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VO LUM K XXX VI -NO. 17
LAFAYETTE
BEFORE THE WAR
Mrs. Mary Gordon Writes Interestingly Os The Piuneer
families—War Time Incidents
lUj Mrs. Mary Gordon
* first knew LaFayette in 1844 or 45,
his l was just going to school here and
f dtm't remember much about It, then.
I csuir to live liere in 1848, about ('4
yittrn ago, and while names and dates
sway from me sometimes, I can
•iTisaeaiber a great deal about the town
.-.tut. -the people of that time.
'?>ie town was filled with a class of
rfce jjiost refined, intelligent, best, Chris
ridot. .people I have ever met in the
j*taste ot Georgia. Some of the families,
i}’ remember them, were Judge Spen
r.-t-T Aiursh's family, Judge Iloge's, Alex
. Shaw's, Dr. It. 14. Dickerson's
rf:.wsaiVy itwhy, Mr. ltoh Dickerson's fatli
.--UMI iny husband were partners for a
ntxtxt utility years, and his mother and
St wreue .great friends), the Simmons'
I > r sp>:'tky, the families of Thomas and
.tames Ititton —and Mr. Jack Patton
vs.* an old bachelor. There were Col.
Snooper. Capt. Farrlss's family, and
.whent whose names would come to me
3X 1 armld stop to recall them. All of
itVwtau were hospitable, and we mixed
aatsuS ..Mingled together like brothers and
rftf.-y.rrs, had splendid dining parties and
. serial .affairs, and worked together in
•rtf* ichurch; there were no sectarian
-.SSSitereuces between us, nor no hard
:rSr*Ai«gs. Then, there was Judge A. P.
..vEawoffs family—his wife was Mary
.*S*:rsh, a native of this town.
THwu, •duPTOJniIC summer of 1841),
1 "t. '<!. ifi. Gordon and Dewitt Farriss
■.iu.fi ,w»nt into the practice of medicine;
younger generation coming on, you
Kxrr*.
.'.l’he Edwardses and Coulters lived
lavir. the edge of town, out in the coun
( rsy. The people were more united
in ysdigion and politics then than they
, nr now. We had many grand revivals
jwligion and the great sin of dane
»» tliought by some in these days,
>.v-,* wn ,prohibited then, and the young
s*vsE*le bad grand times. The Kelleys
xiv-ug here then —Sister Phoebe
K.vJJey lived to be 05 years old, and to
r'xs i«st of her days was in perfectly
naxionnl, jnind. We lived a kind of
life until the time the Civil
V* ar broke out.
.When the war came, my husband
went out -and raised a company of
y« >vyog men in LaFayette and the sur
r, midintf country, 125 in number, the
sj.jy cream of the town and county, of
'.v buns only about ten or a dozen ever
back. Many, many changes have
niUitn place since then. The old Bap
church used to stand on the hill,
-x-wf! jthe old Methodist church —both
sar:< re been removed. We had two good
sclwcds. one of which was the female
siemimary, taught by Mrs. M. C. John
.sivn. where my children were educated.
When my husband organized his coin
%sany ro go to the front, Spencer Marsh
.iuaated the uniforms. It was the white
ih»V*-y uniforms, but the soldiers would
j-ws- pjo out in them, so he had the cloth
oo&jrefl by the tannery here, the old
I'hi.ips Tannery, and made a sort of
nws»)or; then tlie women of the town
urntitt up tlie suits. I made some thirty
•.»r forty suits myself. But then, all
tJszvncb the war we were making
.-ptriv*. to send off to the soldiers; many
in nbe time I have sewed until 11 and
U .uliiek every night, with a lamp on
c'fcTi side of me.
When Mr. Gordon’s company was
> ii.nJe up, lie went to Atlanta and was
jDfflile .Surgeon of Company “G”, oth
4 >■.»/• gin ’Regiment, until the Conscript
let inf all doctors who were 57 years
»>,S. vj>r. Marsh was a physician and
.‘Snfgcon also.
Tjrben tlie Federal troops came
rtMvmsfb here, they tore down our ho isp
itnrl she female seminary and put the
w .»*j in their fortifications. I can re
gmmSbfr the battle which was fought
Hit--, for I was right in it. helping take
.r»v> ol‘ the wounded. Old Tom Phipps
TT, pc Shot 111 the leg. (It was at his
nurnery the cloth for the uniforms of
my husband's company bail been dyed.)
