The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-02-12
a VETERANS STORY.

down from three sides upon bis dominated
regiment and compelled ID to surrender.
"Tbat was my unhappiest moment" Then
he looked into the CRATE fire for a time
without speaking, He was reviewing
events Of the most eyentful period of his
life.
"They hurried us to the rear Of their
army" continued this softened, kindly
old gentleman, threw guard around us,
telling the officer in charge to shoot all
prisoners who should try to make their
escape.
"We had been fighting from early in the
morning until we were captured, which
was about the middle of tho afternoon,
and had begun before light repast was
finished, SO you may imagine we had a
feeling Of all goneness' soon after the guard
was placed over u.s. Did our entertainers
celebrate the event by tendering banquet,
with toastsp Not that I recall. We lay
there the balance of the day, all night and
until nearly evening the next day before
anything was done in our behalf, unless 1t
was to put on new guard. That evening
they marched us, still unfed to the sta.
ton, dealt out cup of cornmeal and a
chance to prepare our own banquet after
fast of 4S>hours, deducting swallow Of
coffee and few bites of hard bread.
well, as think back, 1t seems to me
that nothing have ever eaten tasted bet
ter than the cornmeal mush and raw ba-
con of that first banquet after our capture
No, we didn't have toasts, nor was there
an orchestra or, glee club to supply ban.
quet music. My, but how good that lnush
was, If it was saltless, sugarless, cream.
less-eyen if it was just plain, half cooked,
unslfted meal. And the baconp Lord, but
those southerners know how to make ba.
con!
"As soon as the meal was over they or.
dered lis into freight cars bound for At.
lanta. I remember that when the order
came l was in the full enjoyment of hold.
ing the rind of my chunk of bacon in my,
mouth 1t was there when I fell asleep,
but was gone when awoke. | shall never
forget the feeling of poverty, the sharp dis.
appointment which came to Inc, when the
discovery was made that the sweet morsel
was gone. l chided myself for going to
sleep and running the risk of losing so
precious a possession.
GAS l remember, 1t was about noon
when we reached Atlanta. They told us
to get out of the cars There were two
long freight train loads of us. What
sorry looking crowd wo were! There had
been DO chance to wash since the fight
Faces and hands were almost as black as
the slaves who stood about gazing open
mouthed, at the queer assortment of Gagged
Yankees Men, women and children
white and black, gathered about us in
large numbers. A very pretty girl got
quite close to us as we were growing
about being hungry and unwashed.
thought she was sorry for us. Maybe she
was child of Unionist, and ventured to
ask her if she wouldn't got us a mouthful
of food. You ought to have seen her! /
never saw so much scorn under q summer
hat. No, you nasty Yankee beasts, not to
save your lives! My pa is with Longstreet.
l wish he had killed all of you!' / stopped
looking for sympathy. Wonder what be-
came Of that girlf She was as pretty as
two peaches, but, gracious, what little
rebel she was--about rs one of my girls
would have been under the same circum.
stances
"Thcrc were Union men there We saw
some Of them. An old man of 60 edged up
close to the prisoners and quietly asked
squad of them if they would be good
enough to sing. While they were in far
better trim for gormandlzing than testing
their vocal organs, Il leader of the squad
asked the old gentleman what he would
have.
"'Anything, gentlemen-anything that
you are in tho habit of singing to your
army or at tho north. I'm as hungry for
real, patriotic songs as you are for food.
My good wife has gone to bring you what
food we have cooked. 1t will be here SOON
Let's give him "Rally Round the
Flag" boys, said a sergeant.
"Then their clear young voices rang out
with the dear old song, which l never hear
without thinking of that Atlanta scene.
"At first only few sang, but when the
second verse began all of those 5000 pris-
oners who could sing, and you know most
of us could sing in those days, were swell
ing the chorus. We all forgot our hunger
and our desire to clean up, our unhappy
state and sang as never before.
- Sing it again; please sing it again,
pleaded the old man, and it was repeated.
After that came The Star Spangled Ban
ner. While this was being rendered l saw
many u face in that throng Of citizen on
lockers lose its scOrnful look. and become
serious. l saw tears on the cheeks of sew
eral old men and women. Our particular
old friend wcpt like child, and when u
pompous young second lieutenant Of the
guard force gave an order to stop the mr-
sic, he said: No. Lot them sing. It's the
sweetest sound I've heard for more than
two years I shy stop it., responded the
snip with shoulder straps.
AT that moment n general officer rode
up. Tho old man went up to him and re-
ported the order of the lieutenant and
asked that it be countermnndod.
1t shall be. Let them sing. It does
them good and don't hurt us. The lieu
tenant has been doing guard duty too
long Well let him go to the front, where
he can hear different music. Maybe he
will like that better. l didn't and the
general tapped cork leg with his gloved
hand.
"What of the old gentleman who wanted
some United States songs? Oh, he, l
guess, was the happiCst man in Atlanta.
His wife came up with basket of provi
sions. Her corn bread, pickles and cooked
rice were awfully good.
II guess yo' alls had better keep yo
vittlics for we alls, said Georgia homo
guard when meh and women moved up to
pass to the prisoners bread and meat
Gwen sec about that too, said the old
Union man. and he started to hunt up the
one legged general again, but before he got
buck an order had been given to move over
to two trains bound for Richmond, Dan
vile and other towns noted for their no.
tells for the accommodation of such as We
Some stopped at Danvillc, more at Rich
mond and Belle isle, and many of them
are there yet. As l said at the outset, that
was my unhappicst momcnt'-thc timo
they grabbed us Mt Chickamauga. j. A.
Wa,rous in Chicago Tribune.