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Show A Story of Mieriiian'a Iflareh. E. K. Martin, who followed Sherman through Georgia relates an army incident inci-dent illustrative of the stern necessities which confronted the hero of the "ti. ... "March to tho Sea," who has now joinod his comrades gone before in tho silent tenting ground beyond. During the campaign preceding tho fall of Atlanta General Shorman was greatly annoyed by the mysterious disappearance disappear-ance of a number of Union sentries who were guarding railroads within his lines. Every morning for a number of days a man was missing. Every night the sentinels went on duty with the bolief that before morning one or more of their number would bo in the hands of the guerillas or a doad man. No precaution or device of the federal omeors lamomeu ine mysiery or pro-vented pro-vented Its occurrence. So old Tecum-seh, Tecum-seh, his indignation at a boiling point, issued a retaliatory order substantially like this: "If any more or my railroad guardsmen guards-men are made away with by rebel guerillas I will issue matches to my cavalry with instructions to apply them for seven miles on either side of the army's line of march." This threat, however, failed to have the effect the general hoped for. Every morning one man was missing and that Bort of duty became a terror to the stoutest-hearted soldier. There was nothing for tho Union cbmmandor to do, if he would maintain discipline, but to issue the matches and that he did without hesitation. Barnes and houses were burned for miles. Magnificent mansions went up in smoke and less pretentious homes lay smouldering in ruins. Desolation and distress such as war only witnesses or justifies, was spread far and near. An effecting circumstance cir-cumstance was the destruction of a poor woman's house witfi all its contents. As the soldiers marched 'by she stood within the glare of the fierce conflagration confla-gration drying her streaming eyes with an apron. This particular regiment had received their pay that day. The boys could not restrain tho promptings of thoir better natures as they witnessed this sight and with ono impulse they reached into their pockets and filled the weeping woman's apron with Uncle Sam's greenbacks. Such is the shadow as well as the sunshine of grim-visaged war. |
