The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-08
A VETERANS STORY.


of the fierce charges and countcrcharg,S,
of the manner in which the enemy closed /
down from three sides upon his dccimu-a ID |
regiment and compelled it to surrender.
"That was my unhappicst moment" Then
he looked into the crate fire for "a time
without speaking. He was reviewing
events of the most eventful period of his
lfe.
"Thcy hurried us to the rear of their
army" continued this softened, kindly
old gentleman, threw n guard around US,
telling the officer in charge to shoot all
prisoners who should try to make their
escape.
eve had been fighting from carly in the
morning until we wore captured, which
was about the middle of the afternoon,
and had begun before a light repast was
finished, SO you may imagine we had u
feeling of all gunencss' soon after the guard
was placed over us. Did our entertainers
celebrate the event by rendering IA banquet,
with toastsg Not that ! 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 n new guard. That evening
they marched us, still unfcd, to the sta
ton, dealt out n cup of cornmeal and
chunk of bacon for each man and gave us
chance to prepare our own banquet after
u fast of 4S hours, deducting a swallow of
coffee and few bites of hard bread
''Well rs | think back, it seems to me
that nothing l 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 glce club to supply ban
quet music. My, but how good that mush
was, if it was saltlcss, suoarless, cream
less-even if it was just plain, half cooked,
unsifted meal And the baconp Lord, but
those southerners know how to make ba-
conf
AS soon as the meal was over they or
dered us into freight cars bound for At
lanta. l 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 / fell asleep,
but was gone when 1 awokc. l shall never
forget the feeling of poverty, the sharp dis
appointment which came to me- when the
discovery was made that the sweet morsel
was gone. l chded myself for going to
sleep and running the risk of losing so
precious u possession
GAS l remember, it was about noon
when we reschcd Atlanta They told us
to get out of the cars. There were two
a.
sorry looking crowd we were! There had
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 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 get us mouthful
of food. You ought to have seen her!
never saw so much scorn under summer
hat. NO, you nasty Yankee beasts, not to
save your lives! My pa is with Longstreet.
I wish he had killed all of your I stopped
looking for sympathy. Wonder what be-
came of that girl? She was as pretty as
two peaches; but, gracious, what u little
rebel she was-about as one of my girls
would have been under the same circum-
, stances!
"There were Union men there. We saw
some of them. An old man of go edged up
close to the prisoners and quietly asked q
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, n leader of the squad
asked the old gentleman what he would
have.
"Anything, gentlemen-anything that
you are in the habit of singing to youl
army or at the north. I'm as hungry fol
real patriotic songs as you are for food.
My good wife has gone to bring you wha,
food we have cooked. 1t will be here soon.
Let's give him Rally Round the
Flag boys, said a sergeant.
"Thcn their clear young voices rang out
with the dear old song, which l never heaI
without thinking of that Atlanta scene
, cat first only a 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 hungc,
! and our desire to clean up, our unhapp!
l 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 / saw
l many face in that throng of citizen on
lockers lose its scornful look and becom,
l serious. / saw tears on the cheeks of sew
eral old men and women Our particular
old friend wcpt like n child, and when
pompous young second lieutenant of tn,
guard force gave an order to stop the mu
sic, he said: No. Let them sing. It's thu
sweetest sound I've heard for more than
two years Il say stop it, responded thu
snip with shoulder straps
"At that moment general officer rod'
up. The old man went up to him and re
4 ported the order of the lieutenant an(
asked that it be countermanded.
+" 1t shall be- Let them sing. 1t doe
them good and don't hurt us. The lieu
tenant has been doing guard duty to,
J, long Wen let him go to the front, wher
a he can hear different music. Maybe h
will like that better. l didn't, and tn
general tapped cork leg with his gloves
hand.
"What of the old gentleman who wantet
some United States songs? Oh he,
guess, was the happiest man in Atlanta
1t His wife came up with "A basket of provi
sions. Her corn bread, pickles and cookc'
rice We're awfully good
Il guess yo' alls had better keep yo
: vittlies for we alls, said u Georgia HON