Newspaper Page Text
"the SOLDIERS’ BANNER.
The Place where Men should Die.
How little recks it where men die,
When once the moment’s past,
In which the dim and glazing eye,
Has looked on earth its last;
Whether beneath its sculptured urn
The coffin’d form shall rest,
Or in its nakedness return
Back to its mother’s breast ?
Death is a common friend or foe,
As different men may hold,
And at his summons each must go,
The timid and the .bold;
But when the spirit,’free and warm,
Deserts it, as it must,
What matters where the lifeless form
Dissolves again to dust ?
The soldier falls ’mid crosses piled
Upon the battle plain,
Where reinless war-steeds gallop wild
Among the mangled slain ;
But though his corse be grim to see,
Hoof-trampled on the sod,
What recks it, when the spirit free
Has soared aloft to God ?
The co ward’s,dying eye may close
Upon his downy bed,
And softest hands his limbs compose,
Or garments o’er them spread;
But ye who shun the bloody fray,
Where fall the mangled brave,
Go—strip the coffin lid away,
And see him in his grave.
’Twere sweet, indeed, to close our eyes
With those who cherish near,
And wafted upwards by their sighs,
Soar to some calmner sphere;
But whether on the scaffold high,
Or in the battle’s van,
The fittest place where man can die,
Is where he dies for man !
Unparalleled Enormity.
Two depositions —which detail circum
stances of one of the most infamous acts
which our truly diabolical foe has ever per
petrated—have been sent to the War De
partment in Richmond. They were for
warded by our Generals in North Carolina,
where the crimes were committed. The
deponents are Caswell Woods, and Eliza
beth his wife, of the county of Craven. —
Mr. Woods is certified to by General
Evans as being a “ respectable citizen, and
friendly to our cause, which seems to be the
only cause'of the fiendish outrages by the
savages.” It is also stated that he is a class
leader in the Methodist Church. It is due
to the civilized world and to outraged hu
inanity, that the facts stated in these depo
sitions should be known, and yetall of them
are too obscene to be fully described in a
newspaper. The house of these quiet and
aged citizens was visited on the night of
the 2d of October, by two Yankee troopers,
armed with pistols and sabres. Mr. Wood I
had retired to bed. We copy from the)
Richmond Enquirer a portion of his depo
sition :
“ 1 came down stairs in my night clothes.
The front door had been burst open. One
of the men had rode into the house on his
horse. The other walked in. The one on
the horse, who appeared to be an officer,
commenced cursing me, and asked me
where I was two days before. When I told
him 1 was home, he said, ‘ You lie, for you
shot at me.”’ Upon this pretence, they
cut the cord from a bed in the room, said
they would hang him, and finally tied him,
took him out of the house and lashed him
to a tree, with the. threat of instant death if
he made any outcry or attempted to get
loose. They returned to the house and
locked the door after them, and the old man
had the inexpressible agony of listening for
the rest of the night to the screams and
doleful lamentations of his wife and daughter.
The statement made by Mrs. Wood in
her deposition of what passed inside, is truly
heart-reading. The unparalled villains
made the poor helpless women not merely
the victims of their brutal lust, but accom
panied the outrage, which is worse than
death, with circumstances that mark them
as the most abandoned of villains. With
pistol in hand and with threat of instant
death, the deponent was required by one
of the beasts to divest herself of every par
ticle of clothing. But this was almost
Christian treatment, compared with other
acts which may not be related. While
such w ere her sufferings, the shrieks of her
daughter in another room told that hers was
a similar fate. About sunrise the next
morning the human devils departed.
It is with pain that such a sketch as the
above is admitted into our columns. But
it is due to our own people and the world
that the villainies of our enemies should be
known. The Enquirer, in some remarks
about the depositions, says :
The depositions have been laid before us
with the suggestion endorsed thereon by
the Adjutant General, “ that so much of
this account as is not too foul for publica
tion should be given to the public through
the press, in order that the righteous indig
nation of our people, onr Generals and our
armies, may, under the Providence of God,
visit a just retribution upon an enemy so
fiend-like.” Concurring in the propriety of
the suggestion, we have acted accordingly.
\\ e are happy to say that General Gus
tavus 'A . Smith has directed every effort to
be made to ascertain the names of the par
ties, and to “ demand their delivery for
trial and punishment.” We hope copies
of the depositions have been forwarded to
the authorities of the enemy. Surely there
are some, even among them, who would be
horrified by such conduct. The vengeance
of Heaven must light upon them and their
cause ?
