Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-10-09
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GEN. STONGHAAC hh1o ON MASONs
have been reading of the nightly
raids that the Germans inflict on the
coast towns and cities of Great Britain.
These are aeroplane raids and they drop
deadly bombs on the unsuspecting pc J.
pie.
In Confederate times we had raids by
Federal troops and 1 found that such
raids left a dreadful anxiety on ones
mind thereafter.
We were refugees, on a farm lying
between four and five miles from Ma
con. The road from Macon to Clinton,
Jones county, passed within a half mile
of our rude refugee home There was
fine growth of timber between us and
the main Clinton road. We felt pretty
secure, as we knew the Federal troops
were generally afraid to travel after
dark, and did not use trails and paths
but kept to main line of travel
We were anxious and uneasy, OF
course, after General Sherman occupied
Atlanta, and Confederate troops were
near Jonesboro on the Central railroad
One hot afternoon in July. 1864, there
were a number of our neighbors in the
house and we had sent a servant woman
to Macon to get the letters and papers
from the postoffice. They gathered there
to hear the latest from the army. The
than usual She was in dreadful fright;
said a man on horseback met her, just
out of Macon on her return, and he told
her to tell her folks and everybody that
the Yankees would attack Macon that
night
We thought the soldier had been try
ing to scare her, and dismissed the mat
ter from our minds. The news was so
carefully censored that we knew next
to nothing about the movements Of
either army
We had early supper for the friends.
They left in good spirits and we went
to bed with little thought as to raiding
Yankees. The house we liverd in had
only Shutters-no glass could be had
to complete the unfinished and unceled
house we occupied.
The weather was torrid, the air sultry
We left the shutters open and slept all
right. The cowpen was a few hundred
yards distant, and the woman who
MIXED always rose early and took her
half-grown boy with her to mind off the
calf My husband had also risen early
and was sitting on the front doorsteps
when this colored boy rushed into the
yard crying out 1.-The Yankees are come"
BY that time the woods in front of the
house was full of cavalrymen. The
jingling of swords and canteens made
me spring out of bed and I had hardly
got my dress on when the yard was full
of them.
They inquired about the roads to Ma
con and said they were driving towards
Andersonville. 1t looked like there was
an army of them. and directly We heard
firing towards Macon. Such a day as it
was! The hours dragged slowly and the
rife shots sounded like firecrackers at
Christmas, and the cannon like cannon
crackers" only much louder. They raid
ed house and smokehouse. shot down my
chickens, ordered the cooks to get busy
and they cooked all day. using our flour
and anything in sight for their comfort.
We had young peach orchard, the fruit
just ripening. They cleaned UP the trees
as they went. They got peach brandy
somewhere; many were drunk and bois-
ferrous; several guns were fired in their
quarrels. We tried to stay inside the
rooms to avoid stray shots. The same
neighbors who had been with us the day
before crept in after dark, and my hus-
band and l kept watch all night long.
The cornfields were full of roasting ears
and the raiders had a good time boiling
and roasting them. We did not dare
keep a light burning in the house. Then
campfires were all over the place, and