Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-04-30


dayb before we crossed the bridge.
We hurried up the long hill by the
light o. the Oostanaula bridge that was
burning, and away we went on long
trot until We got to Chambers mill, and
stopped 10 rest, and Tip-the faithful
Tip-made . fire on the side Of the road
and boiled US some coffee and we drank IL
and gave the children some bread and
meat and away we went again, for al.
most every moment some stray horse
man would gallop by US and say: Hurry
up! Hurry up! The Yankees have got
across the river and are coming ONT Oh,
1t was an awful time"
/ let her rest and ruminate awhile.
and then she said: "It was almost as
bad when we journeyed home, near the
close of the war. l never will forget
that evening whom we drove down the
hill to Steel's bridge on the Canton road
and one of the little boys fell out OF tho
wagon and the hind wheel came within
an inch of running over his head. and
when we got to the bridge the floor was
gone-not q plank was on it-nothing
but the sleepers, and not soul on Mr..
Steel's place, for they, too, had run
away. 1t was the only bridge that was
left on the long river, and thero wasn't
a ferry for miles and miles. 1 renem-
ber how helpless and forlorn we teit
until Mr.. Sanders overlook US there
with his team, and you and Tip ana M.
Sanders and his teamsters counted the
old planks that were scattered on the
bank and saw there were enough to
cross on. and all hands went to work
and laid two rows, end to end, just VIDE
enough apart for the wheels to run on.
and then pull all the wagons and the
rockaway over by hand and Tip swan
the mules and horses across and you
walked the plank with the baby in your
arms, and then came back for me and
the children, and we all got over some
how, but l wouldn't try 1t again for .
million dollars"
"You bad got hardened to trouble. !"
said l. "You expected trouble all those
long and weary years and when 1t came
you faced it bravely. Ibelieve that the
women of the war endured their trials
with more courage than the men. They
never surrendered nor asked for quarter,
and if it had been their fight they
would have been fighting yet. They
may talk about the daughters OF the
old revolution, b 1t they made no more
sacrifices for their country than our
women did in our unhappy struggle for
southern rights.
"And that night" said 1, 1--WE drove
about ten miles in the dark huntins Tor
human habitation and fognd none, Tor
thew had been burned. and We camped
| in an old school-house, that had hre-
place but no floor, and the fleas were
awful. There was an old log stable by
the schoolhouse and the two Oldest boys
| tied the mules and the horse in these
and slept in the troughs with their
| loaded guns, for there were still some
lawless scouts and deserters in the
country who would rather steal mule
than to find one estrayed. The nexs
day we made for home. We passed
| Cass station, that had been burned, ana
the carcases of dead horses were lying
all around. The buzzards had pickles
| them to their skin and bones. There
we're some wrecks Of wagons and caisons
living around, and iron tires and axles
were piled up all about. When we
reached Cassville we hardly knew where
we were, for the town was utterly de-
stoyed. There was nothing left but
| chimneys and college walls-not o
human being nor domestic animal-not
dog nor q cat nor bird nor rabbit. :
A wear before it was the most beauti-
ful town in north Georgia, the seat OF
i culture and schools and churches ana
colleges. All the evening 1t showed .
blizzard, but we got homo that night
about o'clock and drove up to the front
gate of a relative who was too old to run
away and stayed to weather tho horrors
OF war. When knocked at the door he
came, and before he unlocked and un'
barred said in eau tious voice "Wne
ia it, and what do you want?" 1t took
some time to assure him Of our identity
and to gain admission for the tired wife
and little children. Next day we found
our once beautiful homo wreck.
Everything we had left In the housa
was rome. The fence around 1t was
gone. The shrubbery was destroyed.
but the dwelling was there, and We
moved in. For weeks we slept on the
floor in borrowed beds, but We went to
work and patched up what we COULD
and were happy in our desolation.
That was the aftermath Of war. Ills
seldom that we recall it, for it seems
like q sacred history and always brings
up sad memories Of the dead
whom we loved and lost. When my
wife counts up her age she says: II am
tempted to say with old Jocob, Few
and evil have been the days Of the
years Of my pilgrimage. but l still count
the war ten years and the reconstruc-
ton period ten more, and that makes me
an old woman"
Butt dont-not gray hair yet, and
passed her OF - my daughter coming
from Florida. Ny pass was issued to
yself and daughter by mistake. The
conductor ON the jacksonville, Tampa
and Key West Railroad looked at me
and at her - she sat opposite; then II
the pass again and then at mo and II
her and punched the pass and won't on.
satisfied, though think he thought she
was an ancient sort Of . girl.