish line Of the
northern hosts debouched from the
works and took up position in trent of
these brcastworks..
Taken by surprise after relying in
vain on the ability of the southern
troops to check the onfiow of the le-
gions 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.
Az the sun rose over the swelling
ridges the eyes Of the soldiers Of either
army caught the CLEAN Of 4 little
white tent, half hidden in q wood just
little to the left Of the line of attack,
and above it fiuttered . tiny white flag.
no bigger than a mans hand.
It was a wonan's handkerchief, and
all the chivalrous feelings of the
American soldier were aroused as the
grim veterans caught sight of that lit
tie appealing bit of cambria 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 crashing
ACROSS field and wood from either di-
rection, never . gunner trained his
piece toward a point near that little
white house.
The battle was fiercely 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-
umphant victors
u
boy. Otto Barden. of a Pennsylvania
regiment. passed by the little white
tent in the wood.
Guards in blue uniform surrounded
it. and while the smoke of battle
swirled above and around there was a
plaintive cry from the tent, and the
stalwart surgeon lifted the flap of the
little tent and emerged followed by IN
old negress. bearing in her arms .
tiny. white bundle.
please God, marsa. is You gwinter
take us of ter de norf?" walled she.
with the big tears coursing down her
withered face. It'll sho' kill Miss
Annie eff yo' does"
mot bit of it, old lady, not . bit
of it." replied the good-natured sur
geon, with . smile.
Hello. Otto, you're the very boy I
want This is your prize. rs you are
nearest her age. and we are going to
detail you to take charge of this wee
prisoner and see that the little reb
don't escape"
The rough soldiers came crowding
around for peep at the prisoner, and
many eyes hlled with tears OF tender
ness rs they gazed on the baby that
had first seen the light in such grew.
some surroundings.
"Aip't il = wonder that she and the
mother were not blown to pieces?'
said the sergeant.
..It is. indeed" replied the corporal.
..for look there where stray shell cut
its way through the bushes as clean as
Q knife"
well. boys. she is our prize. Let us
christen ler. for time is up, and the
Johnnies are waiting for us behind
some bush heap down the road Come.
Otto. speak mp. You shall have the
honor of naming the little miss. said
I the surgeon.
Call her Shell Annie said the boy.
Is his mind reverted to his own or
phAned days, because she was saved
from that she'll"
S>us2nsA fhn Ss,xUnnm