The National tribune., 1901-06-06

| to rall in. Col. WeIles now mounted his
noble horse, Polk, and shouted, 'Atten-
| tiOn-battalion; shoulder - arms; right
face; forward-march," and one of the
most brilliant campaigns of modern times
the march to the Sea-began.
We were happy that morning. Mules
| brayed, drivers cracked their long whips,
| and we shouted with JOY as we turned
cur backs upon the smoking ruins of At
lanta and marched away, accompanied by
the invincible hardtack a testament, and
! a Southern paper announcing Sherman s
| retreat from Atlanta. A number of re-
| cruits who had recently Joined us lugged
| enormous knapsacks. About the second or
third day out murmur began to be heard
| anC a desire to investigate and to cast
| first this and then that into the bushes
along the wayside. This operation was re-
| peated the next day, and the next, and in
! time they found themselves in light
marching order, equal to the old vets.
Different corps marched by parallel
| roads. Each regiment was provided with
one ambulance and one wagon; and in the
center of each brigade, to better guard
against an attack from the enemy, came
our provision and ammunition train.
The army was ordered to forage lib
orally, and each day 80 men were detailed
| from each regiment. Property was or
| dered to be protected where the line of
march was not molested by armed bands
of the enemy, or by the inhabitants burn
| ing bridges, obstructing the roads, or 9th
erwise showing their hostility toward the
| Nation.
The evening of the 18th we went into
camp 16 miles from Atlanta Early the
| next morning we were in motion, and that
! day we marched IS miles through wood
and field.
On the 18th we marched about Is miles;
passed through the town OF McDonOugh.
| The following day we marched IS miles.
| About the close of the day we passed
through Jackson, the Countyseat Of Butts
| County, when a halt was ordered to let
| the columns close up. Soon after we
moved on. and about midnight we crossed
the Ocmulgee and went into bivOuac till
morning.
THE GEORGIA NEGROES.
Thus far everything had gone well. The
people appeared to be thoroughly fright
eued at the sudden appearance of Sher-
| mans cOnquering heroes in the heart OF
| Georgia. Some had been taught to believe
| that 1ank was counterpart of the
| devil, and had horns growing out of his
head.
| | pause TO remark that my readers will
say, "Oh, how absurdp Yet my comrades
| will bear me out in saying colored people
have gathered around us with the query,
| is yO uIlS real 1ankeeS! Upon our re-
plying ip the affirmative, they would fur
ther question us: "Whar's yo'uns horns
| White folks tole yo'uns Yanks had horns -
Many Of the citizens fed from their
| homes upon our approach, while those who
| remained gazed in silent awe as the army
went sweeping by. The Governor OF
Georgia, jeff Davis, Beauregard and many
other leaders Of the so-called Confederacy
pleaded with the people of Georgia to arise
and hurl the Yankee invader back But
against such an army as the noble Sher-
man held in hand they must have felt
that what little resistance they could of.
fer would have been vain.
Nov. 10 we marched 16 miles, being in
the advance of the entire Seventeenth
Corps. About o'clock in the afternoon
we passed through Monticello, Jasper
County, and went into camp.
The next day we marched in the rear oi
the whole corps, having in charge a drove
of beef-cattle. During the day n number
Of cattle mired down in a deep, boggy
swamp by the roadside, when a detail was
ordered out to shoot them.
We were on the road all night Of the
20th and until midnight of the 21st, when
having ca.ght up with the advance, halt
| was ordered until morning. having
marched about 26 miles,
Nov. % we left camp az the usual hour
and after a rapid march of 12 miles
reached Gordon, 16 miles south of Mil.
ledgeville, where we remained a short
time listening to Gen. Kilpatrick's guns
at Macon, Ga, II miles south. In the
evening we gave the railroad attention
to notify Gen. Fitzpatrick of our where,