Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-11

light shower of rain fell. All of the guns
were loaded and some of the Georgia
Reserves commenced firing them on. Or
/ ders were issued by the officers along the
line to stop firing. which was obeyed, with
! the exception of one Of the Fifth or Sixth
Reserves, who fired off his gun after all
the others had stopped. An officer who
was on the staff Of General jackson, dis
mounted, seized the rife Of a soldier and
shot the poor boy through the head, kill
| ing him instantly. He was ordered TO
consider himself under arrest, and sup
pose that was the last of IL, but If it had
/ been an officer killed by private howl
/ for his blood would have gone up all over
/ the Confederacy. That was considered
justice in the army, as a private soldier
was considered on the same footing with
a mangey dog. Had the officer shot one
OF the regulars he would have dropped
about as soon as his victim, but the regu-
/ lars had no such officers, which made an
other difference. / saw the dead soluler'
and some of his comrades digging MS
grave by the roadside. We marched 10
| Vaudeville on the Savannah and Charles
ton railroad and camped. General Har-
dee's army, If he had any at Savannah,
/ vanished like the morning mist before the
/ rising sun. The First Georgia regulars,
Fifth and Sixth Georgia reserves, and the
Twenty-seventh Georgia battalion, were
/ the only infantry / saw at HardeeVllle-
General Wheeler's cavalry after leaving
| Savannah had business at other points.
| General Sherman must have had at least
/! 5000 men on his arrival at savannah ana
/ why he did not capture Savannah anu
| Hardee' forces with them has always been
a mystery TO me. Hardee was backed up
/ Al Savannah with only one outlet for es-
cane crossing the Savannah river, ana
that would have been impossible with
rice barges on a running stream. Inc
tidewater backs above Savannah wnlch
caused no strain on the barges IN line.
/ General Wheeler's cavalry can claim the
honor OF holding Sherman's forces out OF
Savannah for at least u days. Sherman
must have known the war was nearing
an end. and preferred saving the lives
OF his men. as II would have cost MIN a
great many before Hardee's forces would
have surrendered. On the I'D the regulars
went TO Turysburg on the Savannah river
TO guard steamboat loaded with corn
for the horses On the oath the regulars
with the Fifth and Sixth regiments or
Georgia reserves, and the Twenty-seventh
Georgia battalion, was formed INTO
brigade with Colonel Fisher, one-armeo
Mississippian, IN command, and assigned
to General AIcLaw's division. III anyone
knew where that was, as l did not. On
the 18th Fishers brigade marched TO era
hamville through rain and mud in places
knee deep, continuing the march until
about IL O'Clock before we halted Tor the
night. Tired, hungry and wet to the skin
I would have been willing 10 nave taken
the advice Jobs wife gave him, curse the
Confederacy and die. There was not one
ounce Of patriotism left in me, and could
not help indulging in few remarks that
I did not learn at Sunday school, Tor
which Captain DuBose gave me a reprl-
mand. I must pause here long enough 10
nav a well deserved tribute TO that splen-'
did officer, Captain James r. DuBose, OF
the First regiment of Georgia regulars,
commanding company NJ, who was SOL
der. a Christian and a gentleman.
He was a martyr TO the cause OF the
south and performed all the duties requir-
ed OF him without murmur. We march
ed over hundreds of miles elbow TO elbow.
Sometimes hungry, tired, cold and wet;
through ponds in the road, sometimes
nearly a mile in width with a coat Of ice
on the water. with the crushed ice and
sand blistering our feet, but not one word
of complaint would ever escape his lips.
In camp, on the march, or on the battle
field always the same cool, fearless Off
Ger, believing that the most sublime word
in the English language was duty, and
| that well performed. He served through
the war a perfect Christian gentleman,
and believe the only one in the regulars
all OF the rest, If they had any religion.
left It at home when they pulled of their
citizen clothes.
Il captain DubOSE EGcAOGc III @ASANNAAANt ~
| c., and may the God he has served so
faithfully proIong his life TO fourscore
years and ten. with all the blessings Of
health and comfort is the praye. OF his
old orderly sergeant
On the 10th. we marched to the Coo
sahatchie river. where we found General
G. p. Harmons brigade holding the en-
envy in check below the railroad bridge,
having fought several battles, the enemy
/ 20 nd hold railroad
from Savannah to Charleston. About one
mile below the bridge on the Cocsa-
hatchie the enemy had thrown up bat
| terry containing 16 heavy guns.
on the 9th we crossed the river to Po-
cataligo station. and on the 2Sth marched
TO old Pocataligo. one mile east Of the sta
ton. crossed the creek and went into
camp between there and the Coosa-
hatchie where we performed picket duty
near the swamp. Rations were scarce and
the boys had to forage to keep our larder
replenished. Sergeant Humphreys and
Private FRASER. Of my mess, borrowed
four fat hens. a washpot and an axe from
an old darkey in his absence and pur-
Joined a hog from someone else. / had to
| do the cooking and such a time as had
of it with four fat hens and a ham OF
| pork But I made the old pot boil, and
can almost smell the delicious odors that
arose from IL yet. That was the richest
pot I boiled during the war, having at
least one inch OF grease on top. Your
mouth would have watered Of you had
been a hungry soldier could you have
seen Sergeant Humphreys. Corporal
Smith, Private FRASER and your humble
servant tackle that pot OF chicken gravy
with corn bread. 1t was delicious and in
Imagination can taste IL yet. But as the
old saying goes, Never a rose without
thorn" proved true in our case. 1 had
hung the chicken UP on a bush TO dry.
Private Lloyd brushed against the bush
| and knocked It in the dust. Then had to
interfere to keep the boys from whipping
him; and a few nights afterward when he
deserted to the colored troops. wished
had let the boys lick him in Georgia
| style.
We had 70 chew mighty easy on that
| chicken TO keep from grinding the grit
between our teeth. A short time after
| that my chums, Humphrey and FRASER,
| Il was going to say stole a hog, but that
would be too hard on a good soldier) Dor
rowed another hog. and were proceeding
to camp with IL when they were arrested
by some Of General McLaws' escort and
carried TO his headquarters, where their
names. company and regiment were TAX
/ en-, and If they had stopped there all would
have been well, bpt they took the hog, too.
/ So consider that General McLaws, dead
/ or alive Is due my mess the price OF
/ hog. The enemys battery would shake the
/ earth at night, firing on the train from
/ ha