I (remember the Yankee doctors bad
tifea laid out ou the table and were
jjjH&ig to cut his leg off. but lie made
tTvmi send for my husband, and we
•awe* him and put him to bed aud saved
him leg for him.
«C*n the morning of the 24th of June
t was a wakened by the sound of firing
•of «3aunon, aud when I got up a line
rft soldiers formed across by
r!w academy, and that day they had
tfuht here and 80 men were killed and
MEMORIAL DAY ISSUE-28 PAGES
Walker County Messenger.
j wounded. They erected a hospital in
■ the Presbyterian church, and took the
last sheet and pillow-slip in my house
for it. All the town contributed and
we took care of the soldiers afterward*.
I took care of one soldier for six
months. They tore out the pulpit and
all the seats and the window sash of
the Baptist church, and you ought to
■ have pay for that. I think the Presb.v
terian church was damaged a great
deal, too, but to what extent I don't re
member.
In tlie battle General Pillow com
manded, and be was drunk, and sat
down under a hickory tree and sat there
1 until his inferior officers brought in
the men and had the fight. They fought
from the courthouse and from the Go
ree Hotel, and from all the largest
buildings in town —the Marsh building,
too. The Union soldiers were encamp
ed here grazing their horses when Pil
! low’s command came in ou them. They
! had done a great deal of damage to
the buildings before the battle. They
were going to turn me out of the Goree
House, but I told them “No, I wouldn’t
go.”
The fight was warmest from just
about where the Baptist church now
stands to the courthouse. About (he
time the fight became hottest 400 cav
alry from the 4th Kentucky Federal
soldiers came in from Chattanooga and
the Rebels retreated, but they did not
whip them, all right.
During the fight, one of my house
servants was shot in the calf of the leg,
and my old cook got so scared that she
rail under the house and huddled up
against the chimney until the fight was
over, while my children kept running
around crying for “Mammy”, as they
always called her. I put the children,
four of them (I only had four), up in
the fire place of the Goree House, and
then hung cotton mattresses in the win
dows to keep out the bullets. My hus
band was in the thick of tlie fight, car
ing for the wounded, and I was kept
mighty busy helping with them.
1 must tell you about the time i went
to see my husband in Virginia, after
! the battle of Manassas. Captain I. D.
Allen met me at the terminus of tlie
railroad. He had taken the place of
Dr. Gordon after he was made surgeon
in Atlanta. He met me at the terminus
of the railroad and we had to walk two
miles; my husband was sick with ca
tarrhal fever and I did not expect to
see him until I got to camp. They had
given strict orders not to let any women
go inside the lines, hut Captain Allen
said, “You are going in there.” I was
scared. We passed the first vidette, and
he raised Ids hill and let us pass, ard
the second, and the third, and they let
me in all right. I looked across a little
branch there and saw my husband, and
fetched a scream and went flying. Then
we went ou to camp.
I had a big traveling trunk full of
presents for the boys of Compang G,
that their folks had sent them. I un
packed It in the captain's tent, and each
of the boys came and claimed what ids
father and mother had sent him, clothes
and good things to eat. I boarded while
I was there at the Captain's tent. I
remember that a man by the name of
Marion Satterfield was cook of Com
pany “G”. In tlio evening I would
stand on the bill with Captain Hoge
and watch the drill; I don’t know how
many men were there, hut It was the
finest body of men I ever saw. I stayed
there two weeks, and on the third day
after I got there I saw a commissioned
officer riding up, and I thought he was
going to arrest me for coming inside
the lines. My husband said he wouldn’t
arrest me, aud the toys all said the
whole 9th Georgia will muster to your
rescue, if he does. When the officer
came, lie got down from his horse and
shook hands with me and bid me wel
come, and I surely was relieved. I was
as white as a sheet. My husband told
me I needn’t have been afraid, for their
wasn’t an officer there hut what was
1 bis personal friend and brother and
1 .*ouid have done anything for him.
I never saw such a fine tody of men,
' it was the cream of the State of Gcor
| git—Hood’s Division.
