• • , ' »v THIRD SECTION * < Vol. VI PALLS CITY, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1909. Number 50 Marching Through Georgia ii 111 | iimiiniii ii i I, t -3r—niiwiwff’rg-^aMa—' « My J. L. CLBAVBll, Post Historian, Hurrah, hurrah, wo shout the jubilee, Hurrah, hurrah, the fke, that makes U3 free; And so we’ll swell the chorus from Atlantic to the sea While we are marching through Georgia. Away back in the sixties, when Micro was need of an army to prevent toe southern slavery states from es ‘ blishing a Southern Confederacy smith of the Mason and Dixon line, large number of the best young n an hood of our country; young men Com the colleges and schools; from • he farm, workshop, factory, office, tiunk and business houses; doctors, lawyers, and preachers, representing t iery walk in life enlisted in that uemorable army. From ’61 to ’65 -iiider the leadership of able generals, •they won victories on southern battle iields that preserved us as one coun try under one flag. "The Union for • ter, one and undividable,” being their battle cry. Many of them left heir bones in southern soil; many of them were maimed for life; but many survived the terrible ordeal, ./ho young, able, and self confident niter their duty to their country had cen fulfilled, came to Nebraska, set ied on its virgin prairies.and in forty tars have made out* state blossom ;> the rose. Falls City received its quota of this .voting blood and energy. Bach year , few of these noble men, with hair whitened witli age, have been laid g< ntly to rest, their life work limn , ully done. Of those that survive, ione are less than sixty, many being M-vent.y, and some of them are eighty years old, who can he with us but few more years. These men keep up camradeship d reminescences of the war through 'cir Grand Army Post in this city, which nearly all are active mein Vt rs. At. their meetings many recitals are - y.en of their individual experiences lien a soldier and during their sub sequent life. .The following, a fair sample of a soldier's experience was read bv the ustorian of the Post, at the last moot ing: dr was born in Fulton County. 111 i nis, on August 16, 181.'. His father .is a Cambollite minister, who spent / , thy most of his time traveling over the country from Illinois to Texas as s. circuit rider, engaged in evangelical -;ork. When quite young he made t wo journeys, with his father to Tex \f.y. but the most of his youth was spent at his homo with his mother at Canton, Illinois. At the age of thirteen or fourteen hi started out in life for himself, at first working by the month for tarm i >s. He learned the trade of brick r. asott and plasterer and followed this occupation. On November 4. 1862, when eigh tre so armed, most all other ✓guns being muzzle loaders and single shooters. Because they were so armed, they were kept much of the time on the skirmish line in the ad vance of the army. On the night of May 10, he was taken off the skirmish line, and al lowed to rest until the next morning, which was Sunday. At about 10 o'clock his regiment was pushed to the front and formed in line. Here they unslung their knapsacks, piled them up in company piles, and placed a guard over them. This was the last he ever saw of his knapsack. A valley was between them and the rebel works at Resacea, which was on the crest of a hill just beyond them. Pine trees covered the hill side and masked them from the rebel fTosition while they were fixing bay onets and getting ready to advance, lie heard General Hooker tell Goner el Butterfield, who was their com mander. that he wanted them to cap ture those rebel guns in the redoubt on the hill, and go as much further its possible. This battery of four guns in the redoubt \v:is about six hundred yards away. As soon us they emerged from the shelter of the pine trees, the re doubt opened on them. They went down into the valley of a little gully or ditch, then across the open space, and then up the steep hillside, run ning, yelling and firing until they were under the guns, lie vas prob ably thirty feel in front of the guns when they were fired the last time. The powder blast knocked him down, and. rolled him over and over clear down the hill. He thought he was done for. hut when he got up he found he was not much hurt, lie ran up the hill again and into the redoubt, which his regiment had captured and taken possession of. This position was covered by guns in other rebel lint's of works about seventy-five yards off, whose fire was so fierce they could not slay in the redoubt, or use the captured guns, hut had to lay low in the ditch, in the meantime keeping up a steady fire from their Spencers, while scarce ly daring to show their heads until nightfall. About, midnight, oeing re