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THE FLOWERS COLLECTION
141
Thrilling Feats of Intrepid
Forrest
Mitchell
Winning Brilliant Battles at
Fearful Odds
By DK. B. J. MASSEY.
Writer: for “Che funny Soul H
HE recent unveiling of a
monument in the city of
Houston, Texas, on March
17 last, the anniversary of
St. Patrick’s day, to the
memory of the brave Irish
captain, Hick Dowling, and
his heroes, was a befitting
occasion. Captain Dowl
ing's name is most sacred
ly embalmed in history,
and will be transmitted to
future generations with
embellished luster, as the
able defender of Sabine Pass, off the
coast of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.
A most interesting account is given in a
recent number of The Sunny South, how,
with forty men, he succeeded in captur
ing a federal fleet with 3,000 soldiers
aboard.
" o the honor of General Bedford For-
re • belongs the distinction of having
ai iiieved on the western border of Geor
gia a victory very much in keeping with
that of the Irish captain, Dick Dowling,
of Texas. From old man Josiah Davis,
late of Cobb county, but now a resident
of Atlanta, who is a double veteran,
having faithfully followed the fortunes
of General Winfield Scott through the
Mexican war and during the sixties of
the last century, an active participant in
almost every battle fought by General
N. B. Forrest, I gain the unpublished
facts concerning the capture of Colonel
Streight, of the Yankee army.
Iteartng well up under the weight of
years, long having passed the octogena
rian milepost. Air. Davis is still well pre
served and in fine 'physical vigor. I give
what i-.c hud me to write down In August,
1888. the statement verbatim et^iteratum.
Here are his words:
“in the fall of 1863 Rosecrans was in
At urs frees boro, Tenn. He ordered Gen-
<. ai Si.-elgu: io sei. ct 2,500 of the best
cavalrymen in the army and to go as
expeditiously as.possible by way of Rome
to Atlanta, Ga., taking Corinth, Miss., in
his route. At this time General Forrest
war fronting General Dodges’ army in
tie Tennessee valley, near Gourtland, Ala.
To counteract Streight's march, Forrest
received orders to pursue Streight with
utmost dispatch at all hazards. At this
time Forrest had a trifle over sixty fuen,
all told. Besides from long and continued
marches the horses were all Juded, so
much so there was scarcely a good horse
in the whole bunch. At his starting point
Forrest was at least 60 miles from
Streight, a very rough country inter-
Ifc'IAC ,
Lieutenant-General N. B. Forrest.
vening. He left, however, within two
hours after receiving his orders, at 10
o'clock a. m., encountering Streight’s
command the next day at Days Gap, on
the north end of Sand Afouniain, Ala.
“Here was the bigiest light on all the
way. Vile less on both sales was very
heavy. During the engagement 1 saw
bushes on both sides fail like hav under
the scyJTie Made. In fact, they flew so
thick at one time that it seemed that no
one could possibly escape. This hot fight
lasted af 'cast three hours. After cap
turing two of our guns, Streight very
abruptly ceased firing and left, Forrest
In hot pursuit. This was about I 1 o’clock
in the morning, but before night we
caught up with Straight, recaptured our
two guns, finding that Streight had s piked
them with wood/ti pins. Night came on
and, oh, how tired I was, and hungry,
no words can toll! Hadn't had a thing
to eal in forty-, >ght h, an. After n .
poor old horse had finished his short
ration of corn, I raked up the scattered
grains and sifted the sand and dirt from
them and ate them raw. Never in all
my life did I taste such delicious food.
The memory of that meal haunts me till
this -day.
"After resting a while, Forrest ap
proached Streights’ camps, drew tip his
men about 9 o’clock p. m. in the bright
moonlight about 300 yards away, order
ing us to use double shot and shell, and
double charge of cannister, with orders
to fight to the finish. After quite a
fight, Forrest captured many man, a
large supply of suttlers' goods, which,
1 tell you, came in a mighty good time.
