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8
A CONFEDRA TE’S EXPERIENCE
IN A FEDERAL PRISON
I will tell you tn as brief way aa poa
•ible wof a narrow escape from death I
had while tn a Federal prison in 1863 and
early part of I*l In thia I have two pur
poses tn view; one to show that It actua
lly requires more courage to meet auch an
encounter as I was forced to meet than
It did to face those met in the most dead
ly contested battles, and to tell of some
•f the most barbarous methods that were
used tn that war by both aides; whether
Oey could have been avoided by one or
tne other. I cannot say. but do say they
were seed tn a most un-Christian way.
Thus I hope to warn all men to think
ealmly before enteritis into war or doing
anything that will provoke war. for sure
ly Sherman was right when he said that
"war is hell.” I also wish to And the
Whereabouts of two army aergeante-one
a Confederate from Mississippi; the other
a Federal who was at Point Lookout the
last of October, or the very first of No
vember of 1!«S He seemed to be cn duty
there at that time. The Confederate was
there as a prisoner. I wish to find some
men from Arkansas that I was placed
In a tent with in the first division of that
prison. They will remember the Incident
as I will tell It; also three North Caroli
nians that belonged to General Hoke s
brigade. I wrish to know where Harry
Myers, a Federal who was steward of
ward 14. of Hyran: Gray's hospital in
November of that year, and until it was
broken up about the first of February of
IMA or any of the nurses or Inmates of
that ward who will remember me after I
relate what happened to me individually.
I also want to know if the books In
which the names and diseases of the In
mates of that ward were entered, is still
tn existence and if I can have access
to them, as I wish by all of these wit
nesses to establish a claim that I have
made for a pension from the state of
Georgia. My case was diagnosed by a
Federal surgeon by the name of Miller,
who was In charge of ward 14 at the time,
and was then just what I now say it to. I
have been refused a pension because they
aay if such had been so then 1 could not
have nived until now: hence you see the
necessity of inquiry and certainly the evi
dence will be of the very best; it will
come directly from esperts. if it can be
obtained. Therefore I will ask you to print
my story in such a manner that I may
get the desired proof.
Having been captured on the battle
field at Gettysburg I was hurried to Fort
Delaware, and incarcerated in the new
barracks. It was a structure 25 feet wide
and extended the full length of the sides
of a square with two inside ells going
three-quarters of the way across. The
walls and roof ran up 2» feet high; the
sides of the square were about 250 yards
long, with no openings on the outside
wall for ventilation, and comparatively
few Inside.
It become so crowded that there were
men enough in It to have formed a col
umn six ranks deep throughout the en
tire building The supply of water was
scant and of poor quality, being river wa
ter from the Brandywine. Our food was
scant and very poorly prepared, and con
sisted mainly of pickled meats and hard
tack. The changes of atmosphere was
very sudden—from dead calm in the mid
dle of the day. when one felt as though
he was in an oven, to high winds at night
when we would shiver with cold, caused
by the rising and falling of the tide. The
island was protected from flooding by a
levee, the water on the outside was al
ways. wncn the tide was in. from four
to eight feet higher on the outside than
the surface of the land inside, thus the
surface Inside of tne levee was a thin.
. drv turf underlaid by muck. A change
from dry weather to rain caused it to be
come as thoroughly muddy as a hog pen
is In wet weather.
The prison wai* always infedted with
contagious diseases. I was attacked with
mumps tn September. Having to climb
up and down on clicks nailed to upright
supports to the bunk to the third tier, I
suffered terribly, and soon had a terrible
rising in mv head, accompanied with fe
ver. and was told by a Federal surgeon
who treated me I had scurvy, too. I was
put on soft bread rations. When I bit off
a piece of bread It was streaked with
blood marks from the sores on my gums.
In this condition I was sent to a hospital
outside of the barracks. I was well
treated by a Confederate surgeon whose
name was Mathews and was said to have
lived in Tolbert county. Georgia, but O.
my God’, how I suffered with my head
for ten days, when the rising burs ted.
Then the fever left me and I began to
mend slowly. Just as I had gained
Strength enough to sit up in bed and walk
to a beater very near by. with a blanket
drawn around me. there came an order
for all that could sit up and get arcund
to make ready. Their own clothes would
be brought from the baggage room and
they must change their hospital clothes
for them: they were to be sent home in
about an hour. I. with such great diffi
culty that made me almost faint, had
■aeeeeded tn getting, with many others,
on a transport, and cn an open deck. I
was sent down the Delaware bay. reach
ing the coast about nightfall. The cold,
chilly sea breeses and the terrible day's
exertion forced me to seek rest and pro
tection by rolling up In my blanket and
lying down. Seme time during the night
I went to sleep and awoke next morning
to And the transport at anchor a distance
perhaps of a mile or more from shore.
Some houses, a wharf and some other
vessels were tn sight and I quickly saw
that we were deceived. Instead of com
ing home we were - simply transferred
from the hospital at Fort Delaware to
the stockade prison at Point Lookout.
