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THE COUNTRYMAN.
mmm
that coaid be done. We were going leisurely
along, over a strip of desert, not a shrub ob
structing the view from Sound to Ocean, al
though there were thickets behind and before
us. On a sudden, there loomed up on the At
lantic side, a huge vessel, quite near, and seem
ingly looking immediately down upon us. It
was creeping slowly along, and was seen by
our whole line, about the same time. The first
intimation I had of its presence, was hearing a
sergeant, in company “G-,” exclaim, “Adjutant
what is that?” I suppose the man at the mast
head saw us, about the same time. Lt. Col.
Reid was riding along, carrying the liag in his
hand, having relieved the color-bearer of his
burden.
The tlag was a good mark to shoot at, and,
in less than a minute after I heard sergeant
(afterwards Lieutenant) Bridewell’s .question,
a wreath of smoke arose from the Monticello,
a cannon belched forth its thunder, and a shell
whizzed over our heads. Take it altogether,
we felt in an awkward position. It was the
first time most of us were ever under fire.
There was no escape from the shelling, for the
island was very narrow, and the enemy’s ves
sel had only to follow us, up or down, in which
ever direction we might go, keeping us in easy
range, all the time. We could not reply, be
cause the vessel was out of musket range, one
of our howitzers had been put on a schooner,
as the men were worn out, dragging it
over the sand, and the other had been aban
doned. It would have been a severe test, even
of the courage of veterans, and to raw men, it
was ticklish indeed—principally because we
^had no means of resisting. However, we
pushed on for a small thicket, a little way
ahead, and, for a short time, all stopped in it;
but the way grape, solid shot, and shell, were
poured into that small space, soon made it en
tirely too hot for comfort ; so the men, worn
out, and scarcely able, a few moments before,
to drag one foot after the other, proceeded up
the beach, at wide intervals, some dodging
along behind little sand hillocks, others run
ning, others walking upright, and defiant
ly-
-The bow gun of the Monticello was trained
on the moving column, while the stern gun
was directed to the thicket, from which our men
were emerging. And so the shelling continued
all that blessed summer afternoon 1 . In our cov
ert, grape, from schrapnel, fell thick and fast
First would come the report from the cannon,-
then that shrill scream of the missile through
the air, with which so mSny of our citizens
have become familiar since the opening of this
war,and then the explosion, during the passage,
and, lastly, the “bip-bip-bip” of the separate
shot, and fragments, as they fell in the sand,
all around us.
But everything has an end, and so had that
afternoon. Only one or two men were bruised
by spent balls, and none killed by the fire of
the enemy. The 3rd Ga. learned a lesson, that
day, which it has never forgotte.n—that shell
ing is more noisy than dangerous. It learned
to stand fire!
It may be enquired, why our gun-boats did
not make diversions in our favor. It is an
swered, they were too far off to throw shot'
Over us, and from their fire, if they had com-:
menced one, we would have been in much more
danger than the enemy.
Boats were sent for us, and, during the night,
we were all taken on bpard our transports, ex
cept a member of company “K.” One poor
man had died' from exhaustion. The missing
member of company “K.” had become deliri
ous from heat and fatigue, and wandered off :
but a day or two afterwards he wa3 found, and
brought away. We steamed back to Roanoke
Island, richer in spoils, and far richer in expe
rience, than when we left. We were fast be
coming soldiers.
gies, papers are chartered by the parties com
batting each other? Is it not well known that,
in this state, very recently, arrangements have
been entered into, for the control of certain
journals v Who doubts this V And is it not
also trUej that the favors of the Administration
are freely bestowed on these papers ?”
Soon after “The First Twelve Months
of the 3d Qa. Regt.” was placed in the
hands of the compositor, the author was
taken sick, and has been unable to read
the proof, or make some alterations that
he intended.
Character of The Countryman.
We have always been determined not to
sacrifice the character of this papeFfb a large
circulation. Our object is to publish a journal
of CHARACTER, and STANDING. INFLUENCE will
necessarily follow in the wake of these.
Our further purpose is to give reliable week
ly news, and to put upon record, in proper
shape for binding, and preservation, all the im
portant papers, and documents, of the day.
Everything that is necessary for the transac
tion of business is found in The Countryman.