inforced. they dug down the works and with ropes pulled out the four twelve-pound guns and took them down the hill and into the Union liner These were the only rebel cannon captured by Sherman’s Army during the Atlantic campaign, and their cap ture made their regiment famous. During the charge the regimental flag was riffled with bullets, 4ml the flag-bearer had his teeth shot out, ltis regiment losing eighteen killed and seventy-six wounded. Next morn ing they buried the dead ones in one grave. He helped pick up the dead for that purpose. About two o’clock the next day they started in pursuit qf the rebel army, which had evacuated their strong position dur ing the night. At liuriH iucivory i ires mis n | merit was moved to the front battle line. It turned out all right, but to him it seemed one of the most, dan gerous and scary places he got into during the whole war. The battle was raging fierce in the deep woods; balls and bullets were coming fast and thick, carrying away three tops and cutting off limbs and leaves, and | dropping men right and left. They ; marched into the woods, and during j the afternoon, passed over six lines j of tmops, all laying down in line of] battle, .who opened up 1 li <-i r ranks to, let them pass to the front. A little j in advanc ■ of the sixth line of troops, they formed in line of battle and lay | down, it being then about dark. That j night it rained and he lay there all. night. ^ During the night the rebels evaeu-! ated their position. At Kenesaw Mountain his regiment was in the reserve and he just look ed ori. They swung around tho east side of Kenesaw anil was in tho sharp fight at Marietta. They threw up entrenchments vjdierever they wi nt, often laying in them for days and nights. When out on the skir mish line they dug rifle pits in/ the night, which were small holes in the ground, with the dirt thrown out in front, large enough to hold two or three soldiers, and deep enough to protect them from the bullets. They would go out at about 11 O’clock at night, taking rations, water and am munition to last them twenty fore hours, and they would stay until r« lieved the next night. At the battle of Peach Tree Crock on .July 20, 1864, about noon, his regiment drew up along the bank of the creek and stacked their arms; only a little ways off the skirmishers were? engaged and the firing sharp. It was an awful hot day.(many of the soldiers being sunstruck). The tool water of the creek looked so Inviting, many of the regiment pulled off their clothing and tumbled into the creek, and were having a good time when tlie skirmishers from the east came running through the corn field yelling that the rebels were coming, the bullets all the while tearing through the corn. Their officers got the men out of the creek and into- line, many of those in swimming not having time to get on all their clothing before they had to grab their guns, and by the time they were in line the reb els were coining out of the corn field on the hill. His regiment in line of battle forded the creek and started up the bill to meet them, as they were advancing three or four lines deep. They returned the rebel lire with t’aeir Spencers, which was severe enough to split the rebel lines, who surged to the right and left of them. The rebels were held hack Icy other troops on thetr left.but those on their right gave way and fell back three fourths of a mile. Ilis colonel was urged to get out of there as they were liable to be surrounded ami taken prisoners. Instead, however, they turned their fire to the right and held their position, the rebels final ly being driven back, the battle last ing all the afternoon. They had nothing to eat since early morning, and nothing to eat. at night, and were very tired. The ground was covered with rebel dead and wound ed,ho laid there all night among them Beside him lay a wounded rebel who often called for help. lie tied up his bandages and did what lie could for him. but in the morning he was dead. Settled down in this neighborhood for a seige of Atlanta, being in the rifle pits or entrenchments day and night for over a month, livery third day he would be on the skirmish line in the rifle pits, and then for two days he would be back in the main trenches, being under artillery and musketry fire all the time. From here ids regiment was sent back eight or ten miles to the Chata-1 hoochee River, where they went into camp, until Sherman flanked the reb els out of Atlanta. On September 2d marched through Atlanta and camped outside of the city, liis regiment guarding the rail read. They broke camp about 10 o'clock one morning in November and started on the memorable march to the sea. His regiment moving at a snail’s pace, owing to the slow movements of an immense wagon