When I was being transferred from the
transport to the wharf the Federal*
searched mg. My blanket and the last
vestige of bedding was taken from me.
The reason assigned was It had U. 8. on
it. I did not give It up without giving a
history of my condition. I was promised
another at the stockade.
Aft ’r the search was over and the trans-
Miscellaneous.
FOR » cents.
No trick Write today for plan. Cha*. E.
'OHaeon. F*cerille. Ga.
10 OATS' TREATMENT FSEL
T* H»re made Dropsy a&d iticoa-
y plications a for twanjv
’ •. .- ».-.i tfs E.cst woEderfU
X , I taccess. Have cured maar thoua-
Bild CBICS.
tX H. H. 33Z2X-S SIM,
* Box T Atlanta, Ga.
“^TELEGRAPHY
taught thorouchly and quickly; positions se
cured Catalog free.
Georgia Te'eyraph School. Senoia. Ga
Solid Gold Mahr Pins, Uke
cue Me each; set of 2. fl 00;
finial Mt of At 1.40, postpaid
E. J KELLEV. 6S. Broad St. Atlanta. Ge.
POSITIONS!
tare paid. Cheap board. Send lor 15i>-p Catalogue.
iM / • SSACTICAL S 7 // 9
a(ivnon i <**•• EUMr "**> fz
f SUSINISS I<7
Nashville. St- Louis, Atlanta. Montgomery'
Little Rock. Ft. Worth. Galveston. A Shrvveiwrt.
Em 4 orsed by business men from Maine tn Cal. Over
KtW students past year. Author 4 text-books on
bookkeeping: -ales on sa me 125 to per day. No
vacation. Enter any time. Bookkeeping. sborV
hand.etc.. taught by mail. Address Dept. Q 8
Actaatßssinew traa start to fleiah'' Moat tborousk
■hortkand Dep't la Amenca. *lf grits uses CM fno
Mention Stud-Weekly Journal.
fer to the wharf was made we were forced
to walk up to the stockade, though I was
so feeble that it required three efforts for
me to do it, having to rest on the way.
The distance was about three-quarters of
a mile. After I reached the prison I was
placed in a tent with two Arkansans in
about the ninth company of the first divis
ion. They and all of that division were
utter strangers. As far as I know there
seemed to be some vacant space In that
tent. The strangers seemed to have some
fear of me. owing. I suppose, to my feeble
and emaciated condition. I was refused
the promised blanket at the prison office,
also refused a transfer from the tent in
the first division to a tent in the fifth di
vision. where there was half a doxen
members of my own company who were
doing all they could to get me with them,
upon the excuse that that would de
range the camp and had to return to the
tent in first division with the suspicious
Arkansans. That night they refused me
a share in their bedding and I had to rest
on the ground without bedding or covers.
This was about the last of October. 1863.
I had a relapse and was attacked with a
very severe spell of dysentery. The Mis
sissippi surgeon was called in, but said
he could do nothing, as he had no medi
cine and could not get it from the Fed
eral*. and also told me they were retaliat
ing on the Confederate sick and that they
said the Confederates had- failed to give
their men who were in southern prisons
medical attention. I grew worse daily
and the Arkansans moved out of the tent.
In a few days three men from Hoke's
brigade were captured and placed in the
tent with me. They were well supplied
with bedding and were liberal, but I was
growing worse. I asked the Mississippi
surgeon to get a Federal surgeon to come
to see me. He thought he would not
come, as they were very mad with the
Confederates, but went out and came
back with a young-looking Federal sur
geon. The Federal was very distant at
first and told me that it was true that
they were retaliating on the Confederate
sick, and his orders were not to give me
any medicine himself nor to give it to
others for me, but after he and I talked
he said while he could not help me as an
officer he would do all he could as a man.
He sent a beautiful ambulance, drawn
by four white horses and had me taken
to ward 16 of Hyram Gray’s hospital near
the wtjarf that was according to the
card at the head of my bed the 9th of
November. This ward was in charge of
Dr. Miller, a Federal surgeon, and he had
my disease marked on the card—chronic
dysentery. I soon became unconscious
and remained so till about Christmas
and it was a long time before I was able
to sit up. The stewart, Harry Myers, was
a Federal and had been raised in Phila
delphia. The ward master was also a
Federal and an Irishman and belonged
to Cochran’® brigade. He had been bad-
BENNINGS BRIGADE IN
THE WILDERNESS AGAIN
If Mcßae had been with us (Fifteenth
Georgia, Bennings' brigade) he would have
known for a certainty the flanking party
on our left was the one that wore the blue.
My friend George Mcßae does not do jus
tice to the great battlfc of the Wilderness;
neither can I do so. for it certainly was
one of the greatest battles fought in Vir
ginia.
I have read with great interest the war
stories of the old veterans In The Jour
nal’s columns, and I would like to say
something in regard to the battle of the
Wilderness.
