Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-05-01

J, OF Us was a field with two ridge
or hills running parallel abo1
! one-half of a mile apart. A eros
ridge connected them, maxim,
: three sides Of a parailelogran1'
, with the end next to us open
On the three sides of this were
standing a large federal armv
many thousands, all armed anc
IN serried ranks, with arms "ai
shoulder. flags flying, officers in
tnIelrplaces. 1t was a grand sight
NO cheering, no orders audible to
us; perfect silence. "
!, We entered the open end of
TINS parallelogram halfway be-
tween the two lines. Oh! the
neart-breaking ordeal for usI
Every officer alert, arms to fright
h shoulder shift" flags flying'
On! the poor fellows! | cannot
Keep from shedding tears now.
f5orty-nine years after. Ragged
dirty, unkempt, many barefoot.
ed, many coatless, some hatless.
eyes swollen. Oh! so hungry and
so weary!
Yet as they entered this place,
where they were to be disarmed
and turned loose monavlocc ~
md their way back to their
homes in the various southern
states, where mothers, wives and
children were so poor, SO help
ess, where houses had been
burned and farm animals had
he'd or been carried off. these
'oor fellows dropped their route +
,tep and fell into parade stem. $
lhrew> back shoulders, raised e
nelr dropping heads and looked '
{ the brave array of blue on '
9th 9 sides and in front of them. !.
N! how proud of them was T. II
'ere all of US. for we were all
,sll-nigh alike IN clothing urtii (,
ther essentials. lir
When General Malone had IL
Irogressed so far that the rear IL
MS division was within the d.
ar;al!elogram, he halted his men pl
10 raced them to the left, or sa
'red them to close up, then or ke
red them to stack arms. The ar
ader must know that on such ra
caslons it is usual to have the an
en- to ground arms" that is on
lay them down on the ground. ge
It here we had no such humil- ex
ion. We stacked arms ION
e color line," then hung our PEI
ors on the center stacks; then in
back in line. We looked at die
guns; then with eyes blind for
with tears, we looked for the fri,
time at our colors. The old exc
'ged rags that had been flags! not
gged? Yes, ragged from shell thi.
snot; In place of the origi- mu
:. statfs were sticks-make- she
IT'S, for the stats had been his
t off. There we stood! lar
What of the federals? Cen Wit
mt and his men treated us fouI
ignore nobly than was ever low
army treated before ser,
since. The conduct of the trict
erals on this occasion was alta
hing and comforting beyond the
thing that words can express of a
ne head of the column en- and
q this parallelogram every have
IN that great federal army theil
e to and was held at salute. fast,
ry officers sword was drawn serv
held in salute, and every First
VINO carried a gun brought neve
neld 1t at salute, so long as of hi
there. M,
: iookeu IN amazement! The y0un
: that we had been fighting short
ng, that we were now sur, rise.
erlng to. had suddenly over the
med us with kindly courte- senta
ID nigh appreciation of our mark
srly qualities. They stood ago
until our forces had passed recko
t the parallelogram. It is sissip
It impossible to estimate the later
'rt and relief this treatment attorl
us. 1t relaxed the tension trict.
: nerves. We went back to the dl
if that old field barren of electi'
blankets. food. horses or dared
rs. could properly be called open
p, On the evening of the nounc
day we got our paroles. have
morning, 10! there was no term.
there! No federals! No has be
derateS! ment
tne second day before we his POI
urrendered our arms, we has n
coming toward us, as we citizen
jumping about our camp. "court
'rsemen. Soon we knew his cou
ne foremost one was our law i'm