The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-08-21
COMRADE JOE CoTHERN.
J. a. Scarborough in Confederate vetcran.l


The subject of this sketch was
member of Company II, Seventh Mis-
sissippi, Sharp's Brigade. On the 18th
OF July, '6i, when the Confederates
swept the Federal breastworks i'm
front of Atlanta, Comrade Cothern
ran several hundred yards past the en-
emy's works and found Federal artil-
lery captain trying to get cannon in
position. Everything was wild with
confusion. With drawn sword, In vain
the excited captain was trying to rally
his men and place his battery. BY
this time the Confederates and Fed
erals were getting nightly mixed. The
captain dashed at Cothern with
cleaning sword and demanded his sur
render. Cothern threw his gun on
him and fired, infiicting serious
wound through the left shoulder. The
captain reeled and fell from his horse,
and screamed, II surrender.!' When
the drivers saw their captain fall, they
abandoned their horses and took to
their heels. Comrade Cothern then
assisted the wounded captain on the
caisson and placed brush in his hand
and demanded that he stimulate the
mounted the lead horse and dashed
away with fine twelve pound cannon,
drawn by three span of fine horses,
with Yankee captain sitting on the
caisson, whipping up the horses for all
it was worth.
By this time the Federals had raj
lied and were pouring volley after vol
ley into the Confederate lines to re-
gain the ground they had lost, and the
wounded captain was laying whip to
the horses, crying out: "Drive up,
johnnie! drive up, or you'll be killed.
johnnie" made the landing unscathed
just the same, with his prisoner, can
non and three span of horses, one of
which was shot through the leg dur
ing the flight. | have heard this Incl
dent related by several of Cothern's
comrades, but never had it from his
own lips until recently, when had the
pleasure of spending a pleasant night
with him at his own home in Pike
county, Miss. He says there we're sew
eral knapsacks dashed on to the caisson
which contained lot of valuables,
prominent among which were a fine
razor and pair of large scissors which
he yet holds as relics of that terrible
event. He has shaved with no other
razor since the war. 1t is now in fine
condition, and during all these years
he has never put it on hone.
During the Georgia campaign. Com
rade Cothern served as an independent
scout, and on one occasion, near At
lanta, he took advantage of a Federal
picket who occupied an outpost. The
fellow had grown careless and was
sitting down reading some letters, and
the first thing he knew Cotherns gun
was pointing at him, in a few feet of
his face, accompanied by small, still
voice, saying, Surrender" which he
did with pleasure. He gave his name
as Johnnie Rawls, and proved to be a
dismounted cavalryman, belonging to
Company II, Thirty Cavalry
Regiment, and was from Indiana. He
was such congenial spirit Cothern
did not turn him over as prisoner of
war for some time, he preferring to
remain with his captor rather than join
his comrades in prison. He proved to
be very ingenious fellow. He one
day picked up piece of a leg bone of
an OK, and, after polishing it nicely, he
ingeniously carved on it in miniature
form, the stars and stripes, with his
initials, company, regiment, etc, and
presented it to his captor with the re
quest that he keep it as a sacred relic
of the picket post in front of Atlanta.
Comrade Cothern showed me the bone
and says he would like to hear from
Johnnie Rawls, if he is yet living.
"Uncle Joe" as he is Familiarity
called, was seriously wounded in five
different battles, is 81 years old, is liv-
ing with his fourth wife and is the
father of twelve children. Recently
he had partial stroke of paralysis,
which his physician thinks is the re
suit of wounds received in the war.
He is a prominent member of his
church (Baptist), is a devout Mason
and thrifty farmer. At one time on
the picket line, he received a severe
wound on his ankle by the fragment of
a shell thrown from Confederate bat,
terry which disabled him for some time.
he never did count it because it didn't
come from the right source.
Another touching incident was re-
lated to me by Comrade Cothern which
occurred in front of Atlanta Capt.
Rankin, from Columbia, Miss, was act
ing Lieutenant Colonel of the Seventh
on that day and was shot dead from
his horse while leading the charge.
The Confederates were repulsed, leav-
ing the pale and lifeless form of the
dead Captain in the enemy's hands.
The Confederates fell back apace, re-
formed and rested on their arms. Dur
ing this lull, the voices of song were
heard within the Federal lines. 1t
proved to be the Masonic funeral song,
which touched sympathetic chord in
the breast of every Mason within the