• ••• • •- o ••• • •
for Forrest’s half starved and worse
than half naked men. I tell you it was
a regular feast. Leaving a sufficient
body of men to guard the prisoners and
bury the dead that had fallen on both
sides, Forrest, with a small body of men,
left in hot pursuit. After going about 6
miles, being very much harassed by
Forrest, Streight. crossing a creek, burn
ed a bridge. Here Forrest was greatly
nonplussed. Passing a house, General
Forrest inquired the way to the nearest
bridge. Here a beautify'. sprightly
mountain girl, a Aliss Sanson, came out
and told General Forrest that the yankee
general lvd captured her brother, and
if he would allow her, she would go
with him to tin- nearest bridge, show
him the way and a shoi/.er route, upon
the express terms that he should recap
ture her brother and restore him to her.
Gallant as he was, he said, 'Aliss. mount
the horse behind me and before 12 o’clock
your brother will be vours.’
' Aliss Sanson at once got up behind the
confederate general and piloted him to
the bridge. Going this route, General
Forrest gained very rapidly upon the
fleeing yankees, and after fording the
Coosa river, at a double quick speed, he
soon caught up with Streight and had
another light, with the usual consequence
of routing the yankee general, and a
few minutes before !2 o’clock Aliss San
son had her brother restored to her.
“Soon after this Forrest sent in, under
flag of truce ,a demand for surrender.
— !■ I—MM
'' - (■■■■'
i ■Him
Emma Sanson.
Streight refused. Within an hour, For
rest sent in a second demand for sur
render. To this Streight sent another
refusal. After an hour or so a third
flag of truce was sent in with a similar
demand. Informing Streight, with no
equivocal terms, that he had him in
such predicament that he was obliged
to surrender. In answer to this Colonel
Strenght sent to General Forrest a mes
sage to come to see him. Forrest went.
They met under a big crab apple tree,
had an interview, which lasted at least
two hours. About this time, Forrest bad
only about sixty men, and he had given
special orders that each man should
march around almost in sight of
Streight’s army, and give command as
though he was an officer commanding
a squad of men, so as to make it ap
pear that Forrest had at least two or
three thousand men under his command,
who were at that time attempting to
surround Streight and his command,
whilst Forrest and Streight were hold
ing this meeting.
"Streight’s 2.500 men had also been
reduced to 1.650. Feeling that he was
in the enemy’s land, pursued by an army
of superior numbers, Streight surrender
ed, the only condition being that the
officers were to bo allowed to go out
carrying their side arms. This was Sun
day about 9 o’clock a. m.. 3 miles from
Cedar Bluff, on the Rome road. After
spending two or three hours in pleasant
converse with each other. General
Streight very pleasantly asked General
Forrest to show him his army. When
told that he had no army except the
sixty men who were then guarding
1,650, Streight wept bitterly was incon
solable, fearing that his commanding
general, Rosecrans, and his good peo
ple at home would never understand the
circumstances under which ho surren
dered 1,650 men in full equipment to
Forrest’s ragged, half starved, half
naked, broken down sixty men.’’
MITCHELL’S EEMAEEABLE FEAT.
With the exception o£ what Private
. -avis has told about the Sand Moun
tain road, Forrest's capture of Streight
has been written and rewritten on vari
ous occasions. So have the praises of
Dick Dowling and his men been sung and
resung throughout Dixie land.
Now, in this connection I am in pos
session of a bit of history connected with
a bravo band of Walton county, Geor
gia, soldiers, sixty in number, known as
company H, Captain Joshua AI. Alitehell
commanding. Forty-second regiment
Georgia infantry. Mitchell with his dar
ing boys in gray on one occasion achieved
a victory which, in my humble opinion,
should take rank with either that of the
cavalryman. Forrest, or the Irish cap
tain, Dick Dowling.
Dr. J. M. Mitchell.