It is the business man’s paper, and is adapted
to the wants of the lawyer, merchant, farmer,
manufacturer, military man, and statesman.—
Price ,$3 for four months. Address J. A.
Turner, Eatonton, Ga.—Countryman, July
5th.
* Half Sheet.
We are compelled to resort to a half sheet
again. The reason is, that the only paper, we
have been able to command, is too small for a
full sheet. But by the small type which we use,
we present our readers with nearly as much
reading matter as usual. The next issue will
be also printed upon a half sheet, for a like
reason, and with small type. ’"After that, we
think we can, pretty certainly, return to a full
sheet, not to be interrupted again, soon. But
in any event, let our readei-3 remember that
they get far more than the worth of their mo
ney, even when they receive a half sheet.
*• “ They Are Bought.”
“They are bought! We repeat it, sir, they
are bought!”—Such, in efiect, is the language
of The Chronicle & Sentinel with regard to the
Confederate press of Georgia, in noticing what
has been said by that press in reply to its de
claration that they are “ subsidized.” Has not
the following, the ring of the genuine yankee
about it?: Should not the Confederacy con
gratulate itself, and run to embrace the beauti
ful Trojan horse that ha6 found its way witliiu
our inner walls ?
‘.’Editors do have some regard to gold : and
it is very possible “that in writing their loriews
of public.measures, they may be insensibly in
fluenced by considerations—not altogether re
moved from the bread and butter question.
Dreadful that it should‘be so! Positively shock
ing ! But, after all, there is a great dealot hu-
*1 man. nature in it. Is it not true that certain
papers are’under the control of the Adminis
tration { Is it not true that political ? strug,.
Horses Killed by Eating Corn Shoots.—
“The Atlanta Register, of the 2lst, says : ‘A
lot of cavalrymen, on fridjay last, let ‘their
horses into a “field of young corn, belonging to
Mr. E. B. Walker, on Peach-Tree Creek, and
allowed them to feed upon the corn, all night.
In the morning, when the soldiers went to get
their horses, they found eleven of them lying
dead. They thought that they were doing a
smart thing, in getting ahead of the farmer,
but the finale proved that they got the worst of
the joke.’” ’ .
What difference did this make with the cav
alrymen, so long as the government, and not
they, had to shoulder the loss?
But we wish to call attention to the fact that
young corn will kill horses. The reader will
remember that it has been said, that Chinese
sugar-cane is very destructive of the lives of
stock. This is when the stock eat it green.
Young corn is, no doubt, as fatal as sorghum,
when eaten in the same quantity. An over
bait of any green food will kill horses and cows.
And any dry food (peas, for instance) which, by
distention of the food itself, or by the genera
tion of an excess of gas, swells the stomach to
an inordinate degree (as the over-bait of green
food does) will produce the same result.
Fremont’s Letter of Acceptance.—
“The Cleveland Convention nominated
for the President, and Yice President, two
broken down Generals. Fremont, after
two trials, was laid on the shelf perma
nently. Cochrane ‘regrets the physical dis
ability,’ which withdrew him from the
war. These generals, from the retired list,
are the candidates of the ‘radical Democ
racy.’ \V e doubt if there is gunpowder
enough in the history of both ot them to
gether, tohelp them materially. The follow
ing is Fremont’s letter of acceptance, with
his opinion of Abraham inclusive:
Gentlemen :—In answer to the letter
which I have had the honor to receive from
you, op the paftof the representatives of
the people, assembled at Cleveland, on the
3>et of May, I desire to express my thanks,
for the confidence which led them to offer
me the honorable, and difficult position of
their candidate, in the approaching Pres
idential contest.
Very honorahle, because, in offering it
to me, you act in the name of a great
number of citizens, who seek, above all
things, the good of their country, and who
have no sort of selfish interest in view.
^ ery difficult, because, in accepting the
candidacy you propose to me, I am ex
posed to the reproach of creating a schism
in the party with which I have been iden-
tified. •
Had Mr, Lincoln remained faithful to
the principles he was elected to defend, no
schism could have been created, and no
contest could have been possible. This is
not an ordinary election. It is a contest,
■ ffor the right even to have candidates, and
I not merely, as usual, for thechoice among
| them. Now, for the first time since’76,
! h e question of constitutional liberty has
I been b'ro • fc directly before the people
iM