As we all know. Longstreet's command,
of which the Fifteenth Georgia was a
part, was detached from Lee's army and
sent to Bragg's command to fight the
battle of Chickamauga; again detached
and -sent in pursuit of Burnside, chasing
him inside his fortifications at Knoxville,
which was very strong. No use to try to
catch Bumside on a run; we just couldn’t
do it. Often we thought we had him and
then we didn’t—like the Irishman’s flea.
About this time Grant was making de
monstrations. General Lee, with a gener
al's eye. saw General Grant every time he
put his foot on the move. So we were
ordered back to Virginia in short order,
and with short rations (maybe I will in
the future tell how we lived on two ears
of hard com for seven days).
From the way we marched back to
Virginia we were certain the waters were
being disturbed, and the nearer we ap
proached the Wilderness the more we
were convinced of a performance. And,
let me tell you, we entertained and were
entertained. Down the plank road we
went with a quick step, and from the rat
tle of musketry to our right we thought
of victory and rations, for we had nearly
starved on our march. Now. as we had
got back to our home base, we were ready
for business. As Mcßae says, we met a
part of A. P. Hill's corps beating a hasty
retreat (as to Wilcox's brigade no better
soldiers ever trod the soil of Virginia).
And when Longstreet’s corps got straight
ened out in the battle of the Wilderness
things got a hump on. We fought in line
by division at a time, for our right was
fighting some little time before our bri
gade was engaged, and it looked as if our
brigade was on the extreme left. We went
into this battle in an open piece of ground.
A swamp was just beyond, where the blue
coats were in waiting for us, and they did
not wait long before we swooped down on
them. In the open as we dashed ahead
we passed General Lee and his staff, and
well do I remember how he looked sitting
on his horse, looking as complacent as if
he was at home dining. And as we rush-
The Rebel Yell For Gen. A. R. Wright.
Doubtless the survivors of the armies
of Grant and Lee will recall, when men
tioned. that the greatest yell turned loose
during the four years’ war,, was on the
night of the Sth of May, 1864. and I
doubt if 100 men ever knew what gave rise
to it. In order to make it intelligible to
the reader (and harmonise Georgia and
Alabama about the fighting on the plank
road). I will step back a bit.
Os course we all know that the fight
opened on the left, down on the Rapidan.
where Sewell’s corps was. on the st'h and
extended along his whole front, and also
along Heath and Wilcox’s divisions of
Hill's corps, who covered the plank road.
Anderson’s division of Hill's corps be
longing on the right of corps, naturally
came into action last, and arrived on the
field at the same time with Longstreet's
men. (we from winter quarters at Orange
courthouse and Longstreet from the train,
having Just returned from Knoxville) just
in time to meet Wilcox's division, being
pressed back by an overwhelming force,
where the edge of the wilderness com
menced.
Now Anderson's division was composed
of the following brigades: Mahone's Vir
ginia, Perry’s Florida. Harris’ Mississippi,
Wilcox's old brigade of Alabama, and
Wright's Georgia.
Just here let me mention one of the lit
tle pleasantries that occurred. General
Mahone being in command of the divis
ion (senior brtgao,er), his brigade on the
right and the first to arrive, the whole
brigade with new uniforms and new En
field rifles was halted alongside of the
road, about two miles from urn battle-
THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, ATLANTA. GEORGIA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1901.
ly shot in the leg and was called “Mick.”
All will remember me as the sick man
who had a difficulty with a man from
Virginia and threw the spittoon at his
head. He had acted as assistant to My
ers. and was a Confederate, but took the
oath immediately after I threw the spit
toon at him. This happened early in 1864
just as I got able to walk from my bed
and sit at the stove in my night clothes
with a blanket drawn around cne, in the
morning just before General Butler in
spected the hospital.
He inspected the table at which the
convalescents ate because he said the
cooks had been stealing the rations.
After ward 16 was broken up I was
transferred to ward 10, and after I became
strong enough I was taken over to the
diet cookroom and helped the sisters of
charity to get up the numbers of dif
ferent rations they cooked for those that
were too sick to eat anything except del
icacies. *
I would like to hear from all that stayed
in there at that time and especially the
Federal soldiers that made me promise
them the night before I left there on pa
role, when we were telling each other
good bye. that I would not shoot at them
if I ever met them on a battlefield if I
knew them, and they promised me the
same. I parted with them on the night
of the 16th of March in 1864. .
I wish especially if this is printed and
it shall fall under the notice of either or
both of the surgeons referred to, that had
to do with getting me out of the tent
in first division in the prison and any or
all that were in that tent, either those
that were from Arkansas or North Caro
lina, as well as those who stayed in ward
16 with me at that time, especially Harry
Myers and old “Mick,” because they will
all help to establish my Identity. The
ward books will show that my disease
was then as I have proven, and has been
ever since. The two doctors that exam
ined me in the prison know it was brought
on as I have stated. This proof would be
full and complete from medical author
ity from then until now. I know that the
pension commissioner has much of such
to deal with, but I served in two compa
nies and three regiments, and feel cer
tain I can furnish a clean record as a
soldier and as a citizen, and if I can find
the nurse that I am looking for and those
whose names I was too sick to get at the
time, by reciting incidents, I will show
all that I have said of my disease is
true, and we will see that I have been as
badly treated as Geenral Porter was treat
ed by General Pope at the Second Man
assas battle. Hence, I am forced to re
sort to this method to vindicate myself,
and ask that all who recollect me from
the incidents related here, wIU let me
hear from them.