The Federal General Jefferson C.
Davis, who killed Bull Nelson at Louisville,
among the killed on the battle-field of
®H B BAS’S SS S BAHH BB -
A Pyramid of Confederate Victories.
Whenever the panorama of the past year
is unfolded, the picture will be found mar
red by many dark and gloomy days to the
Confederate cause. Prominent among
these may be mentioned the defeat at Fish
ing Creek, and the death of the gallant Zol
likoffer, which occurred on the 20th of Jan
uary. In February, a succession of defeats
followed —the fall of Forts Henry and Don
aldson, the surrender of Nashville, and the
defeat at Roanoke Island. Still greater dis
asters followed in the month of April—the
fall of Pulaski and the forts that guarded
the mouth of the Mississippi, the surrender
of Island No. 10 and New Orleans. But
the picture has its lights as well as its shades.
These days of gloom, instead of being
curses to us, were blessings in disguise.—
But for sad experience, our people would
have continued to underrate the power and
resources, as well as the meanness, treachery
and brutality of our enemies.
We have steadily looked and longed for
aid and comfort from abroad. Many sup
posed that the nations of Europe would seek
a pretext to engage in war with the United
States.
It was thought that war was inevitable
with England when the Confederate Com
missioners were captured by Capt. Wilkes,
but this bubble bursted when Messrs. Ma
son and Slidell were surrendered.
We have been taught that it is necessary
to exert all our energies, and that it is in
vain to hope for any other help than that
of our own brave people and a just God,
but thia is all we want. The present is the
brightest hour of the struggle. The enemy
has been signally defeated at three of his
strongest points, and in three of his pitched
battles—Fredericksburg, Murfresboro, and
Vicksburg. Our people are more deter
-1 mined and united now than ever before. —
Four millions of people determined to be
free can never be conquered. The Confed
erate States may become the cemetery of
freemen, but it will never be the home of
slaves. To all, we say, ba patient and hope
ful, for in our opinion, the hour of deliver
ance is close at hand. For two years, our
enemy has exerted to the uttermost all the
energies of a united people to subjugate us,
but in vain; and now that his counsels are
divided and his armies demoralized, we
have nothing to fear.
To our enemies, to the nations of the
earth, to desponding murmurers, to the
care-worn and wearied soldier, to the glo
rious Southern women, we say, Behold the
monument to the people’s love of country !
Behold the pyramid of victories achieved
by the Southern people in one short year !
Shiloh,
Elkhorn,
McDowell,
Strasburg,
Port Republic,
Harper’s Ferry,
I Murfreesboro No 1,
Richmond, Perryville,
Winchester, Cross Keys
Boonsville, Front Royal,
Gallatin, Seven Pines,
Valverde, Kin gston,
Vicksburg, Manassas no. 2,
Manas. J unc. Fredericksb’g,
Sugar Creek, Sharpsburg,
Cedar Ru n, Williamsburg,
Malvern II i 1 I, Gans’ Mills,
White Oak Swamp, Tazewell,
Savage Station, James Island,
Mumfordsville, Murfreesboro No. 2,
Goldsboro,Shephardstown, Cynthiana.
The Hand of (><nl Recoffuized.
The following remarks by the Hon. H.
V. Johnson, Senator elect, of Georgia, merit
the serious consideration of all who desire
the peace of their country :
“ When is this struggle to end ? Shall
w e conquer the North ? No, we have no
desire to do this. Shall the North conquer
us? Forbid it, Heaven! But 1 tell you
that this war will never be ended till we
are all conquered by the chastising hand of
Providence, and we are brought back to
the virtues of our forefathers. Though our
armies have been victorious in nearly every
battle, yet almost every man and woman is
bathed in tears and cast down with sorrow
at the loss of some friend or kinsman most
dear. Every hearthstone is rest of its en
joyments by mourning and weeping, and
the wails ot sadness are heard all over the
i land. This is the chastisement of God, in
flicted upon us for a departure from the
paths of virtue. This is the lesson of the
, hour. Then let us return with humility to
the practice of those great virtues which
■ our fathers cherished, and without which
I onr liberties ennnot be maintained.”
The Late Capt King.—The Richmond
Examiner, in its article on “Casualties,”
. gives the following particulars of the death
of this gallant young officer:
r “ Among the losses of conspicuous per
sonal worth, we are pained to notice that
of a son of Mr. T. Butler King, of Geor
gia. We learn that this brave young offi-,
cer was serving on the staff of General
Mel jaws in Saturday’s battle. He was
charged to carry an order, the direction of
which took him immediately into the fire
of the enemy. On his perilous mission
he dashed from one station of our artillery
down the hill-side, and had advanced but a
little way, when he was pierced by balls.—
He must have been a plain mark to the en
emy, for his body was penetrated by five'
balls, one of which would have been mor
tal, since it passed through his heart.
