Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-10
INCIDENTS


than myself to give a descriptive account
I OF one OF the fiercest little struggles OF the
I late war between the states.
AS General Sherman was on his march
OF destruction and vandalism to the sea
; with lighting Joe Wheeler at his heels
/ II was about the middle OF November,
/ 1854 late I'm the afternoon. General lver-
sons division was nearing Jonesboro. Ca
when we were attacked and urawn into
quite a compat with the Yankees, on the
western borders OF that Inflated little
town But few lives were lost on our
side however. Ny mind reverts TO one of
the most touching scenes IL was ever my
lot to look upon. Two OF the Fifty-third
Alabama cavalry. Haman's brigade,
doubtless neighbors at home and devoted
friends and messmates In war, haU COW
enanted together that II one should get
killed in battle and the other survived
that the surviving one would at the risk
OF his own life see to IL that the dead
body should not fall into the hands OF
the enemy for burial. So on this eventful
day as the sun was sinking out of
sight into the western horizon a mimic
ball from the enemy's lines sealed the fate
OF one OF the two comrades and at
twinkling the sun of HIS noble life also
went down, and as he fell hts horse either
escaped or was taken charge of by some
other member Of that brave band. l do
not now remember, but one thing l DO
know Of a truth. that true to a solemn
obligation and very likely TO a devoted
hove and fidelity to a comrades loving
wife and sweet children at home who was
fondly looking for the homecoming i'm
the final sweet by and by, amidst fast
flying bullets the surviving hero, for
hero he was jumped from his own horse
and grabbed the body OF his dead COM
rade and threw II across the front OF
- nraa hal
lanced IL there as one would sack or
corn. then calmly and coolly mounted his
steed and gnlloped of in complete def
ance to the many missiles that followed,
but who in the providence Of the God OF
all battles never received a scratch; but
soon after this. as IL was getting dark, all
demonstrations of battle ceased and when
our regiment. the Eleventh Georgia cav
airy, formed again in the street near the
depot. this brave Albanian came to us
with his man still poising in front OF
him and In that position he continued TO
carry his precious burden until camp was
reached. near Lovejoy's station, six miles
south of Jonesboro. where he secured
teols to dig a grave and as far as was In
his power gave him a decent burial at a
country graveyard, and no doubt with
sigh of relief. he consoled himself with
consciousness of duty done and sacred
obligation kept in good faith. 1t was not
my privilege, however, to attend this bur-
ial for at the self-same hour I was put
'on detail to go to the Flint River bridge
to do picket duty all night under command
OF Sergeant Eldor. of Clarke county. but
now OF Watkinsville, Oconee county, and
early on the following morning as we were
returning to our command and riding
slowly along the road and all as quiet as
a funeral procession, our noble sergeant
must have had a presentiment or revela7
ton Of the scenes that were so soon to
follow for in the quiet moments he raised
himself in the saddle and said:
Boys. I feel that We are going to get
into one OF the worst stampedes today we
were ever In
But none of us attached much import
ance to the prophesy OF gave it much
thought. Camps being reached we were
ordered to report 70 Captain Tabor OF
company X. My captain, who was In
charge Of a huge pile Of corn In the
shuck in the middle Of field some dis
lance away. all was ordered TO shuck ana
shell half a bushel each and strap it to
our saddles, but before we had time to
perform that duty we were warned by
bugle call from our bugler, Rafe Duna-
hoo, of Athens. Ga, to come, and When
we got to them were ordered 70
fall into line and be ready for action as
the enemy was forming on the east side
OF the Olu Macon anu hESACAh
So we counted on in fOurs and every
fourth man left TO hold horses, the re-
manning three-fourths marched about
half. mile. infantry style and fell into
the Notifications on the west side of the
railroad at right angles with same.
Volunteer pickets were called for and
among the lot I remember our fellow
townsman, ]. C. Hardie. one of the pro-
prietors OF the Vet Coal and Ice compa-
ny. took his chances and went forth al
most to the mouth Of the enemy's guns
But for awhile it seemed as though it
was TO be a false alarm but soon TO our
right and between US and the railroad on
the crest of the hill and highest point
our four gun battery began to get into
position 70. play upon the Yankee picket
lines on the opposite hill north OF our
position. There could see in a cloud OF
dust many horses coming over the hill
tops which my inexperienced and UNI
trained eyes (for I was only I'D took to be
artillery horses, then the getting into
proper position and the numbering Of the
guns, the retiring Of horses and caisOns
to a safe place over the Hill was soon
complete. We then discovered that we
had something on our hands, but we
of the cavalry did no firing from the
trenches as we had nothing so far TO con-
front but a few pickets and our pickets
were between us and them, the Yankee
artillery playing upon our battery NANNY
TO our right but in a short space of time
we got orders from Colonel Young
through Adjutant Gordon to retreat back
to our horses. as the enemy was flanking
us on the east side of the railroad, and
as they had such overwhelming numbers
IL would have been an easy task to have
encircled our little band had we under
took to have held our position.
AS the Yankees discovered our retreat
the mimic balls came thick and fast as
well as shot and shell. but fortunately
for us we had the protection of a skirt
of thick woods between the Notifications
and the open old field where we had left
our horses. Speaking OF this woods re-
minds me OF two memorable events.
As we were moving in almost a solid line
through those timbers we came to very
large tree top and necessarily we had
10 divide the left and while separated
thus a huge shell came and tore that
tree top into atoms and plOwed a great
hole I'm the earth. Thus we saw the hand
And Immediately after this occurrence
and while still in the woods. l felt the
weight of a man fall against me. Look
ing around 1 discovered IL was Sergeant
Hooper, of our regiment, but do not now
remember the company, but as noble a
soldier as ever carried a gun. He got up
on his feet and exclaimed: "Oh, God.
am shot!" and then II was that 1 dis
covered the blood squirting from a wound
under the left eve at every pulsation,
having received the ball I'm the back of