ELIAS D. HINES.
Ex-Confenerate, Shiloh, Harris county,
Georgia.
ed hy I saw General Lee wave his hand
to the right, and I heard him say to his
staff: “We are driving them on our
right.” We could tell from the firing that
tjiis was so, and in less time than it takes
to tell it we were hotly engaged. We pour
ed a volley or two into them and then charg
ed them In th* swamp, and they had bus
iness somewhere else. But just before we
charged them we saw a line of bayonets
shining as bright as a new piece of money
flanking us on our left (which seemed to
be a gap; and why this gap was left open
I have never known). The word was pass
ed up the line that we were being flanked
on the left. In a few seconds this flank
movement sent a volley of bullets In our
rear which brought many of our brave
Johnnies down, and just then I saw Gen
eral Benning on a big iron gray with Slye
(Mat was gone) close by his side coming
down the line just in our rear on a plank
road at a 2.40 gait, his big spurs rat
tling like so many tracechains, to see
what was their business in the premises.
The Yankees were somewhat hidden, but
could be seen. General Benning and Slye
were going so swiftly they ran quite
close to the Yanks before they could take
up and as they made a short circle to
turn back I saw Slye grab General Ben
ning by the arm and out they went.
General Benning was shot, and the cap
tain of our company said when the list
of wounded was made out they put It
down: “General Benning shot In the
back.”
And he replied: “Hell! You have here,
’General Benning shot In the back.’ No,
by God! this won’t d«; they will say your
general was running. Put it, ‘shot in the
breast.’ ”
As General Benning was shot our men
fell dead and dying all arund us, a sight
to behold. And, as I said. If George Mc-
Rae had been just where we were he
would know who it was on our left flank.
Now comes a sickening sight to behold!
When we charged the Yanks out of that
ravine, just such a sight I never want to
see again. Wilcox's brigade relieved us
In the swamp. Saplings from the size of
your wrist to the size of a man's thigh
were literally torn into splinters, hardily a
shrub or bush standing. And, oh, my! the
dead Yankees! I was sent by Lieutenant
Remson up the line with a message to Col
onel Dußase. The firing had ceased. 1
went at least one mile up the line, and I
think I can truthfully say I could have
walked on dead Yankees the entire rout*
without touching the ground, frequently
there were three In a pile.
J. H. GRESHAM,
Company G, loth Ga.
Lincolnton, Ga.
field. Os course we jumped tp the con
clusion that there were hot times ahead
and that old Billy was keeping his boys
out.
One of our boys remarked (in a
whisper). "Never mind, boys, when we
get in camp we’ll have you some pretty
little wooden guns made."
Os course old Billy heard it, as the
whole line took it up, and for the life of
me to this day I can’t understand how
they ever got back to tne head of the
column, as we were on the plank road,
going directly to the front in a long
swinging gait; but they did, and made one
of the aaraest fights of the war—almost
a hand to hand fight, and oh, my! how
they did kill the Yanks.
Now whether Wilcox’s brigade was in
the fight, I don't know positively, but
doubt, it as I think their position was on
the left, and we did not get in it at all
that day; the enemy gave way before we
got up. That, I think, caused the mis
take of the Tenth Georgia In thinking the
Alabamians gave way.. It was Wilcox’s
division (formerly Pinder's) and not his
old brigade. Os course the whole record
of the war shows that wherever tried
Wilcox's Alabama fought, there was none
better than was old Tlge’s and Rocks’.
On the morning of the 6th Harris’s Mis
sissippi and Wright’s Georgia were ord
ered to move down the plank road at
double quick to join Longstreet’s intend
ed advance; but just as we got to the
front, Wright supporting. General Long
street was wounded a.nd Major General
Jenkins was killed, which stopped the
movement. But some time during the
day Harris’ brigade made a charge which
drove everything in front fully a half a
mile. There Major General Wordsworth,
United States army, was killed. That
ended the fighting on that part of the
line. We were on a portion of the battle
field of the day before, where the road
was burned off which killed so many
wounded Federals. Some of us walked
over several hundred yards of the ground
and counted fifty dead Federals to one
Confederate.
So much for the troops and fighting
on the plank road to the night of the 6th,
and that there was obliged to be a consid
erable mixture of commands. Now comes
the readjustment, and just after dark
we began to move, our division going to
the right, and the Forty-fourth Alabama
(don’t know what brigade, they once be
longed to our brigade and am sure they
all loved General Wright.)
