Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-27

After burning the bridge across the
| Pee Dee river at Cherew, S. c.. on March
/ 8 1855. the regulars Joined Firers' brigade
Il with Hardee's forces three miles from the
river We were worn out and hungry and
/ TO make matters worse, FIVE days ra-
/ tiOns OF corn meal was issued to the troops
/ with nothing to cook It in. In the begin
ming OF the war the regulars had at least
! Is wagons, and IN 1855 but one was allowed
, to the regiment. with the boys carrying
! spades, shovels and cooking utensils on
I their shoulders. provided they had any. II
| you want 20 make q soldier hot in the
/ collar issue him corn meal on the march,
for he could carry five days rations Of
crackers better than he could one of corn
I bread. We cooked what We could on bark
and in the ashes. and the next morning
1 left the rest in camp. Not far from our
camp was a large barn containing -four,
meal meat and crackers, which was fired
about the time We left camp. How proud
the hungry soldiers would have been
could they have carried the commissa-
ries with them, which they could have
done just as well as not. There was a
| great deal OF mighty poor management
I BY the men in authority during the war;
/ and times got worse the longer IL lasted.
7 At the same time the poor starved SOL
! diers were expected TO be loyal to the
/ government at all times and under all
| circumstances. General Sherman had en-
tered Cheraw with three army corps, and
one OF them was 200 yards nearer the
/ bridge than the regulars were when they
I started through town, but we outrun all
three. The regulars were bound to keep
un their reputation; IL we could not oy
fighting we would by running, believing
with the old adage: 'He that fights and
runs away. may live to fight another day"
I Sherman had to go down the river two
f-fs1a rrFfrfa oh
took two days. I was told the gallant
! officer we saw at the mouth of the bridge
was the captain of the Marion artillery
I from Charleston. who was without doubt
one OF the coolest men under FIRE 1 saw
| during the war. He was tall man, with
black hair and long black whiskers. on
the Attn OF February Hardee's forces after
marching few miles entered North Car
DINA the Tar Heel state, and marched 10
Rockingham. On the 5th the march was
I continued toward Fayetteville on the Cape
/ Fear river, where we arrived on the Sth,
hut were ordered back two miles from
town where we occupi2d some breast
works. A little while refore day the
next morning. Generals Hampton, Vince
Ter and Butler made an early morning
/ cali on General Fitzpatrick, commanding
the Federal cavalry. We were about one
/ aud one-half miles from the battle and
I from the sound OF the guns times must
have been pretty warm for awhile. Gen.
i eraI Kilpatrick's uniform and horse were
captured. while he made HIS escape In his
/ night clothes on a barebacked mule. AT
/ 10 p. m. on the night OF the 10TH we
/ crossed the Cape Fear at Fayetteville,
/ and the next morning the cavalry crossed
I and burned the bridge. on the 18th we
marched up the river and on the 18th
/ the regulars were placed on picket at
| Smiths Ferry. Relieved from picket duty
4 on the 18th and marched to Averysboro,
where the regulars were paid six months
/ wages
1 1 sent my mother so. with which she
bought 50 pounds Of lard. have several 10
/ dollar bills yet that will be good two years
after a treaty Of peace between Uncle
/ sam and the Confederacy. As TO whether
/ any more Of the troops were paid on 1
I am not able 70 say. 1t is no trouble now
Il 10 find old soldiers who served from one
TO two years who never received any pay
Il from the government. On the 10TH OF
March. one Of Sherman's army corps ar
Il rived at Averysboro and Hardee's forces
i formed a streak OF misery and offered
them battle. Artillery and picket firing
was kept up during the day, but no gen
| eral enga cement. Early on the morning
Il OF the 18th, McLaw's division was placed
! I'm position on the left Of Taliaferro's
where we threw up breastworks in short
/ OTuGTs using lQEEs AAAAln1 anu A6AANWNe4
/ knots covered over with dirt, dug up with
| shovels and bayonets. 1t would have sur
prised any one but an old soldier to see
| how quick the boys could build line
| Of breast works, and more especially IL
the enemy was close by. Company M,
| with Captain James r. DuBose in COM
mand, was ordered to the front deployed
| as skirmishers, forming on the left Of
| Harrison's skirmish line. We were In
4 heavy timbered pine woods. with the ex-
| ception OF the left of company NJ. They
/ were in a dense thicket OF underbrush.
| Captain DuBose repeated to me the In
| structions he had received. which was TO
| the effect that there was line Of battle
| in our front and we were not to fire a
gun under any consideration until the
line of battle retreated to our rear, then
company NJ was to contend for every inch
| of ground coming in with the enemy. Cap
| tain DuBOse then went to the left of
the company. leaving me in command
Of the right. IT was not long before the
fun commenced with a cavalry charge.
The S2nd Georgia regiment was about
$50 yards I'm front, a little. to my right,
lying down in the bushes, and when the
enemy's cavalry was within 70 yards rose
I'D and fired a volley into them. The cav
airy obliquing to their right, while the
32nd moved by the left flank. still firing in
10 them. II was the first cavalry 1 had
| ever seen under fret ana they looked SO
grand and imposing with their horses
leaping over logs and bushes that / al
most forgot had a gun, but did wake
up and ordered the right of company NJ to
give them little lead while they were
passing I had three shots at them, and
saw a number OF horses pass out from
there without any riders, but at the same
time keeping their places in line. When
Captain DuBose heard the firing he came
up to the right and hauled me over the
Goals for disobeying orders. begged the
captain to excuse me, as the cavalry were
so tempting could not keep from shoot
ing at them. The end retired to the works
leaving the skirmish line to hold the fort.
| A little later the enemys infantry Skin
mishers advanced, hating about 80 yards
in our front, and then we had a warm
time OF II behind trees. which is exciting
when they cut the bark on your tree with
their bullets. We noticed an officer on the
left Of Harrison's line who would run back
some distance when the firing was pretty
hot and when II cooled down little would
come back near the line. The regulars
took a delight in guying him. When 1t
was the hottest they would tell him to
run, and as the firing cooled down would
tell him 70 come back. ] pointed him
out to Captain DuBose and he said he
would report him. The regulars were not
used TO that kind OF an officer and were
not backward in making fun of him. At
4 Tar Sch Fnw