The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-24

had grown in the excavations. while | Virginia Creepers, daisies and butter | cups had combined to hide the horrid scars of the explosion. Standing just above the spot where those devoted | men had gone to an awful death, one l was almost breathless as some of the | survivors recounted the bloody tragedy. How, before the enemy could take ad- lvantage of the seeming paralysis of | the event, the torn lines of the Confed- I crates had been swung back to enfilade l the approach to the breach in the lines:
 how Malone had rallied his gallant | Virginians to avenge the scars made brave Georgians had rushed to their
 support. while Harris Brigade of Mis- sissippians, in their eagerness, had all
 most pushed their brothers into that
 seething cau1dron of death. Captain | Erwin. or the .11th Mississippi (Col.
 Reuben Reynoids). was the raconteur. 1 His comrades in arms stood around and interpolated. Here they had stood to await the rush of negro troops that
 had been pushed forward into the cra- ter as soon as possible; they had felt l sorry for those negroes--understand- | ing them better than those who were | sending them to their death. As the
 negro troops had fioundered Into and
 across the crater, they had been slaughtered like sheep.
 At last, sickened with it. the Confed- I crates had hauled them (the negroes) | in by the wholesale, sending them l through the lines unarmed, toward the town of Petersburg; three hundred of these were found next day wandering
 bewiidered and disconsolate in the streets of Petersburg. They had had l enough of war and slaughter! what had become of>them no man could tell. This was the battle field that . certain great German soldier and noble had been sent by his government to "ob- serve" He had been most courteousiy received by General Lee; on request, he had accompanied Lee on his rounds of the battle-line. So attenuated did he | find that line, he could scarcely be- lieve it to be the real battle-line, think ing Lee was purposely deceiving him! When it at last soaked through" as 1 the veterans expressed 1t. he made known his astonishment that Lee could hold his ground for an extent of fifteen With icalm smile, Lee replied that the people of the South were--very elastic!
 Among those who were viewing the historic spot that day, was a soldier of
 the regular army. sailor from a war ship in Hampton Roads and a marine
 from the same ship--all young North oAh hCAs LACt hu6W llLtl6 OI LnaL KlO- rious past and asked eager questions;
 those old soldiers were fatherly in their
 manner toward the young defenders of their country, and laid out lines for
 both sides so accurate that they won
 the admiration of the guides who had
 thought they had known 1t all! Over
 once bloodstained ground, the bronzed
 young warriors escorted the young
 women of the Southland and insisted
 on sharing ali trophies--such as bullets
 and fragments of shells. with the girls.
 They could afford to jest now, over
 the offer to the other party of a bullet
 from that side, evidently. "It was meant for your sides just keep 1t we
 will feel better to know that 1t has at
 last reached It's destination." The old
 soldiers listened and smiled at Youth
 but tears for their Past were not far
 away. Many trophies in the shape of
 kodak" pictures were carried away
 but all the women confessed that it was
 not pleasant feeling to be standing
 within the walls of that crater, even
 though they were now clothed with
 greenest grass and golden buttercups
 to have their pictures takenl They had
 heard the re-counting of that awful
 slaughter--and 1t was to them a ghost
 ly place!
 Every battle field around Richmond
 was Mecca for the gallant men who
 had taken part in making 1t historic.
 Wednesday after the reunion, found
 many veterans and their interested
 friends on the field of Seven Pines and
 Fair Oaks. Here again Captain Erwin
 of Mississippi was the guide; he had
 been with his command nearer to Fair
 Oaks, so had not seen Gordon's famous
 charge through the pines. But he had
 seen the wounding of General Joseph
 E. Johnston-that event which had
 given to Lee the opportunity of priving himself the incomparabie general who had wrung unqualified praise from mill
 itary tactician's of the whole world! One moment General Johnston had been
 seen to pause. on horseback, on the railroad track, there had been the screech of a passing shell. an explosion, and then to his horror. Captain Erwin realized that Johnston had been struck, Before he could reach the scene, officers had supported the General. while an ambulance had seemed to spring from the earth-so quickly had it come. In a moment. 1t dawned upon the Captains mind that he was. standing just over the spot where Johnston had been standing-it was not comfortable thought. so the gallant soldier prompt ly removed himself back to his place of duty--to be wounded later in the bat tie. .-s
 new official was in charge of the National Cenetery-where within the enclosure stand seven pine trees. He could not tell whether they were the original trees or not that question ought to be settled by the Government and the facts stated formally. He was evidently born since the unpleasant- ness, and harbors no malice in his jolly soul. He welcomed all visitors cordial ly, but there seemed to be an extra touch of welcome to the veterans and their friends. Well" said he very cheerfully. You Johnnies certainly planted lot of fellows for us to take | care of!'
 There was little cause for satisfac- .l tion over that fact, when those Ala | bamians remember what had happened | to the 3rd Alabama Regiment in that l wild charge-so many brave friends | had died that day and they had been | led into the next world by their gal l lant Colonel Lomax, as he had led them | fin the charge! tt
 While not a stone is there to hold the | story of their brave deeds. their com rades love their memory. and Alabama | is now getting 10 the monument build- | ing point in her re-habilitation-there l will be, yet. a monument to the glory | of the State and her heroic sons!
 One of the most amusing incidents of the reunion was the visit of an armed | of Tennessee Veterans to | the city of Washington D. c. How many | times had they been near that city, in | the old days, but something had always happened to prevent their getting | there. On this occasion! however, they | were met by friends to welcome them: | they were escorted to the Capitol | where they intended paying far differ |