Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-03

lished to Us. and we usually mixed the
meal with plain water and made 1t into
pancakes ON half can,eens.
Nv terminate at this time was Adju-
taAt $. H. NJ Byers. Fifth Iowa infan-
try. now well known as magazine
writer, then known in Camp Sorghum
rs the author Of the lyric, "Sherman's
March TO the Sea" which composition
ultimately placed him snugly ON the
generals staff. Lieutenant Byers claims
to have thus given the name to that pic
turesque march, which had previously
been called Sherman's Georgia cam
paign. the Savannah campaign, etc.
Some time before we left Charleston
Lieutenant Sill had been sent, with sew
eral other officers. 10 Atlanta for ex-
change. and Byers and /, as his legiti-
mate heirs, had come into possession OF
some shirts and a round Of dried beef,
the only items in a box from home
which had escaped the greed OF the au-
thorities.
At Macon the stockade had been an
insurmountable barrier; at Charleston
our parole had been equally restraining
was restless enough at all times, even
Oh starvation rations. but high feeding
on dried beef, with the open fields in
full view, speedily renewed my ambi-
tion for travel
On Sunday morning, scarcely more
chan q week after our arrival at Column
bia, Lieutenant Byers and /, III the
morning chopping hours, concealed two
tin cups and two blankets under a heap
of brush, which, if we failed to reach
that night, we could easily reclaim the
next day. We seem TO have been conf
dent of gettiug out, for we doubled our
wooden shirts and slowed supply Of
dried beef between those garments above
the belt. About O'Clock we started ont
to prospect Between the hours Of In
the morning and in the evening the
guard line Oh the west face OF the camp
was so extended as to take in a stream
of clear water, thus including during
the day a considerable area which was
outside the camp at night. We observed
q number of prisoners cutting down
large pine tree near the water, which
soon fell with a loud crash. As the
choppers trimmed off the thick boughs
and heaped them together We also OBJ
served that several of the party disap-
peared under the mass Of pine needles.
II undiscovered, these officers would be
outside the guard line after the O'Clock
contraction, and when it became suffi-
ciently dark they could emerge from
their hiding place free men.
Accepting this brilliant suggestion.
Lieutenant Byers and promptly crawled
under another brush heap, where we lay
sweltering for an hour or more await
ing the change in the line. When that
event took place, the guard walked d.
rectly to the pine tee top. and prodding
the boughs with their bayonets drove
ont the concealed officers. Straightway
from nearly every brush heap on the
hillside one or more United States OFF,
GERS emerged and retreated into camp.
Lieutenant Byers and ! foremost among
| the discomfited.
My next attempt half hour later
was more original in conception. more
reckless in execution and more conspicu-
ous in its ignominious failure. At the
point where the inner guard line crossed
the road leading to the water several
hundred officers were wont to congre-
| gate at O'Clock to watch the posting OF
the relief. The gathering twilight IA
vored my hastily conceived plan. From
a neighboring wood pile I Iselected stick
| about the length of q gun, and throwing
u gray blanket over my shoulders to
conceal my uniform took my stand in
| the front rank Of the spectators and
awaited the arrival Of the relief. When
the guards halted at the post In front Of
Oh, ahouldered my wooden gun and
! slipped unseen to the rear OF the column
at the moment when the command to