We had halted as they passed, and as
they did so (although quite dark) they
looked up and recognized General
Wright’s long hair and began that cheer
that went like a mighty wave, clear to
the extreme left of our army, up hill and
down dale, zigzagging in and out, show
ing the position of the line like a worm
fence; then it came back, and past on
by use like a tornado on the extreme
right and thus it rolled back and forth
three times. I don’t think, from the
sound, that even our cooks failed to hol
ler.
The effect on the enemy was tremen
dous, judging from what we heard and
saw next morning. We sent out a line
of skirmishers nearly a mile in front.
First we picked up a couple of hundred
mounted men that simply stayed till we
took them without firing a gun. The
woods was full of all sorts of plunder.guns,
cartridge boxes, knapsacks, haversacks
and all; and citizens back there told us
that If we had advanced they thought
they would have taken to the river. But
Grant’s army was on the move, driving
Lee back to Richmond (so-called.)
Well, we followed on at any rate and
met them next at Spottsylvanla.
Some years ago I was up In the Black
Hills, where I met quite a number of
Billy's boys. One of them. James Toner,
(we called him Sankey, as he was always
singing), said to me one day: “Johnnie,
(that was my name there, being the only
Reb around), what the h made
fellows holler so much like wild Indians.
Said I: "To scare you.”
“Yes, and d If you didn’t do It, too,
he answered.
If Sankey Is living and sees this, I hope
he will write to me. ~ a
C. W. REYNOLDS,
Company K, 3d. Ga., Reg.
421 Pulliam St.
Hood’s Sarsaparilla cures radically—that
Is, it removes the roots of disease. That s
better than lopping the branches.
WATCH
And Seml’We.kly Journal On. Year
for 12.00.
We have at last found a watch which
we can deliver postpaid to the subscriber*
for The Semi Weekly Journal (in connec
tion with the paper on* year) for 82.00.
We have a good guarantee that this
watch will keep correct time for one
year, provided it to not misused. If it
does' not. it can be returned at our ex
pense.
This it th* watch we have long b*cn
looking for ana just found.
it to a ct*n. winder and stem s*tt*r.
ts nickel plated and nandsom*. This
watch to offered only to direct subscrlb
era, as we sell at factory pric*» from
which we buy by th* thousand.
Send your nam* and 82.00 and you will
get c. splendid watch and the nest news
paper m th* south. Addr***
THE JOURNAL,
Atlanta. Oa
I I !♦♦*< »< f»<’4-4“»<’«"fr*i l
♦ THE FLOWER OF ♦
+ THE HOLY GHOST. ♦
A ♦
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦+l I !'♦♦♦♦♦♦ I"l I-
One of the rarest* and most wonderful
orchids known Is a native of the Isthmus
of Panama. The early Spanish settlers
there named it Flor del Espiritu Santo
(Flower of the Holy Ghost), and those
who have seen It reKdlly understand why.
It grows in marshy places from a de
cayed log, or sometimes from the crev
ice in a rock. The leaf stalk reaches sev
eral feet In height, and the flower stalk,
which grows from the bulb, bears 12 or
15 buds.
The flower is pure white, and Is shaped
Something like our jack-ln-the-pulplt. In
side the flower, right in the heart of It,
Is a perfect Image of a dove, with droop
ing wings, snowy breast, gold-tinted head
and crimson beak. No effort of the imag
ination is necessary to see the resem
blance. It is a perfect image, exquisitely
beautiful in tints and giving off an odor
that no perfumer could Imitate.
The Spaniards named It the “Flower of
the Holy Ghost,” and regarded It with su
perstitious awe, but the native Indians,
more superstitious still, worshiped it like
an Idol, and would not let the ground on
which It grew be touched.
A Useful Invention.
A novel apparatus has been specially
designed for stout and Indolent .persons
It is fashioned of Iron, and consists of a
support, to which are attached three
steps, one above the other. Its object is
to provide a resting place for a person’s
foot when he wishes to lace, unlace, but
ton or unbutton a shoe. Hitherto a chair
or sofa ha£ been generally used* for this
purpose, and according to thrifty house
keepers many a piece of furniture has
been more or less tarnished thereby.
An oak tree of average size, with 700,-
000 leaves, lifts from the earth about 123
tons of water during the five months It
is in leaf.
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.
New York Press.
It’s no sin to kiss a girl If you don’t tell
her you are going to do it.
What a woman calls temper In her sisters
she calls sparkling vivacity in herself.
It’s funny that a woman can’t lace shape
into fatness yet she can lace fatness into
shape.
KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD.
Proper Selection of Great Importance
In Summer.
The feeding of Infants Is a very serious
proposition, as all mothers know. Food
must be used that will easily digest, or
the undigested parts will be thrown into
the intestines and cause sickness.
It is Important to know that a food can
be obtained that is always safe; that Is
Grape-Nuts.
A mother writes: “My baby took the
first premium at a baby show on the Bth
Inst., and Is in every way a prize baby. I
have fed him on Grape-Nuts since he was
five months old. I also use your Postum
Food Coffee for myself.” Mrs. L. F.
Fishback. Alvin, Tex.
