Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-01-04

| old and young pretended TO De SdI1S-
| fed and confident as to the final out
come. There were dinners and recep-
tons, and people continued to marry
| and give in marriage.
It was very sad to wake up in the
morning and learn that the family next
door had been killed during the night
by shell, but such calamities had to
be endured. It was shocking to hear
that several young ladies and gentle
men or a few children had fallen vic
tins to the horrors Of the siege, but the
newspapers would then remind their
readers that such evils were only tenn
porary, and that in a few days Sher-
mans troops would be routed and driv-
en- back to Tennessee.
During the long summer days in Au-
gust the little children met and played,
and laughed joyously as the shells Whis-
tied above them. Ladies visited their
neighbors, and when they crossed from
one side of the town to the other they
waited until an occasional shower of
shells was over, just as they would for
an April rain, and then skipped mer-
rily homeWard, laughing at the mis-
haps Of the day.
Grave merchants and lawyers never
missed a day at their places Of bust
ness. Sometimes they were disturbed
or killed by stray missile, OF they
were summoned to the assistance of
neighbor who had been wounded in this
manner, but they never complained and
never lost their nerve.
They seemed to believe from the first
that Sherman would be defeated.
The siege had lasted nearly forty
days before the citizens began to de-
spair Then there was trouble and con-
fusion Most of the Well-to-do people
left Atlanta, but they found it impossi-
BILE to carry their goods and furniture
with them. Everything in the shape Of
property had to be left behind for the
plunderers.
The situation rapidly grew desperate,
who We're left in the city. They found
it almost impossible to get anything to
eat, and they were in constant dread of
what would happen when the Federals
should enter, flushed with victory and
maddened by the resistance of the Con-
federates These helpless and disheart-
ened men. women and children who
Were unable to seek place of refuge
held many consultations, but they were
unable to afford one another much con-
ISOLATION. They realized that they were
seeing the beginning of the end.
Day by day and night by night the
besieged inhabitants lost more and
more of their spirit and confidence, and
spent more of their time in the bomb
proofs in their back yards. These
bomb-proofs were holes dug in the
ground and covered with wood, iron
and clay. Some of them accommodated
large families and afforded such ample
protection that no one was killed in
them during the siege.
The trouble grew worse, and finally,
one hot night in the early part of Sep
TENDER, when pail of yellow dust
hung over the city, there was general
feeling Of unrest and despair.
Not word was spoken by the off
Gals, but it was plain that something
unusual was going to happen. During
the night the army wagons and march
ing men made the streets noisy and
dusty until the early morning hours,
when a volcano broke loose in the east
ern part Of the town in the shape of sew
enty carloads of ammunition which
the Confederates were blowing up
Everybody knew what that meant It
meant the evacuation of the place.
When the next morning daWned ev-
erything was quiet. Hoods army had
departed, and only the unarmed citi-
zens were left.
A few hours later Sherman's legions
had occupied every street and square
and vacant house. To do the conquer
ors Justice, they behaved very well.
They committed no ourrages. and treat
ed the citizens considerably in the
main.
In a few days everything settled
down: the citizens were sent either
north OF south; and Sherman's $4,000
men held the place as fortified camp
until they started on their famous
march to the sea.
| Changed His Mind in Later Years.
| The Baltimore Sun says: capt. Il. +.
Park, of Macon, Ga, was in Fort Della
ware prison with Col. John r. Fellows,
the famous, New York attorney, who
died recently. Col. Fellows was at that
time only 20 years of age but was one
of the staunchest and most loyal adj
herents Of the Confederacy. In the
prison with Capt. Park and Col. Eel
lows were a number Of other Confed-
crates, all of whom were required to
sign the oath of allegiance to the United
States. Col. Fellows, who even then
had gained some fame as an orator, be-
came so indignant at the request Of the
prison officials that he mounted a bar