After the war everybody was hunk
nipt. A great many had refugeed, and
a great many like me, had lost every
thing they had hut their children and a
little piece of land. There was scarcely
a whole house in the town, everything
I
LAFAYKTTF, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1912
EIGHT NOW AFTER
TREASURERSHIP
B. N. White, Os East Ar
muchee Makes The
Eighth Entry
A new candidate for county
treasurer entered the field Tues
day when the friends of B. N.
White, of East Artnuchee, entered
his name in the list.
The entry of Mr. White makes
eight candidates in the race for
this office and still further com
plicates the outcome of this race
Mr. White is a young man who
on account of his splendid char
acter and the fact that he is a
cripple, will get a splendid vote
in the Armuchees.
The card issued by his friends
follows:
The friends of 11. N. White
announce him as a candidate for
county treasurer in the primary
of May Ist and ask the voters of
the county to give him their sup
port. He is a young man of fine
character, but is a cripple and tin
able to do physical labor. No
more needy man is in the race for
this office.
REPUBLICANS WILL
HAVE COUNTY TICKET
At a meeting of the Republican
Executive Committee of the coun
ty last Saturday, at which rou
tine business was transacted, it
was decided to call a mass meet
ing of the republicans of the coun
ty August 24th next for the pur
pose of selecting candidates for
county offices.
Wardlaw Writes About Primary
May Ist being our primary for
county officers and for president
we would be glad to have as many
as can possibly do so go to the polls
and express their choice for the
above officers.
And to the Executive commit
tee: As has been the ruling of the
state chairman, there will have
to be two ballots, one for the pre
sident and one for the county offi
cers, as you will have two sets of
tally sheets, list of voters and offi
cial returns to be sent in to coun
ty site. It will not be necessary
to have two sets of managers.
W. A. WARDLAW, Chairman.
ERADICATION OF TICK
STARTS IN SUMMER
It will' be of much interest to'
the citizens and cattle raisers of
Walker county to know that Prof.
Brahnsen, state veterinarian, has
directed that through the months
of .July, August and September
preliminary work will be carried
on to eradicate the cattle ticks in
the county. An interesting arti
cle on the tick business will lie
read in the Messenger soon that
will be talked about for the next
two years. It is generally known
that Mr. Oartriany has resigned
his position as superentendent of
the road squad, but it is officially
stated that road work will go
steadily on all the year with good
wages for the men that help do the
work.
The tine dairy barn of A.
Veatch in Cane Creek was burned
at an early hour Monday morning.
The fire is believed to have been
of incendiary origin. The loss is
estimated at about $2500, with
some insurance.
torn up and 1 moved here to educate
my children and work. (.'apt. John Y.
Wood taught a high school in the acad
emy right after the war. I picked up
toartls and fixed up the hotel (tliriH-:
rooms), and the first court I made SSO.
Since that time people have lived In
LaFayette in peace and harmony, aud
sometimes they have had their ups and
downs, but, taken all together, I think
LaFayette is the best town tn Nor”! 4
west Gporgla and I hope to lie J
rest of my life aud die here.
UMZJJMS ptfOJOJ
OfJiOOJPsUS VSJJ
‘ * » »*• .
J. A. PARK
JUDGE MADDOX
GIVES INCIDENTS
Os Fight at LaFayette—An
Encounter With Gate
wood
By Judge John W. Maddox
Having boon requested by the histori
cal Committee* of the U. I). C. to relate
some of my personal oxporioneos during
our late war between tlie states, I have
selected one which liappend at La-
Faytte.
T was a member of the Sixth Georgia
Cavalry. In the fall of 1803 it was at
tached to tlie command of General
Wheeler. As my-recollection serves me,
it was about the middle of August, 1804,
while we were at Atlanta, General
Wheeler was ordered to make that long
raid in the rear of General Sherman's,
way up'in Tennessee near Nashville, for
the purpose of cutting his communica
tions, ete. On our return we came out
through Middle Tennessee, crossed tie*
Tennessee river at Muscle Shoals in
Alabama and started on our way buck
to Georgia to join General Hood. When
we arrived in the neighborhood of Oftve
Springs, Ga., we were ordered to strike
the W. & A. R. R. between Rosacea and
Dalton, and destroy the tracks, trains
and bridges.
