The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1904-09-22

the ancienls. Thoy began throwing
stones" and then I went on % do.
scribe the new style of bombardment
The publication was r7celvod with "a.
credullty ! was most numerically
ridicnled by papers an over the conn-
try for the fertility Of my imnainnr
tion. and some said very plainly that
was an incorrIgible llar who was DC.
flaming the Union troops BY represent.
InG that they had been whipped By
confederates throwing ssonAJ AZ them.
had TO wait patiently for the con
hrmation OF my story. Tho first from
the Confederate side I found IN cap
tured letter which now lies before
me. II was dated Camp near Dal-
ton. Ga. Dec. 4th. 1884," IL addressed
MY Dear Sister,. and r. signed
Ned" the writer being Lieut.. nd
ward Cpurrier. Fiftieth Tennessee In
fantry.
His whole letter IL absorbIngiy an
well as historically interesting a. de-
plcting the desperate fortunes and
terrible suiferings Of Bragg's troops
during the winter OF 1884. But I
quote now only this part which refers
to the stone-throwing episode:
"Maney's brigade fought uEon the
right and acquitted themselves with
great credit. resisting every charge
that was made against us. We fought
them at twenty PAGES for over half an
hour.
MANY Of our guns becoming 30
fouled az 90 be rendered unservice-
able. the Sncn threw them down and
fought with rocks. Our oolonel
knocked the co.ors out Of Yankees
hands with a rock"
II may be necessary 10 state that
In the southern dialect rock" IL equiv
alent TO stone In northern parlance.
II is not necessary. however. at this
late date to explain that the term
Yankees" as applied 10 the union
troops was not used In derislon any
more than was that OF Johnny Rebs."
as our troops called the Confederates.
when the plckets met. which was
not infrequently. to exchange tobacco
and papers for coffee and Quinlne. they
alluded to each other as you Yanks"
and you rebs" without offending each
other. They were familiar addresses,
not opprobrius eplthets. The women
and children. with more of hate than
fight In them, used 10 call us Yankee
gorillas" In response to our ofhciai
declaration that unenllsted southern
ers caught with guns In their hands
should be regarded as "guerrillas."
using the term In the Spanish sense.
The second confirmation of this
miracle Of war" I got in 1854 from
Gen. George Nancy when he was q
guest Of the Fifth Avenue hotel dur.
ing the Blaine campaign. He com.
manded the right brigade OF Bragg's
army. which threw the stones.
George Alfred Townsend and I hap
pened to meet Gen. Nancy at the
hotel. and In the course of the eonver-
sGtion alluded to the fight. TO my de-
scrlption OF II. and of the stone.throw-
ing episode and 90 Lieut.. Spurrier's
letter. Nancy said he personally knew
Spurrier and that he certainly took
part in the stonethrowing. He added
that not only were the muskets fouled.
but that Ewing's troops got 80 close
to the summit Of the hill he was de.
Tending that his artillery could no
longer be depressed sufficiently TO fre
on the advanced brigade. which they
tad to fight hand-to-hand.
So much for that miracle" which
am not certain my friend accepted
in good faith or as better attested
than what he calls "the alleged rails.
Ing Of Lazarus from the dead"
don't suppose he win credit the sec
ond instance. in support Of the Times
correspondents story OF the destruc-
ticn Of the artillery at vafangow. since
I. In order to tell q similar instance.
had myself to rise after being In
tsrredl-New York Timea.