What T am saying has never boon in
print before. S<> I feel it a great privi
lege, as well as a pleasant duty, to give
a sketch of this brave deed as detailed
to me by one of the very few survivors
of this Spartan band. Let there be
"honor to whom honor Is due,” although
it should come In at the eleventh hour.
While Johnson’s army was near the
Alabama line above Dalton at the foot
of Rockyface mountain on the afternoon
of the 24th of February, 1364, Captain
AfitciieH received orders to detach his
company for special picket service. TIis
men were deployed some 12 feet apart,
and for self-defense, directed each man
to build for himself a roek pile. This
pile must he breast high and fully 3
feet wide at the top. B\ dint of hard
labor and by night this was successfully
accomplished. About sunrise next morti-
1 g, the 25th, tl'-" yankee picket, fully
7o0 strong, advanced and Instantly at
tacked the confederate forces.
The attack was very severe, but Cap
tain Mitchell and his sixty men were
equal to the occasion. They made the
defense equally as vigorous as the at
tack. About this time the left wing of
the confederate forces gave way. leav
ing Captain Mitchell's small company
unprotected in the field. But by firmly
malntaining his position in a half hour
he drove the enemy into th> ir pits. With
in a few minutes the federal forces were
reinforced by some seven or eight hun
dred men. probably Wdsconsins, com
manded by Lieutenant Colonel Dicken
son. The assault was for three hours
very severe, indeed. About this time
company fl had exhausted its ammuni
tion and fell back about 120 yards when
Captain Alitehell met a full supply of
cartridges. The men within a few
minutes filled all their box*'S and formed
a new line. Here Captain Alitehell was
reinforced by a. few men from company
F, same regiment. The line was a few
yards behind tiie crest of a little ridge
from the enemy. It stealthily hurried
to the crest. The enemy began forming
a. line on top of the ridge, but retreated
from Captain Alitehell. who ordered Ills
men "Ready,” "Aim,” and when ’he
yankee officer commanded: “Right dress.’’
’’Fire,” the volley was so deliberately
aimed and deadly that it created wild
commotion among the blue coats, and an
entire rout soon followed. Captain
Alitchell’s command kept up a hot pur
suit, capturing the yankee commanding
officer and twenty-five men. There were
left on the field over forty yankees
killed, besides quite a number wounded.
Captain Mitchell himself was badly
wounded, but notwithstanding this kept
at the head of his force. His first lieu
tenant. J. F. Williams, a brave young
officer and two privates killed, were the
only casualties to the brave boys in gray.
When Lieutenant Colonel Dickenson
tli" yank Mi. er, t, ! that hi
eral hundred had been so utterly wiped
up by only a handful of Walton county,
Georgia, boys, he s iid to Captain Mitch
ell: “My dear sir, 1 am ruined. Tills
news of my sad disaster and ignominious
defeat will be certain io rea Ji my homo
in Wisconsin, and how can I. oh! how
can I face my people at home in Wis
consin, who have placed so much con
fidence in me and my brave boys?”
Of this noble band of Georgia boys
who made the yankee colonel cry, there
still live Captain Alitehell, who loves
to tell by the hour of the Incidents and
times that tried men's soul. Also, T.
AI. Armstead, the present faithful tax
collector of Fulton county, and Mr.
Gresham, a successful merchant of So
cial Circle. All along on the battle fields
of Chiekamauga to the hills around At
lanta. several of this noble squad “right
ing fell,” yielding up their li-es h
half of tne cause dearest to theli he..ns.
The Hedgehogs Frown.
(From The London Spectator.)
A hedgehog curls itself by a fro vn—
that is. by muscles like those which pro
duce a frown—and It frowns severely or
gently according to circumstances. If
it is poked hard, it “sighs” itself tighter.
If really hurt. It frowns into a tight ball.
The prickles can be erected in a meas
ure. though as they point all ways tin’s
is not needed. They are as sharp as
needles. We have often known one dog,
a large black and white setter, which
would deliberately bite a hedgehog till
it killed it. But this dog was quite mad,
and shared some of the anesthesia com
mon to certain lunatics.
