Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-09

more delicious nor do I ever recall SEN
sation of greater comfort than as re-
clining by the fire that night on the
blanket of my kindly lieutenant l sought
to make him tell me about the foes we
were to meet the next day, and he sought
to make me recount the books had been
reading and thus recall for him those
literary delights of which his long life in
the camps had deprived him. He had
already discovered that / belonged to
reading people. My father would tolerate
in his home none but the works of fine
authors My memory was then retentive
and many weary miles in the months to
come were beguiled for both of us. as
would ride by the side of my captain, and
at his request spin interminable narra-
tives from the novels of Scott, Thackery
and Dickens. Occasionally we would
take voyages with the heroes of Cap
tain Marryat and more frequently still
we would fight from the panoramic pages
of Alison the battles of Austerlitz, of
Jena, of Gagram and Waterloo, and
many others.
Battle of GriswoIdvilIe.
The next day was fought the battle of
Griswoldville. The enemy appeared early,
in strong force, and stampeded some of
, our cavalry. remember my consterna-
tion and Gismay as / saw our men, not Of
our brigade, however, running from this
advance at full speed, and some of them
whipping their horses with their wool
hats, as 1 had seen country boys do on
the race track in the old fair grounds at
Athens. We were not in the hard fighting
of that bloody day so tragic in its men,
cries, for many Georgia families, but we
heard it all. 1t was a useless sacrifice Of
noble lives. 1 shall never forget the rapid
thudding of the cannon, and the tearing
sound of the rapid fire from the repeating
of the tn fnpVOprinnNpd
ears it was as if giants were engaged
in ripping miles. of cloth The enemy
were entrenched. They had ample artil-
lery and were armed with Spencer repeat
ing rifles. They wanted no fight Indeed
Sherman had given orders to his troops to
avoid fighting whenever they could on
his march to the sea, because he did not
wish to be encountered with the wound
ed. If the officer in command of the
militia had waited, the strong force of
Federal cavalry in front of him would
have withdrawn from their entertainments
and repeated. Although they held their
lines they did retreat Immediately after
charge was given, and the Georgia
militia with all the fierce valor of their
heroic line swept to the attack.
This force was largely recruited from
our best families. 1t was composed of
county officials, of men over forty-fve
anu DOgo uilOGI GABnlcSIs anu lllSy ldCk6Q
nothing of the soldierly qualities of the
famous armies Of Lee and Johnson, save
that experience which comes to the vet
eran alone. 1t is true also that because
they were raw troops they had been
guyed by the veteran commands. Joe
Browns Pets" they We're called. They
had determined If the opportunity offered
to show the fearless manhood of which
they were conscious, and when the reck-
less order to make a frontal attack on the
breast works of the enemy was given,
they attempted the impossible, and the
result was massacre of our bravest and
best.
Famous GeorgIans There.
My nearest neighbor now, and dear
friend Colonel Dan Hughes, the courtly
father of the courtly president of our
State Agricultural Society, was in this
fight, and is a fine type of the material of
those gallant state troops. If 1 mistake
not, the late Judge Kent Mccoy was also
there. Dupont Guerry, whom I had
known as boy in Americas. and his
father were both there Nearly every
man In their company except those two
were either killed or wounded. A dear
ri nd OF my boyhood, Asbury Cranberry,
was shot through the neck and instantly
killed. have often heard my father
speak Of the piteous sight made by the
green corpses of these splendid Georgians
sthey were piled up in the depot at Ma
con day or two after the battle
The vast majority of our manhood who
took part in those days that tried mems
souls" are now quietly sleeping in the
bivouac of the dead. Boys in their teens
who, proudly wore the jacket of gray are
grandfathers now, and perhaps one of
them may be INDUCED If in the quietude
OF his library, surrounded by the blessings
Of home, and guarded by the laws of our
reunited and happy land he should recall
and perchance recount some of the men,
cries of that heroic past.
EMORY SPEER.