The Kight Basis of Courage.—A Rich
mond correspondent of the South Western
Baptist says : “ Stonewall Jackson remark
ed to an officer, ' I believe as truly as I do
anything, that if I die heaven will be my
borne. Thank God, that matter is settled .
and 1 have nothing to fear from Yankee
bullets.’” _ L
“Stonewall Jackson’s Way.”
The Boston Courier says: “ The following
stanzas were found on the person of a rebel ser
geant of the “ Stonewall Brigade,” recently cap
tured by our Winchester, Va : ”
Come, stack arms, men 1 pile on the rails —
Stir up the camp-fire bright,
No matter if the canteen fails,
We’ll make a roaring night!
Here Shenandoah brawls along,
There burly Blue Ridge echoes strong,
To swell the brigade’s rousing song
Os “ Stonewall Jackson’s way.”
We see him now—the old slouched hat
Cocked o’er his eyes askew,
The shrewd, dry smile—the speech so pat,
; So calm, so blunt, so tine.
The “ Blue Light Elder ” knows ’em well,
r Says he, “ That’s Banks, —he’s fond of shell,
’ Bord save his soul!—we’ll give him ” —well,
That’s “ Stonewall Jackson’s way.”
1
1 Si fe e! £ rou . ud arms ! kneel all 1 caps off!
I Old Blue Light’s going to pray,
Strange the fool that dares to scoff!
Attention! it’s his way !
Appealing from his native sod
In forma pauperis to God, —
“Lay bare thine arm, stretch forth thy rod,
Amen! ” that’s “ Stonewall’s way! ”
He's in the saddle now ! Fall in!
‘ Steady I the whole brigade!
Hill’s at the ford; cut off; we’ll win,
His way cut, ball and blade.
’ What matter if our shoes are worn ?
What matter if our feet are torn ?
“ Quick step' we’re with him before morn,”
That’s “Stonewall Jackson’s way.”
i
. The'sun’s bright lances rout the mists
Os morning—and, hurrah!
> Here’s Longstreet, struggling in the lists,
- Hemmed in an ugly gorge,
Pope and his Yankees, whipped before,
; “ Bayonets and grape ! ” hear Stonewall roar,
I “ Charge, Stuart I pay off Ashby’s score,”
Is “Stonewall Jackson’s way.”
Ah ! maiden, wait, and watch, and yearn,
For news of Stonewall’ band!
> Ah ! widow, read, with eyes that burn,
That ring upon thy hand !
r Ah ! wife, sew on, pray on, hope on !
• Thy life shall not be all forlorn !
f The foe had - better ne’er been born,
That gets in “ Stonewall’s way! ”
Stonewall Jack son’s Habit*.
The Richmond correspondent of the
: Charleston Mercury gives the annexed ac
; count of Stonewall Jackson’s habits :
“Ou the Sunday night after the battle of
Fredericksburg, a friend of old Stonewall,
invited to share his tent, turned in about
, 11, and wrapped up snugly in the blankets.
At 1 o’clock, Jackson entered, and just as
he was, bran new uniform, boots, spurs
and all, pitched into the pallet, was snoring
in 15 minutes, and in 15 more had robbed
his friend of all the blankets. After a hard
struggle, his friend managed to get back
enough cover to keep him from freezing—
the night 'was cold—and slept, as he sup
posed, five minutes. He was aroused by
Jackson, who sprung up, divested himself
of every particle of raiment, opened the
door of his tent, and went forth in puris
naturabibus. He called for his old negro
man —the same who knows when a battle
is going to come off, by the fervor of his
master’s prayers —and made him dash over
him two large buckets of water, which had
been standing in the freezing air. This
done, he returned to his tent, rubbed him
self dry with a coarse towel, donned his I
new uniform, and went out to attend to the
disposition of his forces, fully expecting the '
attack to begin at day-break. It was then
just half-past three; about 7 o’clock Jack-,
son woke up his friend, and told him to j
come to breakfast, the Yankees were clean
gone.”
A Gallant Irishman at Fredericksburg.
