The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-01
A VETERANS STORY.

HIS capture u6 the OF OnlckaIQauEl,
of the fierce charges and countercharges,
of the manner in which the enemy closed
down from three sides upon his decimated
regiment and compelled it to surrender.
THAT was my unhappiest moment. " Then
he looked into the CRATE fire for time
without speaking. He was reviewing
events Of the most eventful period of his
life.
''They hurried US to the rear Of their
army continued this softened kindly
old gentleman, ''thre7V guard around US,
telling the officer in charge to shoot ali
prisoners who should try TO make their
escape.
1--WE had been fighting from early in the
morning until we were captured, which
was about the middle of the 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 us. Did our entertainers
celebrate the event by rendering a banquet.
with toasts? Not that 1 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 it
was to put on a new guard That evening
they marched US, still unfed, to the sta
ton, dealt out cup of cornmeal and a
chunk of bacon for each man and gave Us
a chance to prepare our own banquet after
a fast of As hours, deducting a swallow of
coffee and a few bites of hard bread.
'Well, as think back, it seems to me
that nothing 1 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 glee club to supply ban
quet music. My, but how good that mush
was, if it was saltless, sugarless, cream
less-even if it was Just plain, half cooked,
unsifted meal And the bacon? Lord, but
those southerners know how to make ba-
con!
LAS soon as the meal was over they Or
dered US into freight cars bound for Att
lanta remember that when the order
came I was in the full enjoyment of hold
ing the rind of my chunk of bacon in my
mouth 1t was there when fell asleep,
but was gone when awoke. I shall never
forget the feeling of poverty, the sharp dis
appointment which came to me, when tina
discovery was made that the sweet morsel.
was gone. 1 chided myself for going TO
sleep and running the risk of losing 50
precious possession.
LAS L remember, it 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 5ff
sorry looking crowd we werel There ha.
been no 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 ana children,
white and black, gathered about us IL
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 get US a mouthful
of food. You ought to have seen heFl I
never saw so much scOrn under summer
hat. No, you nasty Yankee beasts, not to
save your lives My pa is with Iongstreet.
I wish he had killed all of you'll stopped
looking for sympathy. Wonder what be-
came of that girl? She was as pretty as
two peaches; but, gracious, what a little
rebel she was-about as one of my girls
would have been under the same circum-
stancesi
'sThere were Union men there. We saw
some of them. An old man of so edged up
close to the prisoners and quietly asked a
squad of them if they would be good
enough to sing. While they were in far
better trim for gormandizing than testing
their vocal organs leader of the squad
asked the old gentleman what he would
have.
'''Anything, gentlemen--anything that
you are in the habit of singing to your
army or at the 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
90 Let's give him Orally Round the
Flag boys, said a sergeant.
"Then their clear young voices rang out
with the dear old song, which I never hear
without thinking of that Atlanta scene.
'tAt first only a few sang, but when the
second verse began all of those 3, 900 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, QUIZ unhappy
state and sang as never before.
d" Sing it again; please sing it again, >
rIalf old II
After that came The Star Spangled Ban
ner.' While this was being rendered I saw
many a face in that throng of citizen on
lockers lose its scOrnful look and become
serious. / saw tears on the cheeks of sew
eral old men and women. Our particular
old friend wept like a child, and when a
pompOus young second lieutenant of the
| guard force gave order to stop the mu-
sic, he said: No. Let them sing. It's the
sweetest sound I've heard for more than
two years Il say stop it, responded the
/ snip with shoulder straps.
AT that moment general officer rode
up. The old man went up to him and re-
ported the order of the lieutenant and
asked that it. be -eOuntermanded-
80 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. Wen let him go to the front where
he can hear different music. Maybe he
will like that better. I didn't, and the
general tapped a cork leg with his glOved
hand.
WHAT of the old gentleman who wanted
some United States songs? Oh, he I
guess, was the happiest man in Atlanta
His wife came up with basket of provi-
sions. Her corn bread, pickles and cooked
rice were awfully good.
81 4 guess yo' a1Is had better keep yo'
vittlies for we ais, said a Georgia home
| guard when men ana women moved up to
pass TO the prisoners bread and meat.
Wen see about that too, said the old
| Union man. and he started to hunt up the