The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-28

den. And now the end had come, Sol
der friends had told US, time and again,
today halt ra.ions,' and again. Today
no rations, only whiskey,' and but a day
| or two earlier Confederate soldiers had
osked bread at the doors of those whose
Zones they were defending. Months be-
lore We had trembled to think how the
SPACE between the brave men scattered,
| so scantily, along the line of defense
was daily, hourly, growing wider. Weeks
Ibtforc we had feared. days before we
Ea: known that further struggle was
useless.
| Sunday the firing rolled and ratified
along the entire line, and we knew there
was battle raging; but no news came
| to u.s. for as each courier dashed past
he only flung back the answer, 1--WE are
| fighting hard, to our eager questions
At II O'Clock we noticed a rapidly-thick-
ening smoke far down the street. followed
by another; then another; after came
breathless questions and whispered an.
Wers, Burning the cotton and tobacco
in the warehouses;
by whose orders?"
Lees"
Then it was no precautionary measure.
b! .ght,. blossoming April day. The guns
would soon be silenced forever; in a few
hours no tread OF soldiers would resound
along the deserted breastworks. Soon at
ter began the passing to the rear of the
wounded. Here a man walking with one
hand slipped, for support, under the arm
OF another poor unfortunate, who, imp
ing along, was held in his one good
nv he nf
p2nion. fonder was an ambulance, with
a head leaned far out, as some POOR fell.
low let the blood drip INTO the streets
OF the little town so long defended By
arms such as his. On a neighbor porch
a loot was being bound up--and in our
own sitting room Il ragged shirt was
pulled cut of a bullet hole-and there werA
two cases less for the surgeon
Such was that sunny. April Sabbath
suddenly; Lee cannot hold the lines"
was repeated slowly and doubtfully After
that came, He must evacuate;" He
eVacuates tonight" AT I O'Clock in the
evening friends came to tell Us the Ger
tainty.
I'VE evacuate tonight; at y O'Clock
the last troops will cross the bridge and
YOU will be latt alone. The picketinE
viii be kept up till the last moment.
then the pickets will rejoin their resi-
ments as best they can, they said.
And so, after being behind III, guns
and batteries for so many months. We
were to be left behind the empty trenches
at midnight; it appalled-it Supplied us
As we looked at their powder-staned
faces and smokeb lackened eyes and
heard their excited voices we realized
that the battle was over forever.
As the evening passed We heard, time
and again, the steady tread of some bri-
gade in the distance, as it slowly marched.
but Yet the picket-fring kept up its chip,
CHIP" Just before marching friends
dropped in for the last goodbye. Soon
alter the streets were quiet-no sound
of cannon, no Kissing she'll no tramp of
weary soldiers, no clatter OF hoofs, no
rumbling OF agony-laden ambulances-so
noiseless that, far away. we heard the
footsteps of the rear attachments growing
fainter, TILL as thu last good-byes we've
whispered among friends far down the
street, our heartbeatS were louder than
the footballs dying away at the other
end of the town.
Then all ceased, except, at long inter
walls, the firing of the solitary picket gun
was heard, and finally that, too, was
silent; and all was still and dark; So
still 1t seemed the quiet desolation and
death after the living noise OF battle
that had ragged but few hours before.
So still was it that we almost longed
fer the sound of bursting shell or a
bullets rattle; SO dark that we almost
sighed Tor the sight of a lannon's fash
or the light of burning fuse.
AS the Federal army entered next
morning, hours after the last Confeder-
ate had left the town, one old colored
woman screamed out, mo mo- wuk,"
while another, of an ardent temperament,
warmly embraced a dashing young officer
with both arms, calculating, with the
accompaniment of a sounding kiss, Lord!
honey, Use so glad you's comet" which
hearty welcome We onlookers thought was
received with rather ungracious apprecia-
tion.
One old gentleman had retired to his |
room on Saturday, and feeling unwell, |
had kept closely at home all day Sunday, |
ana his servants, being old like himself, |
had heard nothing of the battle or ex-
pected evacuation. On waking Monday
as usual he looked from his |
widow and wondered that his treacher- |
oi,s eyesight should multiply the bars
till they became stripes" Ringing his |
bell he irritably asked: What is the |
matter with the f1ag?" The old colored |
housekeeper responded: Lord! master |
lie Confederate dun gone an de Yankees |
IS hyar.'