The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-03-02
sArnLE OF oHIcKAMa uaA.
A Woman's "Reminiscences OF the
Stirring Days in 1s83-Touching
Incident About a South Carolina
SOldter

|
Mrs. w. IL FELTON, in Atlanta Constitution
} As the government has already made
a military park of the battlefield o
Chicamauga and monuments donated
by various States are being erected in
memory OF those who died in the car.
mage OF civil war, 1t is evident that
everything of value TO the future his.
torian should be recorded before the
persons who lived and were actors in
those stirring times have passed away
This Is true OF the various occurrences
passing events-as we'll as the statis.
tics OF the armies themselves and the
muster rolls Of their various com
mands.
lived near whore now reside when
General Bragg's army came out of
Gen. Rosecreans' advance. Everybody
knew a great battle was impending.
General Burnside had passed through
Cumberland Gap, occupying East Ten
nessee, and Confederate communica-
tion by the railroad running through
Knoxville to Virginia was cut off. 1t
became necessity to hold tho State
road or give up Georgia to the enemy.
A long drought had prevailed and the
atmosphere was full of dust, es troops
ana wagon trains passed and repassed,
supplemented by refugee travel south
| ward.
General Bragg expected to hold the
country and make a decisive engage
ment, entrenched in the coves and
great valleys of northwest Georgia,
and protected by the mountains and
ridges that had only q few accessible
gaps or outlets. AS the summer began
to wane the impending battle seemed
to be in every ones mind and on every
| ai
with excitement, and the country
| hooded with sensations and rumors.
| AS people, the Confederates were
bllndly sanguine, and to look back at
that crisis it would seem that We had
really nothing to expect but defeat, as
the Gordon was drawn closer in every
direction about us, while the outside
Zoe had unlimited liberty, supplies, am
munitlon and men to subjugate the
South.
L remember how confident we be-
came when the first loaded train passed
along, filled with troops, carrying Gen
Gral James LongstreeI's army corps to
General Bragg's relief The very next
day, II L mistake not one of these load
ed trains collided atoStigail's station,
now called Emerson, and eighteen
mangled soldiers we're taken out of the
wreck, and the dangerously wounded
were carried into Cartersville to be
cared for. The survivors were hurried
away to Ringgold, to become food for
powder and bullets. In few DAYS the
trains began to come hack filled with
wounded men taken directly from the
battle field and carried to the Atlanta
hospitals. Every sort of car was pushed
into service, and have seen the filthy
cattle cars, open to tho weather, filled
TO overhowing, with bloody men, who
had ridden all the way amid sitting
clouds of dust and under scorching
sun at midday. No doubt this discom.
fort was OF small moment to those who
bad been for days undert he storm of
shot and she'll. The citizens hastened to
their relief with food and fresh water.
Day after day we gathered at the
depot to haul out such supplies to tho
hungry and suffering men. Sometimes
the roofs of the box cars were crowded
with federal prisoners, as we Chamber
ed inside to feed and give water to the
wounded of our own army.
One day, after had done all could
In this line, saw a red silk handker-
chief huttering on the side of box
car, where an opening had been rudely
made to give air to some wounded SOL
diers on the inside. The handkerchief
was an lmprOvised curtain to shut off
the glaring sunlight. l climbed up
and peeped in to find an officer in uni
form painting with fever from severe
wound in his body. He said his COM
rade had gone for canteen of fresh
water and he could not eat. 1 begged
him to get off and go to my,home until he
was better No, he was too sick, and
his triend had been detailed to 60 to
Atlanta with him. He said his mother
was in Texas, cut off from him and no
letter could reach her. AS began to
cry, he caught my hand and said f: 81
would like to get we'll, to stand in de-
Tense for you good women in the
South" L waited until his comrade
returned and from his whispered words
L knew there was no hope. The brave
officer was dead before the train reach
ed Atlanta and he was an adjutant of q
Texas brigade.
The next day, as the train moved
southward, l was attracted by soldier
in cattle car calling, Lady! ladyp 1
found he was trying to make me under
stand that he had laid his comrade off
in the dust because ne was diving and
prayed to be put off that he might die
in quiet and the shade. rushed around
as soon az the track was clear to find
the poor man had been lifted into the
piazza OF a little store near by. He
WAS well dressed and his Negro servant
was absolutely daft with fright and ex-
citement. The soldier, I found, was
desperately i'll with pneu monia, and
had lain on the battlefield all the time.
Great shots cut of the tops OF the trees
and the mimic balls fell like hail on the
leaves 40 the lines swept forward and
backward over and around his pallet.
he was speechless and his tongue
was cracked and parched with fever.
| His own mother would not have known
] him to be a white man, SO begrimmed
, were his features, his hair and clothes
with the allpervading dust, which was
| shoe mouth deep in our streets. | put
the half-crazed darkey to beating the
dust out Of the blankets to make more
comfortable resting place for the sick
man until could get a stretcher from
the hospital Then tore up my hand
kerchief and rolling strips about my
anger swabbed out that poor mouth
uatil I heard hiA swallow. Priends
came to my assistance and helped mo
to wash off his face and hands until the
white skin put in an appearance. We
placed him on the strsoher, moved
him inside the store to dark and quiet
place and | famed him until his eyes
closed in sleep and exhaustion.
After long time Of waiting he stir.
red and murmured, "And Is this
heaven? Surely an angel came to take
OF me out OF my agony" The poor
man thought he had died and was at