The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-10-03

In an article published In your pa
per entitled "Siesta in Savannah" says
q contributor to the New York Sun, one
Of your correspondents writes of this
beautiful old-fashioned Southern city
with its innumerable public parks and
public squares, its open spaces carpeted
| with rich green and shaded by venera-
BILE trees, etc. And again: This Is a
simple, gracious, dignlfed old city, In
habited by self-respecting and whole
some minded folk"
In reading this tribute to Savannah's
attractions recollections of that city in
the spring and summer Of 1864 we'll tp
In my mind.
The dust and heat and turmoil Of con-
test and battle had waged for three
years. One day l found myself In Sa-
vannah, and many companions were in
like plight with myself. We were pris-
oners Of wal ON a journey from Ply
mouth, N. c., to Andersonville and Ma
con, Ga. There were some 1,S0O of us,
and we were called plymouth Pill
grims" by the press Of the South as we
tourneyed toward what was to be our
first destination inside the Southern
Confederacy.
Was 1t kindness on the part Of our
captor to us, or vas it a display they
thought they would like to make of us,
as a cat does of its mouth, to the people
Of Savannah, whose equanimlty and
peacefulness had not yet been disturbed
by any serious wal echoes, that we
were permitted to get out of our train
and return the gaze of those who flock
ed by thousands to look upon us?
The sun shone brightly, and people
came by carriages, on horseback and
on foot to look at us. 1t was a most
entertaining sight to see those people,
ladies and children predominating,
most Of the men probably being aSay
ct the front.
There was a space allotted to us Of
about fifteen feet on one side Of the
train A few sentinels kept us within
its bounds. We were probably as good
looking a lot of soldiers as could be
found, for we had recently come out Of
garrison duty of more than a year. Con-
sequently our clothes were good and
we were fresh and clean In appearance,
In marked contrast with soldiers made
prisoners in the midst Of an active cam
paign.
The people looked at us with mingled
curiosity and kindness. We were the
first Union prisoners that had been ex-
posed to public view in Savannah. As
1 stood on a slight elevation where 1
could get a good view of the crowd q
woman sent a small child to me to ask
If l was from New York. I replied
that / was from the State of New
York, but not from the city. Ny aa-
swer seemed to disappoint her.
Suddenly two men pushed their way
through the line Of sentinels. One Of
them wore the Confederate uniform of
a captain; the other was in citizens
clothes. The officer said, I'VE will see
now IL there is any one here from Al
legany." 1 turned and saw in the speak
er one a little older than myself, who
had been a village boy with me in the
county Of New York which he named.
1 shouted out, "How are you, Fred?"
and he stopped. amazed at the sudden
realization of his thought. A ringing
laugh was his response. The duty he
had to perform, to provision the train
load of prisoners, permitted only few
words to be in~terchanged between us.
He introduced me to his companions,
who had come South some thirty years
before from the same Northern county
as ourselves.
Capt. III. gave us pieces Of bacon in
the raw and some sea biscuit, which we
ap%portioned among ourselves. Very
toothsome food l can assur you under
the circumstances in which We found
ourselves.
In three months time. about Aug. 1.
I was again In Savannah. Sherman's
army was getting into uncomfortable
proximity for our guards to the pris-
ons at An~dersonville and Macon, forty
miles apart. l had been confined at
Macon with 1000 officers of the Union
army and it was deemed prudent to re
move us from that locality. With 600
others 1 was brought to Savannah. The
scourge of war had not yet reached
that city and there was the same holt
day crowd out to see us that there had
been before. In this case, however, we
were taken from the cars to be march
ed to the Naval Asylum grounds. The
active man In control was my friend Of
three months before.
AS prisoners In Savannah we Jared
quite famously. outrageous trees help
ed to screen us from the summer sun.
We had tents to live In during the six
weeks of our stay. We had fresh beef
ration every day and we had rice to go
with it. With mud ovens which we
made ourselves we could roast our beef
and bake our corr bread. which we
sweetened with sorghum. We also could
made our rice into buildings. One not
overcome by depression from restraint
Of liberty could fare well at Savannah.
1t was said that the people took pride
In giving us excellent treatment.
Such Is my recollection Of the old
town at a time when the country was
racked by civil war.
The Cost of War.
There has been a general impression,
erroneous, to be sure, that Uncle Sans
battle month Is April and that he has
always begun his scraps with his neigh
Dor during the month Of showers. This