Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / March 10, 1907, edition 1 / Page 17
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t r ,4 '-'., 'DLCCITDBEOTIOJT.:': V 'V- v SECOITD SI The Last 90 Bays of The War in North Carolina., Reproduced bj Permlori of 'Mrs. Cornelia Phillips Spencer , CHAPTER 12. ' Johiwton'i Ketrca t -Go vernorg Gra ham and Swain Mumndewtand ' tyhceler's Cavalry Confederate i Oo i rupancy of ChapeJ mil The Last , " Blood "Stars and &trlpe"-rOne In ' t Death General ' Atkins ' Scene r, ; Around RalelghJ-Mllltarjr LawleM Vyt , noes..;1',- t,vT:.;,i.t.? y-wK;-: When the retrograde movement of s General Johnston's army was t last , n fully understoodthe , sapply - trains ' .vlnovlng slowly along the roadi of Or junge, and General Wheeler'a cavalry i ' acting upon the maxim that all that ; they left behind them was d much aid and comfort to the enemy, taking., rare w leave at least aa ew muiee ; and horses as possibles-then deluded t v people, who had all along hugged themselves in the belief that their re moteness was their security, began to shake the dust from their eyes, and ; i open them to admit a view of the pom ' Biblllty of Sherman's army reaching even their secluded homes. ' The mission of Governor Graham fend,, Swain was not generally under-, fttood, even by their near neighbors. That any available attempt" to check the , ruin and devastation that had hitherto accompanied that army could t be made, or was even consistent with fionor and our alleglence tq the Con edarate government, very few bellev v'.d. A distinguished Confederate gen : ; standing on our sidewalk, as his ; division of infantry marched through ' on Friday, fourteenth, said in refer ence to the commissioners, that they were a couple of traitors, and ought to be hung. General Wheeler's cav - airy held the village of Chapel Hill until midday of April sixteenth. East er Sunday. Not a house In the place but was thrown open to show them kindness and hospitality. There were rough riders among these troopers men who, if plunder was the object, would care little whether it was got from friend or foe. How much of this disposition to subsist by plunder was due to the WeBt Point training f their general, it would .perhaps be Inquiring too curiously to consider. A few such reckless men in the regi ment would have been enough to en- tall an evjl name upon the whole; and f at the time of which I speak there ' were more than a few in General Wheelr's command "who were ut terly demoralised lawless, and de fiant. Having said this much, because the truth must be told, I will add that that famous band by far the greater part were true and gallant men. .We mingled freely with them, from Gen eral Wheeler himself, who slept In the drenching rain among his men,' and was Idolised by them, to his poor est private, and the impression made by them was altogether in their favor. There were men from every Southern State and from every walk in life. There were mechanics from Georgia The SENSATIONAL TRIAL is over. The verdidt of GUILTY was rendered without a dissenting voice. The jury was composed of thousands of the best merchants in this country. They found us GUILTY of being THE LARGEST SHOE HOUSE OF ITS AGE IN THE WORLD. GUILTY of carrying the ONLY GENERAL LINE OF SOLID LEATHER SHOES in this country. GUILTY of MANUFACTURING MORE SHOES than all other Richmond houses combined Salesmen started for fall, shown in our territory. TbeW. Elite and planters from Alabama; one of the latter I especially remember, who had been' a country physician In the northeast corner of the State; a frank and steady, gray-haired nrn, whose very address Inspired confidence, and whose eldest boy rode by his side there were gay Frenchmen from Lou isiana and lawyers ' from, Tennessee, some of .whom had graduated In this University in the happy days gone by, Who revisited theae empty . corridors -with undisguised 'sadness, foreboding that not one stone, would be left upon another of these venerable buildings, perhaps not an oak, left standing' in the noble groves, after ' Sherman's army had passed. Many of these men had not been paid one cent even of Confederate currency In more than a year.. Tew "f them had more than the well-worn suit of clothes he had on, the inefficient arms he carried and the poor and poorly equipped horse he rode.- A lieutenant, not four" years before a graduate of this University, who had not seen his home within a year, and who had not long before re ceived Intelligence that his house in Tennessee had been burned- to, the ground ;by the enmy, and that1 his wife and child w ere homeless, when the certain news was brought by Governor Swain of General Lee's surrender, covered his face with, his hands to hide a brave man's tears. He told us that a twenty-nve cent Con federate note was all that he pos sessed In the world beside his horse. The privates .generally discussed the situation cf affairs calmly and frank ly, and lwth an amount of intelligence that the Southern and Southwestern yeomanry have not generally had credit for possessing. They one and all agreed that If the end was near, they would not surrender. "No, no," said a red-cheeked Georgian boy of nine teen, "they won't get me;" and one six-foot six saturnine Kentucklan as sured me that he would join the army of "France and take hla alleglence and