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

came said Brown, sand / as little
expected it as / do Of having to go al
the present. -
"Had to go?" said I, in mannea
to draw him cut, for talks on the wal
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.
"I 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 a most
unwilling victim. They mixed me up
with the fellows who had been there
all the way through and to say that
these fellows presumed on their length
Of service is putting it mild. They
were 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 perched upon my fevered
brow. 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 l
got laid down good he found some
excuse to make me net 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 I raised my head little
too high yankee ball went zip
through the crown Of my hat. The
] fool took it as great fun and rolled
and roared in greatest glee- l 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 guying the s'melish.
ssCome out of chat billed Shirt
ssCome out Of that Aat-I know you
are there for I see your legs!'
Such foolishness as this was sure to
greet the cid melish whenever 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 cannon's roar, much
less the voice Of man. l knew one
company Of this old militia that was a
hundred aud Ave strong, aud in all
these 105 men there were only 106
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: ''Fall in" when he wanted
them to form line. ssFall in! fall
in!' and it took quite while to get
them in line, and then if you didn't
mind they would sit down and have to
have help to get up if any speed was
required in the matter. laugh a
8 little myself, now, when l think OF
that old Georgia melish and Of Joe
Browns pixies, and yet l 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 we're good
for nothing but to show how little we
knew Of what war really was. and so
it is 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 ghatever may come as a
consequence Of war.
Just before old Sherman swung
around to Jonesboro,. the people
seemed to know that there was trouble
a-brewing, aud the big roads were fill
ed with refugees getting out OF the
way. Refugeeing is part of war and
"a yery sad part. These refugees had
been moving on in front Of Sherman
from away in Tennessee and the most
Of them was in 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 End it in their hearts te
turn away these poor refugees, as long
as there was crust of bread to divide
or place to stick one of them on bac
nights out Of the weather.
The night before Sherman swung
around it was raining and as dark al
Egypt. We had took the refugees il
till there was not place for one tt
lie. They had been piled upon th'
floor after the beds gave out till ther'
was not room to step about withou
stepping on some one. Me and tn