The National tribune., 1897-09-23
THKEN In 1T BIG SHHNTY.

TAKEN IN 1T BIG SHHNTY.
Undesirable Experiences of Illnoisaps Who
Met Hoods Men. 81
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Big Shanty
Ga, is a place Of interest TO me, for two
reasons We had heard of the capture of the
train there by Audrews's Raiders, and at that
point Hoods army first struck the railroad
IN Gen. Sherman's rear. By this latter
event my life was considerably influenced.
The non-veterans of the two regiments
had gone home at the expiration of their
three-years' term of enlistment, and the
veterans and recruits of the 14th and 18th
iii. were consolidated into what was called
the l4th and 18th veteran battalion, Illinois
Infantry, with Col. Rogers, of the 18th, in
command; and five or six line officers, with
| between 300 and 400 men, divided intos six
| companies
There being so few officers, we were de-
tached from our Brigade Second Of the
Fourth Division, Seventeenth Corps and
stationed along the railroad. Two COM
| panies were at Big Shanty, with Lieut.. A.
j. Gillespie in command. One company
was at Moons and three companies at Ac-
worth, with Headquarters, commissary, and
hospital.
About Oct. 1, 1864. five or six of the boys
started to Acworlh with team to get
ratlons. squad Of cavalry ran in onto
the railroad and ditched a work train, set
ting it afire; captured the boys, killing n
| & orgia recruit who refused to go with
them took the boys short distance and
told them to 60 back to camp, as they
would be along after all of US in few days.
l went on picket-post Oct. 3 on the hill
west of Big Shanty, on the Acworth road
| with Peter Brehl and John Kesler as relief
| and Serg't Woodruff Near noon the Ser
eeant had gone to camp to bring out our
dinner, when two men in gray came riding
| up the road from Acworth way. As they
were apparently unarmed, we thought they
| were some Of our scouts.
l hailed them. They had not eeen me.
They stopped and turned. / eaw on their
breasts the Texas star. Each carried in his
right hand, down by his leg, big revolver.
l instantly threw my gun to my shoulder
| and fired. My motion and haste caused
their horses to whirl SO quickly that neither
my shot nor those Of Brehl and Kesler took
| effect, but SO disconnected the Johnnies that
they conid not use their revolvers.
The firing brought out the company. We
| were instructed To be alert, for Hood was
across the Chattahoochee, and might strike
the railroad at or near Big Shanty.
Soon l saw a line of skirmishers come out
of the brush south OF u.s. / called Brehl
and Kesier's attention to them. We all
fred. They returned our fire and were at
once reinforced by full line-of- battle.
Brehl and Keslet left for camp, but I was
foolish enough to stay and reload my gun
before leaving, and, rs the rebs were advanc-
ing all the time, they got pretty close to me
before left.
So my only chance was to run the gant1et
down the street to the depot, with line of
infantry trying to see how near they could
shoot and not hit. And they did shoot and
yell and laugh to see the Yank run, while
several women stood on their piazzas, some
wringing their hands and crying, others
laughing and cheering the rebels.
Wben / reached the depot, | fell on the
platform, and the boys pulled me into the
room and closed the door, which was on the
side next the rebs. The depot was sur
sounded by platform, and we had barri-
caded outside the building On the platform
with rails about four feet high, az better
protection against bullets, with holes bored
through the inch-board sides for portholes.
Gen. Featherston's Division completely sur
rounded ~, cutting the top part of the
shanty into splinters with their bullets
They got upon the platform, firing through
our portfolios as we Withdrew our guns,
killing Pony Wells by my side, forced open
the door, and came in, taking the guns
forcibly out of our hands. They did not
bayOnet u.s. either, OF use their machetes on
US Ia la Spaniard). But the Johnnies had
got tired of toting their cheese-knives at
Shiloh and their bayonets since, and had
turned about all of them over to the Quar-
termaster along the road. Therefore, they
quietly took us out into the wet for it was
drizzly day.
Gen. Featherst0n, after questioning us
some, wrote an order for us to be we'll treated,
and placed us in charge of detachment of
the IL h Miss.-CaDt Bowman-to take us
to Gen. Hoods Headquarters at Lost Mount
ain. Capt. Bowman and his men treated us
with the courtesy accorded by one true SOL
dier to another, protecting US from ibes in
suits and piIlage as We passed back through
Hoods moving army.
AT Lost Mountain we were kept in a cat
tle-pen until the Allatoona prisoners Joined
us. Then we were put in charge of SQUAD
ron of 11th Tenn. Cav, and they escorted us
TO West Point They treated us like we
were some of their own boys They let
some of the foOtsore ride on their horses and
even carry their carbines, while the guard
walked among us and chatted and laughed.
The rebs were mostly all volunteers.
What difference after they turned us over
to the homeguards," Or "meishn These
were SO afraid OF us that they carried their
cagbines resting on their knees, with thumb
on the hammer, and would not allow us TO
step out of the beaten track to avoid mud
hole. but took pains to make US feel that
we'uns was not at home but in the hands of
the enemy. One Capt. Meadows rode his
horse onto the heelsrof the boys who were
foOtsore and Jagged q. little, and rode over
several who fell, cursing us all as uigper-
thieves and dogs =" -
We we're taken7to Columbus, Ca; then
our guard was made up of the invalid corps.
old soldiers who were not afraid of the
Yanks." They took us aboard lat-cars
and we had view Of the Confederacy from
Columbus to Andersonville, where we mr.
rived Oct. 8, Capt. Wirz, as usual, confscat-