Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-26
First Georgia Regulars at Fort Pulaski Ga.


hear the merry he-ho Of the stevedore
| gangs as they worked with a WILL The
| drays were coming and going like a lot OF
/ busy ants, but were different to any L
| ever saw. They had two wheels and three
/ shafts with some Of the finest draft horses
/ ever saw. The port at Savannah with
/ it's vast amount Of shipping and jolly
| Jack tars in blue caps, shirts and white
pants climbing up the ropes like SPUR
/ rels was an interesting sight to Georgia
! cracker. In the way Of q uniform we drew
/ a blue flannel shirt. But don't understand
me to say that was all we wore for we
/ retained the pants we had on, and d.
vested ourselves OF coat and vest. The
commissioned officers were handsomely
/ uniformed in dark broad cloth. Something
similar, suppose, to the uniform OF the
federal army.
In about a week was taken with
/ pneumonia and sent 20 the hospital at
| the barracks. I thought II all hospitals
were conducted like that one the good
/ Lord deliver me from another one. Ser
| geant Mansfield was hospital steward
| and as destitute Of the milk OF human
| kindness as a hog is Of wool. I never
| heard him speak a kind word to any one
| willis remained there. As to nourish-
ment for the sick we received the same
| the well ones did. Private Gus Clover,
I Of Company G was sick in the same room
/ with me and II his mother from Athens
/ had not visited him would have Jared
worse than I ala. The delicacies she
brought him she divided with me. few
/ years ago in Atlanta called on her TO
| thank her again for her kindness to the
! sick soldier boy in the long years ago.
4 No doubt she, like my own dear mother,
| has long since passed TO that bourne from
whence no traveller returns. Peace to her
ashes.
! while was sick the recruits from Au-
| gusta Joined those at the barracks and
4 all went to Fort Pulaski. The S1st OF
| March I was ordered to report to my
I company. Before leaving 1 went to Cap
| tain Smith and obtained a transfer from
I D to NJ, where my brother was. With
1 number Of other soldier boys I boarded the
! Ida which steered down the river, pass
i ing Fort Jackson four miles out. Fort
/ Pulaski IS IS miles from Savannah.
4 When we arrived we found Colonel
| Charles ]. Williams in command and the
boys working like beavers, trying to put
/ the fort on a war footing. The troops
had been divided up into twelve compa-
/ nies-66 men TO a company. The captains
were w. J. Magill. John d. Walker, r.
| A. Wayne, Miller Grieves, John NJ. Pat
| ton, Louis Kennon. S. p. Hamilton, Can
non, William Martin, f. T.. Cullens, Wal
lace and Jacob Reid.
I know whereof I speak when I say
| the first eight belonged to the old blue
| hens chickens. Good officers and hard
| lighters Captain S. p. Hamilton COM
| manded Company M, with Lieutenants
| Wade and Bass. The fort was formula
BILE looking fortress, and according to the
ideas OF a new recruit could not have been
taken. Columbiads weighing 1900
| pounds, carrying a 60 pound shell were
being mounted on barbet carriages on the
| ramparts They were dumped on the
| wharf some 300 yards from the fort and
were hauled on a large log cart by
! placing by u inch planks on the Oyster
| sheel road for the wheels to roll on, with
J about 200 men pulling on the ropes. To
| hoist them on the fort we had derricks
| made OF ship masts with rope and blocks.
| With mounting guns, drilling in infantry
| and artillery, with guard duty to perform
kept the boys pretty busy. We were
| given to understand that there was no
misters or gentlemen in the army, and
| none of your Gentlemen Of the Banks
| County Guards, will you please come
| around like gate?" Orders were given to
be obeyed with alacrity. I saw Major
| w. D. Smith on the ramparts one day
call to an officer on the parade ground
to double quick and perform some duty.
| The officer started in a walk. Halt" says
the major. when I say doublequick
mean run. Now, do you run, sir" and run
| he did.
Our bread rations were changed from
| light bread to sea crackers. two-thirds
| peas to one of flour. There was no social
| equality between officers and enlisted
| men. Their quarters were separate and
distinct. We were learned courtesy as
well as drilling and had to show our re-
| spect to our superiors. 1 downed my first
| oyster on the beds near the fort, a raw
one at that. 1 never saw but two things
on the coast a soldier would not eat-a
stingaree and horse shoe turtle. Measles
| broke out in the regiment and as / always
got my share of the good things floating
around had them, too. For several days
1 had dumb chills and would go to DIR.
| Thompson's Office at sick call every morn
ing, but he claimed there was nothing the
matter with me and would not excuse me
from duty, which 1 was too sick to per-
form John Ash, a kind-hearted son Of
the Emerald isle, was orderly sergeant of
my company and took the liberty of ex-
cusing me himself. About the fourth
morning 1 went up DR.. Green was on
duty, and when DR.. Thompson again re-
fused to excuse me Dr. Green told him
was then breaking out with the measles.
Then he had to excuse me. 1 retired to
my tent on the ramparts and again sought
my blanket. In the afternoon I was or
dered to the hospital on the island. A
mattress was placed in dump cart and
myself on II and we went rumbling out
of the fort. 1t has been 40 years ago, but
in memory I still hear the rumble of the
wheels on the oyster shell road. Should it
ever be my lot to ride on my coffin to the
gallows I may feel more forlorn and DESC
late, but not before. The hospital was a
storm-beaten two-story house on the is
| land. The upstairs was all in one room,
where the sick were placed on mattresses
in rows on the floor with narrow walk
way between them. Two men on each
mattress. with a shovel full of sand oppo-