Grape Nuts food Is not made solely for
a baby food by any means, but is manu
factured for all human beings who have
trifling or serious difficulties in the stom
ach and bowels.
One especial point of value is that the
food is predigested in the process of man
ufacture, not by any drugs or chemicals
whatsoever, but simply by the action of
heat, moisture and time, which permits
the diastase to grow and change the
starch into grape-sugar. This presents
food to the system ready for immediate
assimilation.
Its especial valve as a food, beyond the
fact that it is easily digested, is that it
supplies the needed elements to quickly
rebuild the cells in thte brain and nerve
centers throughout the body.
JOURNAL’S
SATURDAY
SERMON
When we say “universe,” of course
every sphere is Included—the material,
mental and moral. Throughout the whole
and in the minutest detail these are
forces which In their resultants, are what
they are and exist in their multiform
modes because of the operation of coun
ter-forces. The “reign of law” is su
preme everywhere. The worlds that re
volve In space are held in an even bal
ance by laws suited to invest matter.
The old idea that an invisible spirit held
each star and planet in its place has
long since given way to this “reign of
law.”
If It were not for centripetal force the
earth and every star In the solar sys
tem would plunge Into the sun. This
force or law attracts to a common center
and holds the multitudes of the heavenly
hosts each evenly balanced In Its place.
Were It not for centrifugal force which
balances the centripetal, not only would
our earth refuse to revolve upon Its own
axis but it w’ould not and could not move
In its revolutions around th* sun, there
by producing day and night in the one
case and a change of seasons in the other.
And yet some people say mis just hap
pens that way. As well might a man un
dertake to prove that the “girders” that
span the Whitehall street crossing with
every exact measurement .of each piece in
the whole structure “just happened” be
cause he did not see the Iron ore formed
in and dug out of the earth, worked into
“pig” and "pudlled,” rolled and changed
into steel, shaped and drilled and riveted,
shipped to Atlanta and placed. Whhe
law was behind every stage and change
there was also an intelligence there —a
“purposiveness.” As the multitudes look
ed upon those enormous beams of steel,
weighing thirty-flve tons each, perhaps
not one thought of the fact that, when
each one swung, poised in midair, there
was an illustration of force and counter
force that holds the universe together
and in shape. Gravitation drew eheb mas
sive piece to the center of the earth,
while two locomotives furnished the
counter-force that held them evenly bal
anced in the air.
But let us take another look at what we
call nature, and we will see that the very
chemicals that support vegetable and ani
mal life and enter Into the composition
of each—say grass or wood and flesh and
blood, are counter to and balance each
other as the rule—alkali and acids. And
yet this “just happened," or “nature,”
"blind nature” does It! And so it may be
said that everything In the universe is
evenly and safely balanced either natu
rally or artificially; moreover, there
would be no safety anywhere but for this
great fact. For instance the whole city
of Atlanta might be deprived of human
life In one moment If the exact chemical
balance of the atoms of oxygen and hy
drogen that make air, were to become dis
arranged. The Empire building or Pru
dential or Equitable with their hundreds
of occupants ,might fly Into the “blue
etherial sky"* or sink into the heart of
the earth If the ev«n balance of forces
were disturbed. ’
I spoke of "artificial balances” by which
we mean the application of force and
forces by man, as for instance the air
brake on a train of cars. No train would
be safe without a counter-force artificially
applied at will when needed. And I may
add again, just here, that that train
that makes forty miles an hour safely
up and down grade does not "just hap
pen” to do It. When the hissing air-brake
hugs the huge drivers It does not "just
happen” that way.
If, now, we come up a step higher we
will find that this exact balance obtains
also in the mental sphere.
We find It in the grouping of faculties,
in the human mind, and their classifica
tion into the "constructive” and into the
“destructive” faculties. This is the rule
—the basis or the plan of every human
mind.
I need not dwell at length on this phase
of the subject. I mention it merely to
make the chain complete. And yet what
kind of a human world would we have
if all minds belonged to the analytical or
destructive class? One man can tear
down much faster than a dozen can build
ordinarily. What for instance would be
come of us if all men and women were
possessed of only the athletic faculties?
Indeed the world would be a bedlam, but
for the even balance of the mental fac
ulties of the race in correspondence to
the environment and possibilities all
around us. For instance, the world needs
newspapers, but what a calamity if all
men were editors! It needs railroads, but
suppose we had no men with the talent
to do anything else? Indeed art, science
and literature owe their existence to the
fine adjustment of mental faculties, so
grouped and balanced that each acts and
reacts, checking and counter-checking
in a manner and degree that makes the
limit to variety In the world almost In
finite. Out of balance, and the whole
world may become raving maniacs.
No rational being can take this
view of the universe without feeling emo
tions of wonder at the great wisdom and
foresight, to say nothing of the benevo
lence of the great Creator.
But we come next to ask what about the
sphere of ethics or morals?
If the great God, or, as the skeptic would
say, the “great First Cause,” has shown
such wisdom and benevolence In the con
struction of every other part of the uni
verse, Is It possible that He has left the
sphere of morals without a balancing
power? If He has not so marred His
creation, where do we find this power?