Our regiment was ordered to La
Fayette to guard the left Hank of Gen.
Wheeler while lie was moving on Dal
ton. We had been marching all day
when this order was received. We at
once started for LaFayette, crossed the
Coosa river at Veal’s Kerry, twelve miles
south of Rome, and reached the Boiiehil
lon place (now known as Sprite) on tin*
Central Railroad, where we stopped for
some two hours and fed our horses. We
then mounted and resumed our march
for I.a Fayette, going directly to Sum
merville, and then to LaFayette, arriv
ing there, as J now remember, about 10
o’clock the next morning. In LaFayette
we stopped behind the old court house
and dismounted. Rickets were thrown
out <m the roads leading east, west and
north. Very soon after our arrival the
noted Guerilla Gatewood, with five or
six of his men, came into LaFayette
from the east, where it was reported
that they had hung fi man that day or
the day before by the. name of Burton.
Lieut. Joel Weathers, with two or three
men, was sent out on the road north
on a scout. The balance of us were soon
asleep on the ground. Major John T.
Burns was in command and was lying
on the porch of the old ('aidwell hotel
that stood oil the west of tin* square.
Col. Hurt had stopped back at Mr. But
ton’s on the south side of the creek to
prepare some dispatches. While we were
so asleep, being completely worn out,
the bugle sounded “mount up.” We
sprang to our horses immediately. Major
Burns rushed from tin* portico, where In*
had been asleep, sprang on his horse,
and ordered first and second squadron
to form on tin* north side of the court
house and the third and fourth to form
where they stood. This order was in
stantly obeyed, and before we had got
ten into line on the north side we heard
a number of shots fired in the direction
of Chattanooga, at the same time we saw
Weathers and the pickets coming
toad, about where Mrs. War
SM i: ‘"' •' l ' , ‘' ' '■"* !
Ininini them was a com-
B. F. THURMAN
puny of Nunkcc cavalry charging upon
us with drawn sabers, and yelling like
mini men. Major Burns ordered us to
follow him, and he made a dash for
I hem right up the mud towards Chat
tanooga. This was wholly unexpected
by the Yankees, as they thought no one
was in LaFayette except a few scouts,
as we afterwards learned. They soon
discovered they bad a fight on their
hands. They turned to run, and it was
I hen a race until they were all killed
or captured. It is my recollection now
Hint only one of their men escaped. He
was mounted on a white horse and lie
got awaf by simply out running us. We
could not catch him on account of the
exhausted condition of our horses, al
though some of our men followed him
almost to Rock Springs. Our horses
"ere already exhausted before this chase
began. Alsmt a mile north of La Fay
ette, as I now remember, we gathered
all of our prisoners together in a field.
About that time Col. Hart caught up
with us, aud Gatewood, who hail joined
with us in tin* chase, came up and de
manded that the prisoners be turned
over to him. Col. Hurt had evidently
never seen Gatewood before, for he at |
once demanded to know who In* was.
and when informed In* immediately, in
that sharp and decisive manner for which
fie was noted, informed Gatewood tluH
the prisoners had been captured by bis
men aud that they would la* turned over
to the regularly constituted authorities
authorized to receive them by tin* Con
federaev. Up to this time the prisoners
thought they had been ruptured by tin*
guerillas and exjiectod to be shot, but
when they were informed that they were
in tin* hands of tin* regular soldiers and
would be treated as prisoners of war.
this information made them tin* happiest
men I ever saw. We did not need any
guard to keep them, for they stink to
us like brothers. We picked up tin*
wounded, carried them back to the old
Goree house and left them with l)r. Gor
don, who lived there then. Col. Hart d<*
tailed one or two of the prisoners to
stay and wait on them. These pleaded
with Col. Hart not to leave them, as
they were confident the guerillas would
kill them. Col. Hurt sent for Gatewood
and told him of tin* leu is of these men.
said he was going to leave them in
Gatewood's charge, telling Gatewood that
if a hair of their heads was hurt In*
would hold him personally responsible.
What became of them 1 do not know.
That night we camped in a pine thicket
iust east of Mr. Clemon-s (house, tlire<*
miles south of LaFayette. 'Pin* next
morning we joined our brigade at Villa
now and moved on to Dalton. This in
cident about which I have written aw
in October. 18(14.
