The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1910-04-22
"reminiscences of the
Georgia Military Institute
Continued from Page One


l. more and more sanguine and restless
as the armies drew nearer. Study OF
books was practically given up and
military enthusiasm was at its height.
The armies were moving from Dalton
and on to Resaca. and a summons to
the front was expected at any moment.
Finally it came, and one night. when
the BOYS were all in their slumbers,
perhaps d.elming OF. battles, the long
rolf sounded. In a twinkling every
boy sprang up, donned his uniform
and accouuements. seized his musket
and rushed, with the others in front of
the building. for roll-call. As each
name wa, called, every cadet responded
ere" and was ready for duty
In these our years of maturity, since
We haye become men, indeed, with
children Of our own now older than we
were then. it is interesting to remem-
bey that scene OF boy soldiers forming
in ranks, just before the dawn of day,
with candle light dimly shining in
few of the rooms on the campus, and a
few sentinels still treading their beats,
anxiously waiting for the command to
fall in" with their comrades. Gray
Jeans was their uniform. Knapsacks,
canteens. cartridge boxes, guns, am
unition and gun caps were supplied
The guns given were Belgian rifles,
old style muZzle leaders. Such guns
and gun caps seem strange to our
old soldiers now who use the modern
breech leaders with every improve
ment. In all the excitement of pre-
paration and leave-taking there was an
undercurrent of sadness at leaving the
dear old G. NJ. l., feeling as they
marched away that they were perhaps
leaving it forever. And indeed it was
so, for in few months their ranks
were terribly thinned by the desolations
of disease and the carnage of battle,
and it was truly leaving forever by
all of them.
The armies came on and the Insti-
tute was burned by the Federals. We
left it a grand structure, around which
clustered a thousand memories. They
left it a heap of ruins. We cannot
here trace the cadets through the vari-
Gus vicisitudes OF the terriblecampaign.
Major Capers was proud of his boys, ="
as he affectionately spoke OF them.
When they were under severe artillery
fire at Turner's Ferry, over Chattahoo-
chez river, he characterized their cool
, courage and skill as something re-
: markable.
t Major General Henry G. Wayne was
in charge of the forces with which the
cadets served and in his official report
of February 9Th, 1865, gives account of
2 the distinguished conduct of the GeOr-
: gia cadets in the campaign through
2 Georgia. He says, 81 would conspic-
/ uously mention Majors Hartridge and
Capers and Captains Tolbert, Pruden
t Austin and Warthen. The gallantry
!
ed To Major Capers | am under the
: greatest obligations. His qualifica.
tons for military command are of the
highest order. They have been bril-
2 liantly illustrated by the corps of ca.
diets, whose gallantry, discipline anC
r skill equal anything | have ever seer
IN itor |
too highly OF these youths who go into
: a fight as cheerfully as they would en-
] ter a ballroom and with the silence
= and steadiness of veterans"
t The Georgia Cadets were the last or
= ganized Confederate soldiers on duty
east of the Mississippi river and thei
e last service, as their first at Marietta
r was on provost duty, guarding the
city OF Augusta, and the Confederate
e arsenals and army stores of that city
r They obeyed the last order of a Con
r federate officer, Major General Ii
t Fayette McLawS. The order was is
sued after the surrender of General.
Lee and Johnston and was dated Ma,
LIST, 1868, and they served under tina
order until the goth day of May, 1865
when they were relieved from their
duties by a Yankee garrison, whicl
came to Augusta to take charge OF the
city and the Confederate supplies there
2 On the goth of May the battalion wa.
disbanded and the Surviving cadets re
E turned to their homes. Thus the bov
r soldiers of the South and of Georgi,
:, were the last to do service in the caus,
= of the Confederate States of America
In their manhood they have mad,
good citizens and are now fast passins
from the active scenes of life forever.