his revolver over the water. I trust he is on his little farm by the Licking river as I write and has found him a wife and has settled down to do his whole duty to the country once more. These men rode up frankly to our gates. "May I have dinner here? "Can you give me a biscuit?" Well, It was not much we had, but we gave It Joyfully dried fruit, sorghum, dried peas and early vegetables. Poor as it was we seasoned it with the heartiest good will and a thousand wishes that It were better. The divis ions of infantry passed through with a rapid sep without halting, so that we could give them no more than a mute , welcome and a farewell, and a hearty God bless them as they pasted. Their faces were weather-beaten but cheery; their, uniforms were faded, stained and worn; but they stepped lightly and had a passing joke for the town gasera, and a kindly glance for. on n the pretty girls who Uned the side walks, standing In the oheckered shade of the young elms. ' - " On Friday ; afternoon General Wheoltjr rode in from Raleigh with his staff and alighted at the first corn er. One of his aids came up with a map of North Carolina which he un rolled and laid on the ground. Gen eral Wheeler knelt down to consult It and the group gathered round him. Several of our citizens drew near, and a circle of as bright eyes and fair Usees as the Confederacy could show anywhere, eager to look upon men whose names have been "familiar for four : years and whose fame will be part of our national history. . . ' The Federal cavalry were in close pursuit and several skirmishes had taken place on the road from Raleigh, A brigade under General "Atkins fol lowed General Wheeler, while Kllpat rlcky with the rest of his division, fol lowed Hampton toward HUIsboro, along the Central Railroad line. The last- skirmish occurred, and . perhaps the last blood of the war was shed on Friday evening, fourteenth,- at the At kins1 plantation, eight miles " from Chapel Hill, near the New Hope river, which was much swollen by heavj t;alns, and the bridge over which, as well as all others on the road, war destroyed by General Wheeler's men. They attacked the enemy endeavoring to cross On fallen trees and driftwood, and several were killed on both sides. Some of our men were killed in a skirmish at Morrlsvllle. and some of the wounded came on with the trains. One poor fellow from Selma, Ala bama, mortally wounded, was carried to the house of one of our principal physicians,- and tenderly cared for, for two or three days, while he talked of his; distant home and his mother, and sen messages to those who would see him no more. After his comrades ha1 passed on and the place was in the hands of the Federals, he resigned himself to die W4th childish patience, asking for a favorite hymn, and beg ging the lovely girl who had watched him with a sister's fidelity to kiss him. as he was dying, "for his sister." He was laid to rest In the garden and de haps as bitter tears of regret and de spair fell on that lonely erave as on any during he war; for the war was over, and he and the rest had died in vain. On Sunday, at 2 p. m. General Wheeler called In his pickets; and once more, and for the last 'time, we saw the gallant sight of our gray-clad Confederate soldiers, and waved our last farewell to our army. A few hours of absolute and Sabbath stillness I and silence ensued. The groves stood thick and solemn, the bright sun shin ing through the great boles and down the grassy slopes, while a pleasant fragrance was wafted from the purple panicles of the Paullonia. All that na ture can do was still done with order and beauty, while men's hearts were failing them for fear, and' for look ing after those things which were coming on the earth. 'We sat In our pleasant piazzas and awaited events with quiet resignation. The silver had all been burled some of It In springs, some of it under rocks in the streams, some of it In fence corners, whioh, after the fences had REMARKABLE VERDICT! We ask every merchant to look at this line. We claim it to be the best ever We don t expect business from those who will deny it. Just BE SURE to LOOK. MANUFACTURERS, RICHMOND, VA. v 4 been burned dawn, was pretty hard to find again; some of it in the woods, some of it In the cellars. There was not much provision to be carried off that was one comfort. The sight of ow . empty , store-rooms and smoke houses would be likely to move our Invaders to laughter. Our wardrobes were hardly worth hidinghome spun and .Jeans hung placidly In their accustomed places. But the libraries, public and private, the building tf the University all minor selfish consider ations were merged in a generous anxiety for these. 