It Is not in gravitation or the natural law
of attraction, cohesion, adhesion, etc. They
do not apply to a moral being. Will some
one say where?
If he has placed that power anywhere In
the universe Is It unreasonable to believe
he will show It to this rational creature?
Is It unreasonable to suppose he Is not
able to manifest himself, his will, his na
ture, his disposition toward us? If he
built all the vast universe above and be
neath and put their laws within reach of
human knowledge, is it unreasonable to
believe that, having made such knowl
edge possible by implanting in him fac
ulties capable of comprehending them, he
will not also put not only the moral
law within his reach, but also the facul
ty of getting hold of it and of understand
ing ij?
He who denies these great truths con
tained in His Word about which the
text speaks, does more than he thinks.
He first charges cruel neglect on him who
made all things, or he lays himself under
obligations to furnish such a balance. This
Is exactly what Herbert Spencer and
Ernest Hackle have presumed to do—pro
vide this balance. Read Spencer on •’Ed
ucation,” read his “First Principles” and
then read "The Riddle of the Universe”
by Hoeckle, and the most stupid man will
be amazed, and at once ask himself the
questions: “Moses or Ernest Hoeckle?
Jesus Christ or Herbert Spencer? St. Paul
or Bob Ingersoll?”
But what do you mean by the term
“moral balance?” To Illustrate: There Is
a passion In the human breast, pure and
holy, until It reaches the point of danger
to another. Here the eternal question of
“oughtness” comes in and moral law bal
ances or counteracts and says: “Thou
shalt not commit adultery!” There is a
faculty or impulse within us that moves
us to acquire property. Our hand reaches
out and is about to touch the property of
our neighbor and something above and
within says: “Thou shalt not steal.” But
I brood over it and desire It. Another law
says: “Thou shalt not covet.”
I grow angry with a man and moved by
the impulse to kill him, another law, con
templating the damage I may do him and
his family, says: “Thou shalt not kill.”
In other words, there is not a passion,
appetite or propensity in the human be-
| {Religion a cNecessary 'Balance.
TEXT—"Thy word have I hid In my heart that I r ight not sin agalnat
••• Thee."—Psalms 119:11.
BY REV. LUKE G. JOHNSON,
Pastor of the Park Street Methodist Church.
I®®* : 'X/ww
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REV. LUKE G. JOHNSON.
ing that is not virtuous when held in a
balance, and not one that does not need a
check or countercheck. Will gravitation
meet the case? Centrtfical or centripetal?
What about mathematics, knowledge of
geology, civil engineering? None of these.
There must be a moral force expressing it
self In “God’s word” to move upon man’s
heart by which reason and an enlightened
conscience tell him it is best to shape
and control his life and character.
But Mr. Spencer says education will do
a.i this. Right after him Mr. Huxly says
that "to educated the intellect and leave
the moral nature untouched is as likely
to produce a race of astute scoundrels as
anything else.”
Haeckle says his "Religion of Monism
will do it, and that in a few years all
churches will leave “Thy word” and make
a creed of "The Good, the True and the
Beautiful,” and worship them! Now it
never occurred to him that the libertine,
the thief, the miser, the liar—all—every
human being would have his own idea of
what was good, true and beautiful.
David has struck the truth in the words
of the text: “Thy word have I hid in my
heart that I might not sin against Thee.”
But as to the other creed, alas! A dollar
would be, as it is to some now, the best,
the truest, the most beautiful thing in the
universe. Wife, children, everybody are
not half so good, so true, so beautiful. To
another the worship of Venus might com
mend itself. Where would it not lead to?
History tells us that the highest religious
Idea of Babylon made every married wo
man as a religious act offer herself at
least once a year to the public in the tem
ple of that vile goddess. Yet Babylon had
the greatest learning, the highest intel
lectual culture. What has been may be
again if man essays to lift himself, so to
speak, “by his own boot straps over
the barriers that stand between him and
his highest good, without any higher law
or power from above.
That great philosophic historian,
Froude, says: "Intellectual culture does
not touch the conscience. It provides no
motives to overcome the weakness of the
will and with wider knowledge brings new
GEN. MORGAN'S CAPTURE
PLANNED BY A WOMAN
Some one asked several weeks ago for
a detailed account of Gen. John H. Mor
gan’s death. Up to this time I have seen
no response, so I will give my recollec
tions of the lamentable tragedy which oc
curred at Greenville, Tenn., in the early
part of September, 1864.
After General Morgan’s escape from a
northern prison, he came south and re
organized his old command which had
become scattered during his confinement
in prison, and during the summer of 1864
was occupying East Tennessee watching
the movements of the enemy and pounc
ing upon them whenever an opportunity
was offered.