The following extract from a private letter
will show that Meagher met his match at
Fredericksburg in a gallant son of Emer
ald Isle, Colonel Robert McMillan of the
24th Georgia:
“But the rejoicing ceased for a time, and,
mourning sat on every countenance, as four
• grief-stricken litterbearers passed down the
lines, bearing the heroic Cobb, who had
fallen in the first charge of the enemy.—
Lieutenant-Colonel Cook,commanding Phil
lips’ Georgia Legion, was killed at this pe
riod of the action. A fixed resolution
seemed at once to possess every heart, to
avenge the death wound given to their Gen
eral, and it devolved npon Col. Robert Me
Millan, of the 24th Georgia Regiment, to;
lead them in the iffort. An opportunity
now offered. A column, stronger and heav- j
ier than the first, was seen to advance. —
Flash after flash was seen upon the oppo
site river bank. Shell after shell fell around ,
us, which were responded to from the heights.
in our rear. Colonel McMillan directed
the small arms to cease until the enemy
should come within musket range. The
artillery continued its thunder, the musket
ry remaining silent, till the enemy came
within fire of our shortest range guns.—
Soon leaden hail commenced pouring from
the clouds of smoke upon us. The Colo
nel passed along the lines surveying the
movements of the enemy, when suddenly,
at his command, the brigade rose and sent
a volley into the ranks of the foe, which
carried ruin in its way. Again and again
was the assault renewed, and again and
| again was it repulsed, with tremendous
j s aughter. For the troops, the position
.chosen was an admirable one, but" on the
part of the officer who did this duty, there
was required the utmost coolness and cour
age. I his, Colonel McMillan certainly
‘ manifested. hiie he was passing along
the line, waving his sword and encouraging
his men, they seemed to catch the spirit of
; their leader, and redouble their efforts
while his own regiment turned, in the thick
est of the fight, and gave him three heartv
cheers. He possesses the confidence of his <
i troops. They love him, and, if nee d be,
will follow him to the death. In the bat
tle of Fredericksburg, he won a laurel
wreath, to which fresh leaves will doubtless i
.oe added, when the tocsin shall again sum-i<
-faon him to the field.” 1 j
To the Women of Georgia.
Quartermaster Gen’s. Office. 1
Atlanta, Ga., 1862. )
The General Assembly of Georgia, un
der the sanction of the Governor, have or
dered a good suit of clothes and a good
pair of shoes for every destitute Georgian
in the Confederate service. Your Gover
nor has charged me with the duties of col
lecting and forwarding to the field the
clothes and shoes which have been ordered ;
and as socks form an important part in this
outfit, and one which cannot be bought in
our markets, nor had until made, I have
determined to appeal to the noble-hearted
women of my State to aid in this great
work, worthy our best energies.
I desire every woman in Georgia to send
me, at this place, one pair of good strong
cotton socks. This will require but a small
effort on the part of each woman, yet, in
the aggregate, it will amount to a great
work. Let each one write her name and
county on a slip of paper, and sew it on
the pair of socks donated, so that I may
know the names and residence of all who
shall aid in this great and philanthropic en
terprise. Will the Justices of the Peace
in each Militia District, who are known to
be, generally, public-serving men, interest
themselves in this good work by collecting
all the socks that will be made for our suf
fering soldiers in their respective districts,
and taking them to the Court House of
their county, and asking the clerk of the
Superior Court to neatly box them up and
forward them to me at this place ; designa
ting contents, number, and from which
; county sent; also, to send, by mail, a list
’ of contributors’ names. Some kind friend
will take them to and forward by railroad,
and I will pay railroad expenses if any
should be charged. I have asked for cot
ton socks because all the wool in Georgia
should be made, without delay, into cloth
I fur coats or pants for our brave boys now
shivering in a cold climate, and periling
their lives in face of the foe to keep the
cruel invader from desolating our homes,
i Women of Georgia! I shall not appeal
ito you in vain. 1 know the noble sacrifices
: you have already made, and I well know
' that your love to work for the soldiers has
‘ I not grown cold.
Read this address to your lovely daugh
p ters, whose pure bosoms are now burning
I with indignation at the insults offered their
’ sex by the worse than savage despots from
the North. Read it to your neighbor, your
’ slaves even, read it to all, that all may
know that they are earnestly and cordially
invited to co operate in the most benevolent
work.
