The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-02-22

cane of his overcoat over his head and
evidently fast asleep The horse was rest
less, and moved his head up and down to
inform his master of danger We got
within fifteen PAGES and Lindsay wanted
to ehoot, but l restrained him, and we
called out, Surrender Suddenly his
horse wheeled and went off In gallop.
We fired into the darkness, but never got
cur man. Cavalrymen have often told me
that they depended on horses for warning
of the approach of danger at night. ]
used to wonder what time horses got for
sleep. One might pass hundreds in an
artillery cavalry camp at almost any
hour and they would be eating, stamping
or showing some signs of wakefulness.
but / discovered that about an hour be-
fore day they were generally quiet, some
resting on three legs, the toe of the other
foot Just touching the ground, and cav
alrymen told me they were sleeping in
this position. l have slept walking, but
never could sleep standing. Ones knees
give way, but a horse seems to. be better
gifted in this respect.
Kautz's cavalry were good fighters.
Sometimes when we stepped out of a
thicket and demanded surrender, a pick
ct would raise his carbine and fire, and
he would have to be killed. We were or
dered now and then to take a prisoner In
order to get information, and II the UNI
fortunate fellow selected would not sur
render, 1t was kill or be killed. keenan,
of the Fifteenth Alabama got two holes
shot through the slack of his pants try
ing to capture a vidette and though
brave as Caesar, had to run for it, as the
fellow had a repeating carbine. Some
times they were very polite and have
shaken their canteens at me as l passed
on scout.
On picket below Fredericksburg we
would rig up a board with sails and rud-
der and send over tobacco in exchange
for coffee sand newspapers. Above the
city Wilcox's men would wade out to
the middle of the river and make ex-
changes 1t is related that three yankees
were having a good chat this way one
time and their line being relieved they
were reported as deserters and sentenced
to be shot. but Lincoln set aside the sem
tence of the court martial.
On the right at Petersburg men would
fire from their picket holes for hours.
when some man would shout in a loud
voice, Rest Then both sides would
set out of their holes. walk around, talk.
exchange papers or tobacco. and the fir
ing of gun into the air would be the
signal for them to disappear and the
work of murder would again commence.
1t is hard to believe that brave and
seemingly clever men like these would
afterwards use the negro and the worse
carpetbagger to rob and Cypress the
south. Perhaps the politician, the stay
at home, and the suffers outvoted them
and the soldiers could not stay the hand
of the thieving crew. There never seem
| ed to be much opposition to misrule in the
| south till every state government was
| bankrupt the cities and counties in the
| same condition and the bad crops of Z;
| made the farmers insolvent. Then 1t was
| that New York and even Massachusetts
| found they could not sell their goods t.
| bankrupt people, and in 1874, both state:
| elected majority of conservative con
| gressmen and they way was paved fol
| the withdrawal of the troops from tn,
south, and the tramp of soldiers was NJ
longer heard in legislative halls. Th,
northerners have keen eye to the matt
chance, which In this case meant money
and the darkey is not so dear to hin
| when cash does not follow that sort o
| philanthropy.
But the confederate has known all tn
time that there were honest. We'll mean
ing people in the north, but their voice
| could not be heard above the noisy clamo
of greed and hate AS part of histor,
of the times must give an instance o
two One fairly intelligent man for
yankee came south to raise cotton whe
1t was forty cents pound, educate tn
poor ignorant southerner in farming an
incidentally make little money Tor him
self After his cotton blossomed out an
began to fruit he wrote little countr
paper in his far northern birthplace tina
he had discovered one important rae
about cotton which the southerners al