0 *.0 0... 0.•~0-+-0—0-~0-~0-*0——a—a—a-*-e-«-a-
^ Mystifying “Me
99
By Elliott Flower
V,
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■ 0:.(S:.0:.0--0;.0:-0-.-0-*-0~0-*-0-~0**-0-*-»-~9-~*-»-*l~- 0 0-~ 0 0 • ;-0-»-0 0 0--0 0 0 — 6 •'
.•-a-t-a-t-ai-a-t-eo-a—a *
(Copyright, 1905.)
ETER WELLS had fifty
thousand dollars in adver
tising contracts on his
hands when the court de
cided against him—that !s,
Peter had legally bound
himself to pay fifty thou
sand dollars for certain
space in certain publica
tions within a certain
time, and now he had
nothing to advertise. Peter
also had a partner—a si
lent partner of the name
of James Quinby. Peter’s partner was
silent because he had money and did
not wish to become too deeply involved
in an enterprise that might possibly
prove disastrous; also he had a business
of his own that he did not wish to be
come identified, even indirectly, with the
new venture. If the latter ’ failed. It
would In no way affect his standing or
his credit. In .a word, he was willing to
Invest a little money in a speculation,
but he did not care to have the fact
generally known. So, when Peter out
lined his scheme, explaining that he had
only half of the twenty-five thousand
dollars needed. Quinby agreed to put up
the other half and leave the management
of affairs to Peter. That was where he
was unwise. Peter was a young man
with more enthusiasm than discretion.
He knew that he had a good thing, so
he went ahead with his plans and had
everything in readiness when he learned
that some one else had a prior claim to
his good thing. It was plenty good
enough, but a learned Judge said it
wasn't Peter’s and tied Peter up with a
temporary injunction, which was soon
made permanent.
"And the worst of It is,” remarked
Peter, “that I had to pay that .advertis
ing agency 10 per cent in cash when
the contract was signed.”
“That must have been close to two
thousand dollars," said Quinby.
"It was five thousand dollars,” said
Peter, carelessly.
"What!” cried Quinby. "Why, you
only had twenty-five thousand dollars,
and I supposed you would reserve at
least five thousand for other expenses.”
"Not at all, not at all." returnel
Peter. "This little novelty that we In
tended to turn out would cost a mere
trifle, so I put it all in the advertising.
It’s one of those tilings where the ad
vertising is everything.”
"But your contract represents twice
your capital!”
“Of course,” said Peter; "but I only
had to pay 10 per cent down, and we’d
have had money to throw to the birds
by the time the capital was used up.
I figured that we might have to make
two more payments of live thousand
dollars each before we began paying en
tirely out of our profits. I never ex
pected to use more than fifteen thousand
dollars of our capital this way, and per
haps not so much.”
"Then why didn't you make your con
tract on that basis?” demanded Quinby.
The 'benighted ignorance of Quinby
seemed to make Peter weary, but lie was
considerate enough to explain.
"There are two reasons.” he said. "In
the first place 1 could get better terms on
a big contract; in the second, I wanted to
be sure of exactly the same location in
the various publications for a considera
ble length of time. It is a theory of mine
that an advertisement gathers force from
constant repetition in precisely the same
place. It is the regularity of the thing
that counts, that gives an impression ot
stability; if it goes jumping all over a
paiper or a magazine, it isn’t half as ef
fective. I planned for no big displays,
but 1 did intend that the reading man or
woman should run across the same thing
in the same place continuously. Why,
to make sure of this feature, I took an
option on five thousand dollars more—
that is, I have the privilege of con
tinuing in the saint
period as long as the first.’’
"Wonderful forestg.ht, wasn't it?” asked
Quinby, sarcastically.
“It seemed so at the time,” replied
Peter. “How could i know that some
body stole my idea beiim
that a grumpy old judge would give him
title to it?”