The Yankees held Knoxville and occu
pied the country as far up as Bulls Gap,
which was about 15 miles below Green
ville, and very frequently made cavalry
raids still farther north, but taking
special care never to come in contact
with the invincible Morgan. On this oc
casion the enemy had made a raid on
Greenville which at that time was unoc
cupied. Morgan at this time was resting
some 20 miles above Greenville, with a
detachment of the Sixteenth Georgia cav
alry and a portion of his Kentucky regi
ment. He learned of the presence of the
enemy at Greenville, and decided to sur
prise and capture the entire force as he
had done. In perhaps scores of Instances
before. So we broke camp about dark
and made a dash on Greenville, but when
we arrived In the vicinity, much to our re
gret, we learned that the enemy had be
come apprehensive and had withdrawn,
inside their own lines at Bull* Gap. So
at that late hour at night, knowing that
the enemy was not in 15 miles of us, it
was natural for us to feel pretty secure.
After giving orders to post pickets on
every road leading into Greenville and
sending his men Into camp, Morgan with
his staff secured sleeping quarters at a
private house, perhaps that of a friend,
and all, both officers and men. except
the pickets, were lying in sweet sleep un
conscious of all that was transpiring
without; so the drama which followed
was to be enacted or at least planned,
and led by the craft and cunning of a
young Tennessee woman. If my memory
is not treacherous, her name was Wilson
the daughter of a man who had command
of a regiment of mountaineers scattered
through the mountains, who made it tneir
business to rob and murder when neces
sary those people in East Tennessee, who
espoused the southern cause.
After locating Morgan s quarter*, she
had a horse saddled, mounted It and J”de
out a byway that was not guarded to
Bulls Gap, through the dark night, repor
ted the situation to the enemy, procured
a strong force of his cavalry, led them
back through the same dark alley through
which she had made her exit and sur
rounded the house in which Morgan and
his staff were sleeping. _
It was reported by one of his staff woo
escaped with his life that when Morgan
realized the situation, he addressed his
comrades thus:
“To arms boys; they have got us, but
we'll sell our lives as dearly as possi
ble." t
And thus died one of the grandest
knights and most chivalrous cavaliers
that the world ever produced. Peace to
his ashes, and honor to his memory, to
the sentiment of every patriotic heart.
If I remember correctly all of Morgan’s
temptations.” He says the Greeks knew
nothing but intellectual culture, and went
down; that Rome at the summit of its
intellectual culture lost what moral re
straint she had in her heathen religion
when she became atheistic and went to
pieces morally.
Brann, late of The Iconoclast, says the
same thing, and yet. right here in our
city there are scores of people who for
no other reason than to follow their “own
sweet will” are dally Ignoring what Gib
bon himself called the religion of Christ—
“a pure religion." We positively assert I
from the Bible and from observation that
It is only a question of time and of sus-i
ceptibllity to bad Influences when all
such will become bad at heart!
A man made under and subject to Go<t
Almighty’s moral law can no mor* per-*
vert it and fly in its face and succeed in
becoming or remaining a god and pure
man or woman, than the “girders” on yon
viaduct can b* moved without an applies*
tion of God’s laws in mechanics! It Is un
reasonable to the point of lunacy, and yet
men will persist. Oh, how we need a mor
al balance! The path of time to strewed
with wrecked individual and national
character and high civilization becaus* th*
application of this moral balance was n*g-’
lected. Witness Babylon, Assyria, Greece
and Rome! What was th* matt*rf Sim-!
ply this, the moral nature was not haul
anced or cultivated past passu with the.
animal and intellectual nature»-that la,
the whole story!
Are we in danger? The ‘’4oo" of every*
city, of every civilization that is rich and I
idle, with no nobler alm than mar* pleas- i
ure, are engaged in cultivating this aide.;
of their natures and neglecting th* high-!
er, th* spiritual side, and, as when,
"Ephriam grow fat he kicked," so will IK
be of them, so has It ever been* and. alastl
so It to now! i
With the tongue of an angel we wouliyi
sound It today—th* necessity of th* text:
“Thy word have I hid in my heart that I :
might not sin against Thee. ’ David wad .
cultured, David was rich, David was qt
king, David needed it—religion—th* bal
ance for the moral universe. ;
staff was killed but one, and the treat
ment to which the general’s body «M,
subjected after death as reported by the,
citisene of Greenville, was a disgrace ta (
a savage tribe, much less a civilised pao-»
pie. —.
With the highest appreciation for Th*
Journal and the kindness It is showing
the old veterans, we can but predict for
it the very highest future which we thins |
it so richly deserves, •
GEORGE I* CARBON, I
Company E. l«th Georgia Cavalry.
Harmony Grove, Ga.
—— ,r
3ears the KM YWI HaW >W Bd#
Signature ,
* ~t \
Will Be Heard From.
Savannah Press.
Mr. Gnerry is alluding in all his speeches t*
the attitude of Attorney General Terrel ion
the question of using ths public property fun*
for the payment of the school teachers. A
close friend of Attorney General Terran said,
that he would be heard from at the propew*
time on this subject. Naturally, ha would de
fend his position before the people, and that
too, without attacking the decision of tn*|
supreme court. •
—;
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