Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-08
THE COUNTRY HOME
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II. FELTON,

by General Howell Cobb (who was desgnat-
ed as commander of Georgia's military
forces) to General James Wilson, of the Fed
eral army. We had to simply take it,, with
no more effort at resistance than so many
prisoners out on bond and at the mercy OF
the court, without any show of a jury or any
defense by lawyer, just nobodtes and per-
fectly helpless, except that we were alive and
nearly penniless as to our future condition
with that gloomy season of darkness and OF
doubt all over us. l was perfectly cured as
to every fascination 1 had for the military.
have always since that time had an innate
contempt for the poor human beings who
fall down in worship for military leader,
with no mention of the privates who did the
fighting while the shoulder straps got the
hurrah especially since that memorable day
when Georgia had to drink tho dregs of a
full cup after the folly Of going off half
cooked as a government, without even COM
mon preparedness for a bloody conflict. 1t
is unnecessary to go further into the de-
tails of that presidential canvass in 1864
The canvass of 1864 concluded in the re-
election of Abraham Lincoln by the vote OF
every northern state except Delaware, Ken
lucky and New Jersey. General McClelland
ran well, nevertheless. Lincoln received g.,
200, 900 and Mcclellan 100000 votes,
tabulated
However, we were not suddenly jerked off
our feet, because it was apparent that the
fall of Atlanta only fOrerunner OF the
fall of Richmond. General Hood was placed
over General Joe Johnston, by what was be-
lieved to be an intrigue in high places in the
Confederate government, but it is worth
mention that he (Hood) performed according
to directions and made a terrific attempt to
redeem Tennessee and Kentucky, with dis
appearing army all the time he was at it.
He started northWard with an army Of 49,
600 infantry and artillery and 10000 cavalry
and left poor old Georgia as fiat as pan
cake, at the mercy of Sherman.
Around Atlanta there were the most reck-
less, massive and headlong charges of the en-
tire war, and with less of benefit to the suf-
fering population. And when Hood got
through with them he abandoned Atlanta. He
! blew up the magazines destroyed all the
supplies he could not remove, destroyed the
Locomotives and nearly hundred cars load
ed with ammunition and then moved his
army along a turnpike towards Jonesboro.
The old and decrepit were carried out Of
their homes. wagons were filled with wrecks
of household goods and General Hood
dropped them about seven miles out to shift
for themselves. My aged parents tried to
remain in Atlanta during the siege, until
! General Hood made it known that the city
would be shelled, and they were freighted
out on the Jonesboro road, a little less than
seven miles from the city. They, by rare
good luck, found a refugee home near Au-
gusta.
That political campaign at the north was
a cinch for the administration. Mcclellan
had no chance after Atlanta fell. Those who
are familiar with map of Georgia must for
ever wonder why General Hood away
from Georgia and left Sherman to pick the
open and undisturbed highway to Savannah
for General Hood had an unbroken series OF
disasters in his trip northward.
I never gave a thought to the presidential
election of 1854, because we were again refu-
geeing to escape Sherman. We had all we
could put up with to get some food and
place to stay after dark. 1t makes me tired
to hear the gush and mush of later genera
tons over certain Southern military leaders,
who were most unfortunate Ito put it mild
ly) in their timidity or their evident hot
haste and rashness.