Any one interested in this incident
aud desiring to get fuller particulars as
to it can call on iny old friend and com
rode, whom I am glad to say is still
alive and lives near LaFayette, Wilt/
Boss, who was in this “scrap” and knows
all about it.
t CARD FROM CAPT. WOOD
To whom it may concern:
The report that A. 0. Catron is
an infidel is without foundation, for
be has been s member of the An
tioch Baptist Church for almost
twenty years, and while living here
attended church regularly and paid
liberally to its support.
J. Y. WOOD.
Cedar Grove, April 24,1912.
ONE DOLLAK PRR Yh AR
ESCAPING A HAIL
OF YANKEE BULLETS
(apt. Sanford Wimble tells the fol
lowing incident of the battle of Cliicka
nniiipi:
As captain of Co. A. Bth (Icorgiu ba
ttalion. I was in the thickest of the
tifdit in the battle of Chickamaupa, and
on Sunday iiiorninv, Sept. 20th, 1 fell
with a bullet in my left knee. As 1 lay
wounded on the ground, I turned my
head to the Yankees and tried as best J
could to dodge the bullets as tjiev
ploughed the ground all around me. The
cannons were cutting off limbs and tree
tops about, me, while the roaring of the.
guns was beard by my family living
then at old Cassville, in Cass (now liar
tow I county.
After lying thus for some time, one
of my company snatched me up on his
buck and in the midst of a perfect storm
of bullets, as fast as his legs could carry
two passengers, lie ran with me oil* the
battlefield. My friend said afterwardl
that if I had not been an expert at
dodging bullets we wolud have been
killed, hut certainly it was his licet
footedness that saved us.
SLEPT IN MUD IN
TRENCHES OF ATLANTA'
ONE
Tin* following letter was written by
W. A. Weaver, a well known citizen of
Hock Spring, to .1. T. Deck in 1804:
Mr. I. T. Deck:
Dear Sir —I write you a few lines to
let you know I am still alive and well.
I hope these lines will lind you and fam
ily well, f understand that you have
had to refugee again.
It is hard times on the refugees. I
heard from my stepfather tin* other day;
he and my oldest brother have had to
leave home to keep from being killed
by the Tories. From what I ran learn
Southern people in the enemy’s lines are
seeing hard times.
W are still in the trenches around
Atlanta, and having a pretty hard time
of it. We have to go on picket duty
every third night and stay twenty-four
hours at a time. We have continual
picket fighting along the lines and the
enemy continues to shell the city day
and night.
\\V are having a good deal of rain,
and it is very disagreeable, as we are
confined to tin* ditches all the time;
very often have to lie down in the mud
to sleep. Thomas Kvatt and the Jmlancc
of the hoys are well. ('apt. Ward has
got well and is with the company now.
Your friend,
W. A. WEAVER.
Atlanta, (la., Aug. 22, !Htl4.
LINWOCD LOCALS
Miss Minnie Kilgore, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. David Kilgore,
died at her home in Lin wood Mon
day night. She has been sick u
long time with consumption
Funeral services and intermen*
took place at the Shaw graveyard
Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Johnston
left Sunday for a few days stay
with relatives near Subligna.
Several of our young people
went to a place Saturday night
where an entertainment had been
promised, but unfortunately they
found the family enjoying the
blissful luxury of sleep, so noth
ing was left for them hut to re
trace their steps homeward.
I am requested to annomie.-
there will he a singing at th-
Linwood church Sunday afl< r
noon beginning at 2 o'clock. All
are cordially invited to eo.v.e with
hearts and voices in tune.
|)r. and Mrs. J. •). Johnston will
leave Thursday for the mineral
spring near Subligna, wher- they
mean to,spend the summer It is
there that the Doctor always ral
lies from his attacks of nervous
prostration.
Horn to Mr. and Mrs. I). M.
Williams Saturday a daughter
Mr. Williams has no boys, but
takes the bright side and thinks
he will have a lot of sons-in-law,
for he has eight girls at home
and one married.
MAGGIE ( RAYS
Mrs. H. L. Edwards, of Lyerly,
is visiting her mother, Mrs. Wat
ford.