Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1911-02-23
REMINISENCE OF THE WAR

REMlNISENCE OF THE VAR
Continued from last week.
The yankee cavalry went on a
raid to Augusta to destroy arse
nal and they had mounted caval-
~ from Sherman's army. Gen.
Wheeler's cavalry rode after him
two days and TWO nights before
We canght up with them. did not
reach Augusta turning his course
he went back where Sherman
could take care Of him. One dark
night Wheeler took some OF his
artillery out and shelled a divis-
ion of Sherman's infantry out Of
camp, We could see their camp
fires, they were made.
The following day my regi-
ment was upon a hill in a potato,
patch, We had logs and rails for
breastworks and we're laying be-
hind them when a shell busted
near me and tore a great hole
in the ground. | raised nv gun
and took i've good shots. The
road about one hundred yards
was blue with yankees, We had
to get away, We had cavalry sup
port. One man in < was struck
IN the back with a spent bal,
which did no damage only made
him holler and feel in front 10
see ii the ball came through.
Our horses were about one hum
dred yards off. | looked to e
how things were going. The yam
kee infantry and our cavalry
were together, we moved a half
mile ack and turned our artillery
on them. This happened on Briar
Creek, Georgia.
All We could do was to keen
Sherman's cavalry from scatter
ing over the country. | warmed
several times at fires Sherman
mad built, burning gin houses
and mills.
We crossed the Savannah Riv-
er about ten miles 1bove Sayan-
nan, went out to where there had
been a little town that vas de-
stroyed oy the British during the
Revolutionary war. | forgot the
name, 1t has never been rebuilt
mere was an old British cannon
there. | wanted TO go and see the
ocean while there but nv time
tor a pass did not come. We
moved from there about forty
miles 10 Charleston, could hear
the siege guns. We moved from
mere direct route to Columbia.
south Carolina. Sherman de-,
stroyed II by fire, the same az he
nad been doing. Burned Column
Ola, had skirmishing every day
one man was killed and two were
wounded. We crossed Santse
above Columbia. Sherman moved
IN direct line to Go!dsboro. Al
this time Hoods army came
struggling. johnson took com
mand of what was left of as Ine
soldiers as were in the Confeder-
ate service. There was a good
many killed at Franklin, but l
THINK 1t was at Goldsboro that
Johnston's army, Georgia and
South Carolina militia did its
best lighting. It was there that
we lost one of our best men.
Columbus Gillian.
We fell back from Goldsboro
and passed through Raleigh, up
toward Virginia. meeting some Of
len. Lees men going home.
They told US Lee had surrendered
to Grant. At first we could mot
believe it, but it was true. our
picksts soon received orders NOT
70 hre on the yankees and Gen.
was ordered to mes,
meet Sherman and two or three
DAYS afterwards he surrendered
me terms were that the officers
could keep their sidearms ana
horses, the men to keep their
horses and every fourth man his
gun. We drew two or three davs
ranons and moved down the
French Broad into East Tsnne
essee, coming home.
mere was a man with US bv
name Of Robert Blakely, a
xinsman of mine, and once
cinzen OF Oxford, "Billy he saws
20 me-" "We are moi al 49,
clean, lets go to the creek and o..
m" just what l wanted.n s.Ss
!. SO we went and when Icsms
'uti a broken out with the
~ u "a 49,