The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-07-06
TUpELo, MISSISSIPPI. FRIDAY JULY 6.
pEN.pICTURES OF THE OLDEN Time
1Y COL W. [. CLAYTON.

| only remember one time du-
ring the war that | felt a kind
OF presentiment that | would be
shot, and that was conditional.
On the day before the fight at
Atlanta, which l think was on
the 22nd of July, 1864, we were
holding the enemy in check as
best we could, and they were
pressing us back as fast as they
could. We built the best breast
works we could for our protec-
ton, and they were generally
constructed of rails and logs.
That morning after having been
pushed back several times, we
built a very good temporary
work for our protection on the
slant of a beautifully wooded
hillnear the outskirts fthe city,
and hoped we would not be COM
PEELED to evacnate any more that
day. But we were doomed to
Disappointment. The Federals
came on with rush. and some
thing impressed me that l would
be shot if fell back as the 9TH
ers did, but the thought came
to me that l would be safe if l
should wait till the first volley
should be drawn and then make
a break. Acting on this sug-
gestion, remained behind the
protection when the order to re-
treat came uutil the first fire
was given, and then moved out
as rapidly as | could after my
command, when the bullits flew
so thick round my head that |
felt like the whole yankee army
were firing at me. Still | came
out without a scratch, and our
regiment went out in good style,
and the brigadier general of our
command came round and pub
licly commended Col. Inge for
the manner in which his troops
conducted themselves. So soon
as the balance of the brigade
had somewhat gathered in place,
an order came tor men in charge
of an officer to pioperly locate the
position of the enemy and make
report to General Ferguson,
but under no circumstances to
fire a gun. | was placed in
charge of the detail and very
soon and very readily located the
position of our foes, and the
temptation was very strong in
deed to. shoot some of them.
Being confident that they had
so demoialized us by their last
move on our breastWorks that we
would not be ready for some
time at any rate to make another
stand, they had become careless
and were scattered about in an
old peach and apple orchard eat
ing the fruit, climbing the trees
and paying but little heed to their
own safety, and offered a very
tempting target for our guns,
and we were close enough for
each man to have made a telling
shot. But soldier knows his
duty, and we could only find out
and report and must not shoot.
tt was On]v q short while after
this that they found out where
we were, and they not having
the same orders in relation to
shooting which we had, we felt
the effect of their lead. At this
place Liet. Hale of Capt. Hynd-
mans Co., and James Cornathan
of Capt. Lyle's Co., were both
wounded, one being next to me
on the right and the other on the
left and they were struck
almost at the same time, and yet
| did not feel like | would be hit,
as | did in the morning when
leaving the rail pile breastworks.
After Sherman began his march
through Georgia to the sea, our
command was ordered to follow
| in his rear and hang on his fianks
so that his command might be
kept in as close and compact
body as possible. The more
ground the enemy spread over
the more damage he would do.
| think from my observations
on his trail that his command
had very liberal foraging orders
They took every hog, COW, sheep
goat and all horses and mules,
together with all poultry; burnt
every gin and mill anywhere in
reach and destroyed all cotton;
carried off and destroyed togeth-
er all grain Of every kind and
even dug the sweet potatoes from
the gronnd or took them from
the banks where the farmers
kept them. / have heard it said
the Federals were commanded
to respect the household goods
of the citizens. Well, may be
so; but to man right on their
heels, seeing as we did, il
seemed more like an order to en-.
ter the houses and despoil them
of every thing they owned than
| to respect their rights. Of course
the soldiers could not carry off