train they were guarding. They marched all that day and night,with out halting for supper, in the morn ing they made a short halt for break fast, resuming the1 inarch as soon as the meal was finished. Marched un til night, when tired, sleepy and hun gry they went into camp. Marched through a good country where forage was plenty, fiesii polk, , llicll pus, mutton, molasses, honey, sweet I potatoes were brought into camp in abundance; one company driving into camp about thirty head of < attic they h;ul picked up during tin- day’s march. t sually UK* Hue or march was in dicated by tlic smoke of burning buildings and cotton, only a lew pri \aT residences were destroyed how evi r, tis tb'iy' dealt mildly witii the citizens. The darkies were overjoyed to see them and followed the army in large numbers, showing their joy by sing ing and dancing. On November 2b, his regiment was in the advance and they had the choice of chickens and other forage along the roadside, and at night when they camped almost every sol diet- was loaded with something good to eat. A flock of sheep was discov ered close to where they were going to camp, and about a dozen soldiers broke ranks and charged in on the sIhm p. They were good at dodging, hut so were the soldiers, and when a sheep was caught, it invariably ear tied the soldier to the ground with it, amid laughter and cheers of the whole regiment. In a short time the sheep were all captured. When the fun ceased, the feasting began. Four or five soldiers were detail ed every morning from each com l>any, making forty or fifty from lhe regiment, who would gallop awn.' early in the morning across the coun try, and away from the roads fol lowed by the marching army. Thej would pass the poorer looking farms,: and dash up to the rich looking plan tat ions, dismounting, some going to the smokehouse, others to the kitch en and cellar; some would tackle the bee-hives with water and smoke, and others dig sweet potatoes. Chick ens, turkeys, ducks, and geese would be caught; flour barrels emptied into sacks and canteens filled with mol asses. Harkies wore easily threatened in to disclosing the hiding places of horses and mules. Those would be harnessed to a wagon or carriage,the plunder loaded up. the foragers re joining their regiment by nightfall. It would be distributed among the several army messes, and feasting would last well into the night. In the southern part of Georgia, they struck a swampy country. Here teams were often mired in the mud holes. The nights were cold, but they built rousing camp fires of fence rails, whit li were very plenty. At Savannah immense quantities of rice was found stored near the river. Darkies were put to work with mortar and postal hulling the rice, and details of soldiers ran the rice mills day and night, while a con stant stream of wagons were engaged in hauling it to the numerous army camps. Embankments that the soldiers used as roads, ran across the low rice fields near the streams, in the center of which were canals that fill ed .with water at high tide. Uy means of sluice gates, as the canals were higher than the land, the water was distributed over the rice plnnta tions. Christmas 18bi was a decidedly gloomy and cheerless day :n camp. Ii had 1 en raining hard every day for nearly a week. Ii was very wet and foggy, and a hard mallei to keep up fires out doors, and in the tents the fire made more smoke ijian heat When on guard or picket duly lie would get wet to the skin. Ilis only recreation was playing cards and swapping yarns. He did not hang up his stocking, or receive any presents. New Years day was the coldest that had been experienced in this country for many years, and in Geor gia it was near zero. This ex treme cold occasioned a great deal of suffering among the soldiers who were poorly clad to stand such ex treme cold. Early in February, 1865, the army broke camp at Savannah and start ed northward, sixty-thousand strong, moving In four columns, with a front covering the country forty miles wide, cavalry and foragers swarming on each flank. Columbia, the capital of South Car olina, was captured and nearly the entire city burned, and Charleston was evacuated by the rebels the next day. At Charlotte, on the Charleston and Augusta Railroad, his regiment for three days was engaged in destroying the railroad. The soldiers would string out along the track, and at the word of command from the officers, each soldier would grasp a railroad tie, and by united effort the track for a long distance would be aimed up side down. The ties were then torn loosi' from tic rails, (he ties plied up like cord wood, and tin* rails pul Across them, and fired. When thej rails were red hot in the middle,they j we i bent or twisted so that they | coni I