The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-08-16
"AIl's We'll
That
EDds MeEl."
A Story OF Love and War.

ss..v.....v....'v....Y ..Y'.-.v....'V'-....v.-...
The date, July 8. 1868; place, vicks-
bu.g; dramati- person@. 81. 900 south
IN soldiers and myself.
The hot. dusty summer had dragged
lis slow, pestilent length, until. eurfeit-
ID with the carnage. it stood blood red,
feverish, giving it's victims opportunity
TO do little quiet writhing-to let
conscience get in it's work and gnaw
awhile We had been penned in like so
many animals since early May, if you
measure the period by the deliberate
calendar@for an age. if may be per-
ui:ted to base calculation on my per-
sona experiences. We, at least 7, had
been growing thinner, raggeder, hun
erier every week. every day, hour and
minute. This slump into the depths of
pbysical helplessness and sartorial dis
reputableness by no means surprised
me- A man cannot wear one suit Of
(lothes two years, eat in it, sleep in it,
wade rivers in it and fight in it and
show up fit to have tintype made of
himself 1t would have wrenched my
faculties to have fixed upon the date
when tailor had last run his tape
around me and noted the points of bic
survey by French chalkings. and when
started out to e = my quota of Yam
KEGS the suit v.Jre was discarded for
! one much inferior in quality. although
|. at the time it represented to me some
l thing infinitely beyond computation in
dollars or comparison in texture. I
was, however. little nonplussed over
ny appetite. T=ue. could not have
stated on solemn oath or affirmation
when my legs had been stretched under
bonntifully laden mahogany. But ,;hy
even semblance Of an appetite was
spared me was gastronomic puzzle.
For month my eyes had met such
sights as men in the clammy throes of
death, men mangled by shells. men with
bleeding stumps of legs and arms and
carcasses Of animals rotting in the sun.
The air was fouiness itself. By day the
burning sun swung.its scorching torch
over this cesspool, creating odors inde-
scribable. When night fell, the slime
and ooze from the ponds blown over the
4 city received poisonous aids in the sui
phurous spit Of the screeching shells
4 from Porter's besieging feet. Besides,
/ we lived in caves or holes in the ground
We had to. The rain OF lead was terri
bic. And the ventilation Of our abodes
was not mp to modern sanitary require
| ments. am quite Ger tain on this point
Spite of all this, had an adult appe-
tite l have never been 80 hungry since.
nor WAS ! ever go hungry before.
He was very, discerning and phil
osophic manor, was it woman s.
who said that clouds have silver lining,
Our cloud was even finer than the phi
! lsopher's. stwas silver mounted-top-
ped off with ornaments Of the political
/ metal Of such n1assiveness as to defy the
corroding tooth. A courier passed
through the camp heralding the news
that "Old Penn" had grown weary
whether OF commanding $4,000 skele-
tons with ravenous appetites, or of
shrieking shells, sor OF living under
ground, or OF ALL combined WIS not
] youchsafed. shnt ha had grown weary.
and ws v7es NH ;zs =. sss.ass ID sar-
render--raga. appetites and YalI--ths
/ following day. / cannot say what emo
] tons stirred me when heard this an
\ noupcement. Ny ambition had suffered
a collapse The dream OF my youth
vanished like q nickel on a bet day
when exposed to the Xrays Of a,large,
cool schooner Of beer. There was some
Cancellations however. The light Of my.
life had uot been entirely extinguished
From tne wreck and ruin the chaos Of
thhi5 diiiaBtsr, ! mad saved my appetite.
3F l could but work that of on some
4 Yankee and sit down end see him wrea-
tie with It. the spectacle would In part
Compensate me for the Overwhelming,
humiliation under which I lab0red.,
The next morning was up betimes
I So also were the other 81 ,999 skeletons
4 There was an air of ucugaal animation
1 IN camp. We seemed to be impressed
Nth the fact that we were about to in
aangurate an epoch-two or three epochs
3perhaps. We were to let the world into
athe secret that we had reconsidered our
lormer resolve to wade chin deep in
Yankee gore. We were to give it out
4 aat that 1t was physical impossibility
j Tor one southern American to annihilate
aseven northern Americans. Wewere to
3beighten up the histofical tablets and
3give the glorious Fourth nineteeth
century significance-a sort Of renewed
vim and vigor. Naturally we didn't
3tbink we were engaged in all this gor:
3seo' rejuvenation business of the time,
abnt that's what it amounted to in the
dlong run. Americans are Americans
whether they breathe tine air OF snowy
awisconsin or balmy Florida. We can
|}see it now. We couldn't then.
q When the hour for surrender arrived.
I'VE were lined up and inventoried. rags
and appetites. in accordance with the
rules and regulations in such CAGES
made and provided, and formally trans-
Iierred to the care and custody OF the
3united States eovernment---in in this In
stance Government with very large
3and formidable g. AS company OF
Yankees swung down the line to add,
adue impressiveness TO the aolemnities
my attention was arrested by the bear
ing Of the officer in command. It was
mot his dress that caught me, for, truth
10 say, that showed the effects OF cam
paigning. and; while not 60 tastered as
my Z own. was decidedly rusty. But the,
walk, the swing of the arms. the car,