“To tie yourself up like this before you
knew exactly where you stood was a
piece of insanity,” asserted Quinby; "but
there’s no use discussing that now. How
much are we going to lose?”
“I don’t know.” admitted Peter. ‘T’ve
been wondering if we couldn’t get some
thing else to advertise.”
"Nonsense!” retorted Quinby. "Y'ou’d
better see what terms you can make
with the agency people. When they un
derstand the circumstances you may be
able to get back some of the money
you’ve put up.”
"I’ll try it.” said Peter.
So Peter went to the advertising agent
and stated the case, but the agent seem
ed to see complications ahead.
“It’s a little out. of the ordinary.” he
explained. "You wanted certain definite
locations permanently, and we had tti
contract for them particularly. I am
very much afraid the publications will
want to hold us, in which case we will
have to hold you.’’
“With all the advertising you are han
dling, you ought to be able to drop some
thing else into those locations,” sug
gested Peter.
“We have to pay an extra rate for
‘placed’ advertising, so it is rather a
difficult matter to fill this in.” said the
advertising man. “We may be able to
cancel some of the contracts, but you
must bear in mind that this is like any
other business transaction; you have
bought certain things on time, and you
have no right to expect to escape de
livery because your own plans have not
turned out right. Certain space in cer
tain publications is yours, and it looks
to me as if you would have to fill it. in
fact, nothing but the generosity of the
publishers can let you out. It would be
generosity, too. for they would be sur
rendering the cash value of the con
tracts. The fact that they might put
some other advertiser In your space cuts
no figure, for it will have to be an adver
tiser that they would have anyway.
It’s like a present of so much money to
you.”
“That’s certainly reasonable," admitted
Peter, sadly. "I hadn’t thought of it that
way.”
“The contracts are legal and they can
be. collected by law." persisted the adver
tising man.
“No, they can’t,” put in Peter; "1
haven’t g°t the money.”
“You forget that you gave me a signed
statement of cash resources when you
turned the business over to me,” said the
advertising man. “I would not place such
a line of advertising for an unknown
man without it. I can make trouble for
you on that.”
"How much cash will you take to let
me out?" asked Peter, desperately.
The advertising man considered the
matter thoughtfully.
“The situation Is just this," he said at
last. “I have contracted in your behalf
for $50,000 worth of ‘placed’ advertising.
Some of this I can cancel and some 1
can fill in with other advertisers, but
there Is going to be a considerable loss.
It is impossible to find people who want
‘placed’ advertising in just the public#
tions and just the amounts you have
chosen, especially as the time is mignty
short. I really ought to have the ‘copy’
now. If the contracts were merely for a
certain amount of advertising, to be taken
at will within a given length of time, it
would be different; but they call for a
certain space in every issue. However, I
want to be as reasonable as possible in
justice to myself; so. If you will give me
another five thousand to pay me for my
trouble and cover the difference in rates,
I will assume all the contracts and let
you out.’’
“You go to the devil!” cried Peter.
"Otherwise,” added the advertising man,
provoked by this display of temper, "I
shall hold you for every cent you’ve got,
and your statement of resources will
enable, me to make you dig up If you try
to hide anything.”
"You go to the devil!” repeated Peter.
"I can sell the space myself at a smaller
loss than that.”
“As you please,” returned the advertis
ing man. ”1 shall have to have the ‘copy’
in two days.”
Peter was a man of uneven tempera
ment, which means that enthusiasm and
apathy alternated; he was either actively
optimistic or languidly philosophical. He
had been all energy at the inception of his
great scheme, but he had become as in
different as a fatalist when his hopes were
destroyed. There would be a loss which
e«uldnt be helped, so why fret about it?
He had had a hazy sort of an idea that
possibly something mlglit be done, birt.
nothing definite. However, a clear loss of
$10,000, in addition to tne court and
other expenses, was enough to set even
Peter to thinking.