not he used again His regiment was in tin fierce; fighting at Bentonville, where rebel; H-nei^jJ .lohn-on and Ills army wen driven back. A" uoldsborough lus drew new , 'otbing. and then the soldiers of his urged regiment appeared in an en tire new ruit of blue. The route to Raleigh was swampy i and it was during the rainy season,1 so that the roads were terrible. Day! after day and sometimes at night his! regiment built corduroy roads through the swamps, so that the artillery and baggage could move. He was here taken sick with a drop sical trouble, rendernig him unable to march, and he was sent to More head City on the coast, when h< boarded t^e transport ‘Illinois," hound for the north by way of the Atlantic. He was put in hold of the vessel, although it was so crowded, there was scarcely room for them all to lay down. The weather was calm.; and the transport kept close to the1 land, and in two days they were at Fortress Monroe, where he learned i that President Lincoln had been as sasslnatcd. lie was then transferred to all other transport and Liken to New York, going past the city up the Hud son River to Port Schuyler, where there was a general anny hospital Soon he was aide to get around on his feet, lint not well enough to march. Ho remained at the hospital until .Line !), 1N05, when he was dis charged and furnished transportal Ion to liis home at Canton, Illinois. On his way home lie stopped at ('Idea go. and at Camp Douglas stayed till night with Ids comrades of his regi ntent. they having arrived in Chicago ahead of him. On reaching home lie found his mother and brother there, hut Ids father had died during Ids absence in the army. In March 1880. he visited relatives in Parker County, Texas, where he had a good time as cowboy, tiding j after cattle and hunting. In April 1S(*7* he came to Palls City, Nebraska, and investing the lit tle money he had In a farm of eighty acres, north of (own, where lie after wards made Ids home for so many years. His farm was only a raw piece of prairie, and lie let it lay until the spring of 1K7N, when lie broke It up and pul in u crop. On August 17, 187!) at Canton, Illi nois, he was married to Miss Kmma c. Hendricks, and they started for Nebraska tin* day after their mar rittge in a movers' wagon drawn by horses, the journey occupying four teen days. I le settled down on his farm for one year,when on the death of his only brother, he and his wife returned to Canton, Illinois, to take care of his mother, with whom (hey lived during the next five years, and until her death. lii the spring oi I sm. mine hack to his farm id Nebraska and went to farming. In September I HUM bis wife died. They were two children horn to Ibis marriage, one child dy ing. the other child, Almeda, is now living with her father, lames A. Hill in Kails City. He lived on the farm for four years as a widower, when lie mar ried Mrs. Emma I! Hough, at Omaha. Neb. on August in, HIOII. In HI04 be left tbi' farm and moved to Kails City, buying him a home. In IK,SI at Canton. Illinois lie be came a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic, and on May 17. I KUO, he joined Veteran Host No. HI of Falls City, where lie has always been an active and influential member,hold ing office in the Post frequently, and at one time being the Commander of the Post. The following comrades were elect ed as officers of the post for the en suing year. Commander. .1. L. Cleaver. Senior Vive Commander, Levi Fred erick. Junior Vice Commander, Israel ,Mes sier. | Quartermaster, .1. R. Messier. I Adjutant, 10. I*. Clines. Chaplain, VV. A. Whitaker. Patriotic Instructor, J. C. Vut/.y, Officer of the Day, Thus. Kelsey Sargeant Major, J. II. Cline Quart. Sergeant, J. VV. Nausler. Surgeon, Dr. W. II. Kerr. Trustees, .1. A Hill. C K. Kreker, and VV'. S. Korner. Delegate, W. S. Korner. Alternate, T. K. Plumb, Committee on Installation, J. L. Cleaver. J. A. Hill and J. It. Messier Stony Meteorites. Stony meteorites, according to Prof. , William M. Picketing, who favors a theory promulgated by Prof. “Clmmber lin, may have bad their origin in the eaith as by-products of the catas trophe which split liie moon off from our globe. The fact that they could not get cosmically very far away from us accounts for them dropping in on j us occasionally when so inclined. "In support of this view of their terres- I trial origin, we have the fact that 29 terrestrial elements, Including helium, I have so far been recoguized in meteo rites. ten of them being non-metallic. No new elements have been found. ; The six which occur most frequently , In the earth’s crust, named in the or- | der of their abundance, are oxygen, j silican, aluminum, iron, calcium and magnesium. The eight most common ly found in the stony meteorites