The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-09-16
Sherman S Quarters
In the Hills Of Georgia

SIS q "
Another letter from the daughter O
the editor of The Inquirer from Macon
Georgia, is printed below:
According to Southerners what sher.
mans army didn't do to the people OF
the South with burning and looting is
not worth mentioning but this march
seemed necessary to break the back
bone Of the Confederacy. Mrs. Trille III.
Waits of Macon, Ga, has written a
letter to the editor of THE INQUIRER
Cher father telling Of those troublous
times. Mr.. Laynond written of is an
engineer of the Southern Railroad and
pal of Mr.. Waits.
Sunday we spent the day at Mr.. J.
B. Laymon's summer home, the old
plantation formerly owned by Capt.
Ben. James OF the Confederacy, who
was killed in action Sept s, 1861, who
gave his life trying to keep Sherman
out OF the hills he loved.
In Sherman's march thru Georgia.
after leaving Macon; his first stop was
at this plantation, which he occupied
three weeks. burning the, negro quar-
tiers and cook house. and compelling the
slaves to cook and do for him and ibis
staff, Mrs. James fleeing before his ar
rival.
Before leaving, as was his custom,
he ransacked the house for all valua-
bles, as the natives say, he had a
wonderful fancy for earrings, bracelets,
gold, silver and every thing Of value.
The apple tree FROM which James
cook made app g pies for Sherman is
still standing and we ate apple pie from
the same tree.
This house is thirteen miles from Ma
con, situated in the hills, where was
fought one Of the blcodiest battles of the
South. The house is built Of dressed
yellow pine, hand hewn, and the boards
in the ceilings are eleven inches wide,
the side walls being from IL to 90 inches
in width. The fire-places are built to
burn log 81 feet long. The doors have
a square hole at bottom, so the family
cat can go in or out. We ate at large
wooden home hewn table At each end
was single bench for ole Master and
MissHs and at the sides were long wood
en- benches for the children. Mr.. Law
man has five children, one surgeon
in hospital at Dallas, Texas, the Cd
youngest son an inferno in Polytechnic
Hospital in New York; the oldest girl,
Sarah, attends Wesleyan College here
in Macon, and the youngest attend
school in town. Mr.. Layman has kept
the house and furniture as his father
bought it from the James estate.
Something that struck me as peculiar
was the names Of the darkies employed
on the place, James Garfield,
Garfield Anderson, Washington James,
Roosevelt Baton, either the first OF last
name OF the people who owned them.
Roosevelt was a boy Of about Is and
his job was to keep q long stick with
bunch Of papers cut in long strips, nov
ing about the table to Keep the fiys
a-movin, and he never left off until we
finished eating.
Something that will interest you was
one of the darkies in digging around a
pecan tree, dug up cannon ball, d.
FOUNDER used in the war and it is now
on the veranda.
The story Is and the old folks down
here verify it. MIR. Layman's father,
So years old, who is visiting him for the
Summer, and who helped for four years
to keep Sherman out these hills, says
its true, that when sherman left the
james place, there was an old negro that
drove the wagon he had hia loot in,
and he was in a hurry the wagon being
heavy and the hills high, he ordered the
driver to bury enough to Tighten the
load and it is said to be buried on the
James place For years Mr.. Raymond
has found his ground to the spring a
half mile from the house by those try
ing to find it, but with no success.
There was some excitement just before
we spent the day there. Sarah, the
daughter, while planting flowers, struck
! hard object. Not being able to move
t she called the cook to help her and
5he two of them uncovered the top Of
an old brass trunk. By that time the
negroes in the field had heard Of 1t, and
sy eryone grabbed shovel and hoe,
md didn't the dirt fly. Even the
whites went to work. but slasl there
vas only the top and mo- more. Peo-
pie believe firmly that some day it will
be dug up. Sherman's plumber.
Wonder if Sherman had time enough |
% gather any plumber with the expec-
;ancy of Confederate attack at any
minute. The Johnny Rebs kept him
busy at all times.
am still in love with the Wild flowers
Of Georgia.
They are beautiful,
Trillie H. Cartwright Waits.