Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-20

After the battle Of Bentonville, n. c.,
In March. 1885. Johnstons army camped
near Smithheld on the Raleigh and Colds
boro railroad. We had no tents at that
time and the regulars had been without
from the 10th OF December. 1864. Just
spread our blankets on the ground. with
the sky or clouds, but mostly clouds. as
IL rained most OF the time. for a cover.
ing. General Johnston seemed inclined
TO want TO get acquainted with his new
army. composed of all the troops east
Of the Chattahoochee river.
On April the Sd General Johnston re-
viewed General Hardee's corps, composed
OF McLaws. Hoke's and Talliaferro's d.
visions, and on the 4th reviewed the
whole command. The infantry was form
ed in two lines and the artillery in one,
all marching past the generals IN review.
The generals with their STATS had on
their Sunday gO-tO-meeting clothes, and
looked as gay as rice birds, mounted on
their splendid chargers. saw one group
OF officers mounted on thirteen gray
horses. General Johnston was medium
sized man, riding a small we'll groomed
horse. while General Hardee rode fine
sOrrel pacing horse that seemed to skim
over the ground. Both looked like they
had jumped out of a band box, they look
ed so clean and nice. 1 will not try TO
as that can be imagined when told we had
been in the rain, mud and water for
four months, with hardly a change OF
clothing. But the boys were not COM
planning, as we were about used to doing
without clothes and something to eat
On April the eth Hardee's corps was again
reviewed by General Johnston and Gov
ernor Vance of North Carolina, the
Tar Heel State. The North Carolina troops
I~w~ In
ginia a North Carolinian asked Vir-
gfnian IL he knew that President Davis
had bought up all the tar in North Caro-
lima. Mo- said the Nirginian, what
did he do that for?'' ITO make the Vir-
ginians stick in a fight" replied the man
from the Tar Heel State.
On the 10th of April, 1866, the army
was reorganized and consolidated. The
First Georgia regulars, TWenty-eightn
Georgia battalion and FOrty-seventh Geor-
gia regiment were put in one; the First
Georgia regulars, r. A. Wayne, colonel
H ID. d. Swiggs. lieutenant colonel, with
the major OF the Forty-seventh. The reg
ulars were placed in five companies;
Forty-seventh in three and the Twenty
eighth in two. Company IA was changed
to ID. with Captain James r. DuBose
stfIl in command. Not Dragging in the
least, but I am proud to say l retained
my position Of first sergeant over the
new company. being as good. as to say
well done, thou good and faithful servant
All officers not required in the new or
ganization were dropped out, and / sup
pose were like Major Bonneau, OF the
Twenty-eighth, who said, by darn,
am no longer a sojer." The major, no
doubt, had good cause to remember the
regulars who used TO sing while on night
marches Major Bonneau' to the tune OF
BILLY Barlow" but then we will have to
admit the regulars were hard lot wnen
Il came to fun. fight or frolic.
The First Georgia regulars were placed
in General George p. Harrison's brigade,
WaIthalIs division. and Stuarts corps.
on the 18th Of April Johnston's army left
Smithfeld, with the duh roar OF cannon
al the Neun river, which gave us to un-
derstaud that Sherman's army was again
on the move. and that we had better
be hunting for pastures new and pastures
green. we marched to Raleigh and then
toward Greensboro. At some point on
the march was well amused at prank
played by the cavalry on the infantry.
While we were marching along the road
a division OF cavalry was passing, going
70 the front We came 70 small creek
without any bridge over IL, which the cav
airy forded while the infantry crossed on
some rails to the right Of the road. The
tours having to undouble caused the boys
to crowd up and wait until they could
get over with long run on the other side
to close up.
The cavalry, who were always obliging,
especially to a foot-soldier. seeing our
condition. asked II some OF the boys would
not ride over with them. Yes, yes,
shouted a dozen or more as they rushed
up. but first come first served" The
horse would be rode into the water where
the bank on the side of the road was level
with his back the soldier would place his
left foot over the horse and as he went to
let himself down TO a seat on the horses
back the cavalryman would spur his
horse. which would jump from under him
and leave him sitting in the creek cursing,
while the cavalryman went dashing up
the road I saw several served In that
very way and IL caused no little amuse-
ment. The infantry and cavalry were al
ways guying each other. When the cav
airy would be going to the front the boys
would say, Cavalry to the front. enemy
gone" and when we met them IL would
rear"
In Virginia it was reported that Cen
eral Lee had a standing offer OF $500 for
a dead man with spurs on.
The cavalry were the eyes and ears Of
the army and in the last part Of the war
were nothing more than mounted infan-
try. tree the enemy, then dismount and
fight him. Somewhere between HillsbOro
and Greensboro we halted one evening to
camp, built fires and started to cooking
supper when we were again ordered for
ward We were near river which was
on the rise and General Johnston thought
his men would sleep better on the other
side. as our friends, the enemy, were not
far IN our rear. The infantry crossed on
the railroad bridge while the wagons
and artillery forded It.
u. On the night OF the 18th we camped
within 5 miles Of Greensboro and there
we heard for the first time that General
Lee had surrendered to General Grant at
<1ppomattox on April 9Th. Some OF Gen
eral Lees paroled soldiers had been seen
making for home. On the morning Of the
18th II was announced that an armistice
had been agreed to between Johnston and
Sherman, which meant that each army
would remain where IL was until the arm
istice was ended. I procured a copy Of
General Lees farewell address to his
army, and believing that anything in con-
nectiOn with that famous soldier would be
interesting I give It in full:
Headquarters Army of Northern Vir-
ginia. April 10. 1S65.-General order No. 9.
After four years OF arduous service,
invoked by unsurpassed courage and fort
itude, the Army OF Northern Virginia has
been compelled to yield to overwhelming