The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-22


came, said Brown, "and I as little
expected it as / do Of having to go at
the present"
CHAD to go?" said I, in manner
to drawhim cut, for talks on the war
are now in order and about all that
people will listen to.
"Yes, had to co. said he, with
something of sneer in his tone.
81 had to jine under the last con-
script act, which took us from sixteen
to sixty. have never seen what
good there was in taking such old
folks, but they did, and was most
unwilling victim. They mixed me up
with the fellows who had been there
all che way through and to say that
these fellows presumed on their length
Of service is putting it mild. They
we're entirely too funny to suit me.
They seemed to derive the greatest
pleasure in laughing at me at times
when nothing but the severest seri-
business pe7ched upon my fevered
brow. I am satisfied that one fellow
they put me in pit with tried to get
me killed just that he might laugh at
my kicks as I expired. Every time /
got laid down good he found some
excuse to make me Set up and let
them pop at me again, and then he
would laugh at every fool thing and
the nearer they came to killing me
the louder he would laugh. One
time when raised my head little
TOO high a yankee ball went zip
through the crown Of my hat. The
fool took it as great fun and rolled
and roared in greatest glee- I never
yet have been able to see anything
funny about war. '
Browns right; the old soldiers did
treat raw recruits with to much hilar-
ity, and especially did they take de
light in gu5ing the ''melish."
Come out Of that billed shirt
Gone out Of that hat-I know you,
are there for I see your legsl'
Such foolishness as this was sure to
greet the old melish wksaever he hap
pened about them. But these screams
did not disturb the ones taken in the
last call, for the most Of them were
deaf even to the cannen's roar, much
less the voice Of man. / knew one
company Of this old militia that was a
hundred aud Eve strcng, aud in all
these los men there were only LOG
eyes. just one man Of their number
had two good eyes, and the drill ser
geant had to go close up to each one
and scream: rFall in" when he wanted
chem to form a line. EsFall in! fall
in.' and IL took quite while to get
them in line, and then if you didn't
mind they would sit down and have to
nave help to get up if any speed was
required in the matter. I laugh a
little myself, now, when | think Of
that old Georgia melish and of Joe
Browns pixies, and yet I know it
should be no laughing matter. for it
represented the great stress for sol
diers and indicated the desperation of
the leaders to sustain the Confederate
cause. Joe Browns pixies were good
for nothing but to show how little we
knew Of what war really was. aud so
tits now. The young generation will
learn Of things they never dreamed,
and there can be no harm i'll telling OF
things which may in degree prepare
them for whatever may come as
consequence of war.
Just before old Sherman swung
around to Jonesboro,, the people
seemed to know that there was trouble
a-brewing, and the big roads were fill
ed with refugees getting out Of the
way. Refugeeing is part of war and
"a very sad part. These refugees had
been moving on in front Of Sherman
from away in Tennessee and the most
Of them was in a bad condition; in
fact the most Of them were in distress
and had to live as best they could
from the charity Of the few who yet
remained at their homes along the
roads. My folks, nor Brown S folks
could never find it in their hearts to
turn away these poor refugees, as long
as there was crust of bread to divide
or a place to stick one Of them on bad
nights out Of the weather.
The night before Sherman swung
around it was raining and as dark as
Egypt. We had took the refugees in
till there was not place for one to
lie. They had been piled upon the
floor after the beds gave out till there
was not room to step about without
stepping on some one. Me and the