are these six. besides nickel and sulphur.” Pursed Up Lips. ••Why do you pout, girl’.1.lie went awav without kit sing me." "Petter pout while the ■ H, man is around, lie might take the hint.” I WORTHY A PLACE IN HISTORY Horemheb, During His Reign, Did Mce for Egypt, Perhaps, Than Any Other Ruler. lloreinheb was at thin time (of bln accession) 45 years of age, full of en ergy and vigor and passionately an xious to have n free hand in the car rying out of his schemes lor the reor ganization of the government. It wan therefore with joy that. In about the year 1360 it. C. lie sailed up to Thebes in order to claim the crown. Had lie lived longer lie might have been famous as a conqueror as well as nn administrator, though old age might retard and tired bones} refuse their office. As it is, however, hia name is written sufficiently large in the book of the world’s great men; and when he died, about 1315 It.'C., after a reign of some thirty-live years, lie had done more for ICgypt than had almost any other Pharaoh. He found the country In the wildest disorder and he left it the master of itself anil ready to become once more the mas ter of tlie empire which Aghnuton’s doctrine ol peace and good will hud lost. I'nder tiis direction the purged wor ship of tlie old gods, w/hfeh for him mcanl only the maintenance of some time proved customs, had gained the mastery over tlie chimerical worship of Atom Without force or violence he substituted the practical for the vi sionary; and to Annin and order lila grateful subjects were able to cry, "The sun of him who knew thee not lias set, but tie who knows thee shines, the sanctuary of him who as sailed thee is overwhelmed in dark ness, but tlie whole earth is now In light."—The Century Magazine. GAMBLING HOUSE IN THEATER Famous Resort of Rich New Orleana Idlers Had to Be Abolished . by Law. The old French theater which wu3 patronized hy the Four Hundred of Now Orleans In the days when my father was a young man was n unique institution," said Dr. J. L. Devonne, to the lialtimore American. In those days not only was it the scene of the finest acting In America, but the big building was devoted t* other pleasures far outside the thea plan entertainments. It had a spacious ballroom, and nooks where the best caterers of the day served exquisite suppers, and there was beneath the same roof a great apartment where gambling was In full blast during the progress ol a play. I have heard my sire tell how the rich young creole bloods would slip out between the acts and win or lose thousands before returning to their seats. Some of them, of course, got too fascinated or too doeply Involved ever to return. The acting of the greatest artist was a tame show bv contrast to the excite ment ol the gambling tables. Many a young fellow squandered his patri mony In this old place, for then, as now, the manipulators of the roulette wheels and the faro dealers had a shade the bpst of the public. "The losses were so many and mia ous that eventually the mutter at tained the proportions of a public scandal, and long before the civil war legislation was enacted that made gambling a felony and freed the his toric old opera' of the degrading part nership In games of chance " SHOW SKILL OF GARDENERS Dwarfed Trees Product of the Knowl edge and Patience of the Japanese. These charming dwurfted trees are entirely a product of the patience and skill of Japanese gardeners, says a writer in St. Nicholas The dwarfing oi these is kept a secret by them and has as yet mm r been found out or imitated to such a marvelous degree by any other nation. While there are dwarf fruit trees grown in Kurope, especially in Gdrnmny and Holland, no such tiny . pecimens have ever been produced there. The trees which are used lor dwarfing by the Japanese ein brut " all varieties of conifers, such as pines, cedars, eryptomerias, junipers, many evergreens, such as Ilex, citrus trifoliata, etc.; some flowering plants like azaleas, maples; also some fruit trees, such its oranges and plutus, which blossom and bear the most tiny fruits to perfection It is claimed for some specimens of cedars that they are ovei .>00 years old. These very ancient trees are handed down from f.ither to son in some families, regard ed as priceless heirlooms. It Is to bo regretted that so many of these beau tiful dwarfed trees are lost through ig norance ol the attention they require. I he danger lies in overcare more than in neglect Too many people imagine tli.it these pretty foreigners need spe cial attention and coddling, when, on the contrary, a great deal of fresh air, a reasonable amount of water and not too much warmth are the cltier re quirements. rhey are all hardy, and too much warmth in overheated rooms is sure to kill them.