80 we 'talked and speculated, whlle the very peace and profound quiet of the place sustained and soothed our minds. Just at sun set a sedate and 1 soldierly-looking man, at the head of a dosen dressed In blue, rode quietly in by the Ral eigh road. , Governor Swain, accom panied by a few of the principal cltl sens, met them at the entrance, and stated that he had General Sher man's promise ' that the town and University should be saved from pil lage. The soldier replied that such were his orders, and they should be observed; They then rode In, gal loped Op and down the streets in quiring for rebels; and being Inform ed that there were, none in town, they withdrew for the night to their camp; and the next morning, being Easter Monday, April 17th, General Atkins, at the head of a detachment of four thousand cavalry, entered about 8 a. m. and we were captured. That was surely a day be re membered by us all. For the llrst time in four years we saw the old flag the "Stars and Stripes" In whose defense we would once have been willing to die, but which cer tainly excited very little enthusiasm now. Never before had we realized how entirely our hearts had been turned away from what was once our country, till we felt the bitterness aroused by the sight of that flag shaking out its red and white folds over us. The utmost quiet and good order prevailed. Guards were placed at every house immediately and with a promptness that was needful; for one residence, standing a little apart, was entered by a squad of bummers In advance of the guard, and In less than ten, minutes the lower rooms, store rooms, and bed rooms overhaul ed and plundered with a swift and business-like thoroughness only at tainable by long and extensive prac tice. A guard arriving, they left, but their plunder was not restored. The village guards, belonging to the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, deserve especial mention as being a descent set of men, who, while they were here, behaved with civility and propriety. That was surely a day to be remem bered by us all; yet the first return ing anniversary of that day brought the village of Chapel Hill an occa sion as generally Interesting, but In vested with a tenderness of Its own. On the sixteenth of April, 1886, the whole town poured out to receive two Confederate soldiers two brothers who had fallerr- ln battle In our de fense. They came back home that day, and were placed side by side In that church, whose aisles their Infant feet had trodden. The pain deal boxes that Inclosed them were graced with garlands, and the emblem of the holy faith In which they had died "more o mm SIM 5 - j,' ' f than conqueror", waven of the flow ers of their own dear native State. It was all that North Carolina could do for her sons who had died In obe diance to her. laws. - Come, Southern flowers, and twine above; their grave; r v. Let all our- rath 'spring blossoms bear a part; , Let lilies of the vale and snowdrops wave, " -yy ;;. y-Y ' And come thou, tooj fit ' emblem, i bleeding heartl Bring all our evergreens the laurel and the bay. . - -. . . ' From ( the deep forests which around us stand; - ' They know them well, for In a hap pier day They roamed these hills and valleys hand in hand. ' Te winds of heaven, o'er them gently . !. And April showers fall in kindliest rain, And let the golden sunbeams softly He Upon the sod for which they died . in vain. 4 - V I It was something It was much, that we could lay them among their own familiar hills, pleasant in their lives and undivided In their deaths. And North Carolina dust will lie light ly on their gentle and noble breasts. While the command of General At kins remained In Chapel Hill a peri od of nearly three. weeks the same work, with perhaps sojne mitigation, was going on in the country around the city of Raleigh, which had marked the progress of the Federal armies all through the South. Planters having large families of white and black were left without food, forage, cattle, or change of clothing. Being in camp so long, bedding became an object with the marauders; and many wealthy families were stripped of what the in dustry of years had accumulated in that line. Much of what was so want only taken was as wantonly destroyed and squandered among the prostitutes and negroes who haunted the camps. As to Raleigh, though within the cor porate limits, no plundering of the houses was allowed; yet In the sub urbs and the country the Inscrutable policy of permitting unrestrained li cense to the troops prevailed to Its widest extent From the statements of several of the prominent citizens of Raleigh I make the following extracts, the first giving a general view and the other simply one man's personal ex perience: "Immediately around Raleigh tho farms were completely despoiled of everything In the shape of provisions and forage, so as to leave literally nothing for the support of man or heast. In many Instances the houses were burned or torn to pieces, and the fences and lnclosures entirely destroy ed, so as to render it impossible at that season of the year to produce one-third of a crop, even with the greatest Industry and attention. Ev ery horse and mule found In the coun try fit for service was taken off, and only a few old half-starved ones aro to be found on the farms." Tho oth er statement I give In full: "On the qGUILTY of producing the BEST SELLING LINES of shoes in this country. QGUILTY of showing a LARGER PERCENTAGE OF IN CREASE in business for 1 906 over 1 905 than any other shoe house in this country, GUILTY of advertising fads and "DELIVERING the GOODS." thirteenth day of April, General Sher man took military possession of Ral eigh. A portion ef his body-guard Pitched their tents (eight In number) In my front yard, which, with a room in my office, were ocouplea oy officer. Their servants cooks, waiters, and hostlers took possession of my kitch ens, outhouses, and stables, appropri ating them in a most riotous and In- solent manner, i The soldiers tor down my yard and garden fences for fuel