“That’s too much.” he muttered. “I
tl-.cught he’d give me back something
out of the first five thousand, instead of
demanding another."
So Peter was again thoroughly awak
ened, and set about the task of dispos-
ing of that advertising space with great
energy. But he found lie had a difficult
proposition on his hands. Big advertis
ers already had their contracts made,
and those who cared for “placed” ad
vertising wanted more space than he
had at his disposal. Then, too, some
of them objected to his list of publica
tions. In fact, he found that all the
advertising m;wi had said was true; he
had the worst possible arrangement fur
his present purpose. He thought of
proposing to the different publications
to take the same value in advertising
under a different and more favorable
plan, but the job was too lug and tiie
time too short. The space selected was
even then waiting for his "copy” In many
instances. There was no hopes of lo ad
ing payment for it in the first issues,
whatever lie might succeed in doing lat
er, so this much, at least, would he a
dead loss.
This was in Peter’s mind as he sat in
his office, discouraged, late in the af
ternoon of the second day. He was
roused by a messenger from the adver
tising man.
"Mr. Adams wants to know if you
want your ‘ads' to go blanks,” said the
boy.
"What’s that?” demanded Peter.
“You ain’t got any ‘copy’ in yet,” ex
plained the boy, “an’ it’s got to be in
pretty quick or you’ll be payin' fer blank
spaces that won't do you no good.”
“Well, by thunder! I’ll show people
those spaces are mine, anyway.” ex
claimed Peter, as lie reached for a sheet
of paper and a pencil
“I’m not going to be bluffed by Ad
ams or any publisher that ever lived.”
Then he wrote on tho paper:
THIS SPACE
BELONGS TO
;nii
“Tell him to run that in them all," he
instructed.
In half an hour the boy was back.
“Air. Adams wants to know if you're
joking,” he said.
“You tell Mr. Adams lie’s paid to put
my ’ads’ in the papers and not to ask
questions about them!” exclaimed Peter.
"I know what I’m doing.”
Adams, the advertising man, doubted
this last assertion, but iie could only fol
low instructions. Quinby doubted it.
also, and the way the doubt was ex
pressed made Peter so angry that he
failed to make the confession and ex
planation he had intended. Being put on
the defensive, he stoutly maintained that
he "had the thing fixed and would show
them a thing or two before lie got
through.” But he refuted to explain;
In- couldn’t.
“I know what I'm doing!” lie repeated.
’’Placing a line of advertising for some
body c'se?” asked Quinby. “I suppose
some people would think that a good
way to start in to create comment.”
"I can't talk of it yet,” said Peter, “and
all you've got to do is to keep your
mouth shut and look wise.”
But that question gave Peter another
idea. Instead of trying to sell the space
at his disposal, he went in search of
something to advertise. He offered to
take up several artices and boom them,
merely charging a commission in addi
tion to the necessary expenses; but here
he found himself in competition with
advertising agents w r ho were better
known. Even when he quoted rates that
meant a small loss to himself, advertisers
were not impressed.
Meanwhile, Quinby’s spirit of criticism
did not add to Peter's enjoyment of life.
Quinby objected to being kept in the
dark; he either wanted to know what
was going on or he wanted the affair
closed up with the least possible loss. But
Peter had become obstinate and irascible
He felt that he had made a mistake, but
he would not admit it. The more in ■
sistent Quinby became, the more deter
mined became Peter.
They were lunching together one day,
when a man at the next table opened
his paper and remarked to a friend, “I
wonder who Ale’ is?”
"Give It up.” was the reply. “I've
heard a dozen people asking that. AVno-
ever lie is. he’s got a good thing when
he gets ready to spring his advertise
ment."
Peter turned to Quinby.
“Hear that?” he said. ”1 tell you T've
got the thing fixed, and I know what
I'm doing.”
For at that moment a great idea came
to Peter; the space that he controlled
was becoming daily more valuable be
cause of the mystery connected with it.
It was not much in each publication, but
■ CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE.
!i%