and tents, and turned their hors es and mules upon my vegetables and fruit trees," destroying a large lot of corn, potatoes, peas, etc., took off my horBes and mules, tore off the doors, flooring,, and weather-boarding of my outhouses and barns for tents; killed all my poultry, upwards of thirty young hogs, cooking them In my kitchen for the offlcer"s tables. After the removal of this squad, another- took instant possession and pitched 24 tents In my frontyard and a large number In the lower part of my grounds, still using my kitchen, besides building fires all over the yard. At my plantation three miles from town, the devastation was thorough and unsparing. I had no OVPPKAAr 4here. The negroes, some 70 in num- oer, were plundered of their clothing and provisions, consisting of bacon, pickled beef, corn meal and flour." My dwelling house was broken open, weather boarding, flooring and celling carried off, every window sash and glass broken out and every article of furniture for house and kitchen eith er carried off or wantonly destroyed. Barns, cotton house and sheds were all torn down; blacksmith's, carpen ter's and farming Implements carried off or broken up; thre carts and two large wagons, with their gear de stroyed; the fences burned and a large number of mules and horses pastured on the wheat fields; all my mules and horses (17 in number) were carried off; 69 head of cattlo, 40 sheep, 50 hogs, and a large flock of geese and poultry either taken off or wantonly shot down; a quantity of medicine, some excellent wines, brandy," whis key and 200 gallons of vinegar were taken. Wagon trains wont down day after day, till 160 barrels of corn, 15,000 pounds of fodder, 12.000 pounds of hay and all my wheat, peas, cotton, etc., were carried off, leaving the whole place entirely bare so that my negroes had to come In town for rations." By the above account it will be seen that having a guard did not avail to protect tho premises even within the city, though, as a general rule, their presence did avail to pro tect the grounds around the house. A lady residing beyond tho city lim its, the wife of u general officer In our army, had her house repeatedly pillaged, and all tho provisions be longing to her ncKroes, as well as her own, carried off. The tent of a general of the Federal urmy was pitched Just In front of the house, and every ma rauder going In and coming out la den with spoils was Immediately In his view, yet not a word was said to check the men nor any steps allowed for her protection. A guard was re fused her, on the ground of the ac tion of Wheeler's men at their en trance; undwhen, after repeated so- -L - - -y -:. ... .--'.. v.-' V v Y-V-.V--- ' : licltatlon, a guard reluctantly c; , he allowed all who were on the pr.n.i lses laden, to march off with whut they had in hand, saying he had ni authority to take anything away from them; The unfortunate negroes were the severest sufferers, they being lit erally stripped of their all, and be ginning a new life of freedom, began it without even the little savings and personal property accumulated in slavery.;1.'.'' ,- v. V; :.! v.; That General Sherprtm V was well aware of all this, and not only tacitly permitted It, but considered It a neces sary part , of war that non-combatants lying at the mercy of his army should receive no mercy at all, is one of the extraordinary developments of the war. There would rather ,seem to be a deficiency of Judgment on hla part than a real want of humanity for which he may have been Indebted to the astute military training .received at West Point. , w . - , To this Institution alone must be conceded the unenviable distinction , of sending out soldiers Instructed tm carry fire, sententlously declare that "Such Is war." "To her alone the praise Is due, -.0 ' She let them loose and cried Halloot" " Even while the peace negotiations '"' were in progress, as hove seen, and in many cases after peace was de-: dared, the grand army hastened t' Improve the shining hours In Wake, "A Orange and Alamance. Wholesale rob bery, abuse and insult were practiced -in so many Instances under the eyes of. the commanding officers that those , . who would have said that the 'officers did not know or permit such thing,', and that they were the, work of 'only the lawless stragglers and camp fol-" " lowers, such as are found In all ar mies, were forced to the unavoidable conclusion that this species of warfare was encouraged and apprbved'by (he commanders as. an Important branch 1 of the service, and an Invaluable aid to the work of subjugation aud re- 1 construction. (TO BE CONTINUED.) . For The Observer. IF I WERE YOU. If I were you, I know, dear loyal one, What I would do; I'd love the girl upon Whose cheeks the dimples play And ilance cnchantingty, I'd love those eyes of blue, If I were you. If I wore you. This wondrous world's delight I'd seek and woo; 1 A fountain flushing bright ' Alt lips hor praises sing While I'm a sheltered spring. I'd yield her homage, too. If I were you. If I were you, The choice of placid fount Mlffht I not true? You gay you chlefest couqt That In my face you see I,ovo mirrored perfectly? In this, dear heart, 'tis true, I think as vou! FRANCES J. SAWYER. Wllmlnjton. If
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 10, 1907, edition 1
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