The mother may make a pair of socks
that will find its way to the cold feet of her
darling boy. The sister may bring the
tear of affection from some fond brother.—
The anxious wife may provide for the com
■fort of her dear husband, and send a thrill
of joy through his soul which words cannot
describe, as he fondly gazes upon her loved
name written upon a messenger of mercy,
, winging its heavenly flight to some cold
soldier’s relief as he stands upon the out
posts holding the enemy in check. The
’ tender damsel may reassure her lover, that
! her plighted love still burns warm upon the
consecrated altar of her constant heart.—
j The Dorcas hearted woman (whose “good
works and alms-deeds” for the needy and
the stranger are sufficient stimulus for her
action) may find ample scope for a partial
developement ot her Christian charity.
Even the servant may cause her master in
' some distant camp to pronounce a hearty
■ God-blessing upon her kind remembrance,
and cause him to long to return to see, not
only his dear wife and little ones, but his
constant servants whom he loves so well.
1 will remark that the slaves of the South
are as much interested in the final success
of the Confederate States as any class of
people. Tell them that I have seen in the
tree States, their colored brethren, wander
ing, homeless, ragged, hungry, and forsa
ken, with no kind master to pfovuTe for
them, nor no watchful and sympathizing
mistress to make them feel that they have
a friend in the dark hour of affliction and
distress. The real truth is that the black i
man has no true friend in the North who is 1
j waging this unholy war. Most of those
unfortunate, misguided slaves who have
gone to the abolitionists, are now sighing
iin that cold frozen region for the plenty,
• attentions, and endearments of their South
ern homes ; but the cruel hearted North
man holds them in unwilling bondage, and
with harder work and harsher treatment
than they have ever known before. Bit- 1
jterly are they rueing the day that induced I
jthem to leave the sunny homes of their!
birth.
i
I want thousands of pairs of socks spun
and knit by the colored friends of our sol
diers, and 1 believe I shall get them if their: |
masters and mistress s will but give them
the opportunity to express their sympathy.
Black men and boys having the chance, will
cheerfully spend their dimes for thread for
their wives and sisters to knit. If nothing
more be needed they will hold the negro’s
candle, the blazing lightwood torch, to aid
their fellow servant women while working
for the soldiers in the war. Some negroes
mav not care for this noble work and sit
idly by, while others are busy and thankful,
for the privilege to work tor so holy a cause ;,
so too, are there traitor white men, who’
have not only done nothing, but some of
them have gone to the enemy and rendered
their names infamous at home and despised
abroad. In Savannah the other day, 1 ask-1
ed the negro men on onr defences what
they were about, they said they were throw
ing up embankments for our soldiers toj
stand behind and kill Yankees, and if the
Yankees came w hile they were there, they
said they wanted to kill one apiece before
they left.
Noble women of Georgia! may God
bless you for what you have already done.
Many are the offerings of patriotism freely
contributed by you, which have**already
passed through my hands on their way to
supply the wants of our brave boys in the
field, the bravest and best the world ever
saw. My heart, with gratitude to God, for
such angel women, has often rendered its
tribute of thankfulness, as my eye has rest
ed over and again upon the tender testimo
nies of your unconquerable love for our ho
ly, our most sacred cause.
Your work is not yet over; the great
struggle is still upon us in all its terrific
fierceness ; our dear soldiers are still hold
ing back the miserable hordes of abolition
1 ists who are thirsting for our blood, and
anxious to desolate our fair homes. Shall
1 we not spend every energy of mind, body,
soul, and strength, to keep strong, cheerful,
pure, willing, and brave, those who are now
ready to breast the storm and teach our
wicked invaders, that to be conquered, we
must be, to a man, exterminated.
Let every man, woman, and child, bond
and free, in the Confederate States, answer
in thunder tones,yrs, and resolve to make
this our fair heritage, one funeral pile rath
er than, living, to surrender it up into the
hands of those, who, in fighting us unjustly,
have violated every principle of honorable
warfare and descended far beneath the bru
’ tality of the untutored savage.
If J ustices of the Peace should happen
to be indolent in this work let some true
champion woman assume the pleasing task
and put to blush the man who has no soul
- to labor for our suffering troops.
I want socks to come to me (and I be
lieve I shall get them) from the mansion
of the Governor down to the humblest cot
tage in the land. 1 have addressed the wo
men of Georgia more particularly, but
help would be acceptable from all quarters
—the men and boys, one and all, may here
’ have a chance to do good. Send in your
socks, each with your name and county
t plainly written, as I have already suggested,
t so that I may transfer it to my book of re
, cord, and know hereafter those generous
r ones who so nobly and promptly respon
; ded to my call. By-and-by, when the wars
arc over, these love-tokens will form some
of our pleasantest recollections, when some
t returned noble soldier, with wreaths of un
dying renown decorating his brow, kindly
informs us that his cold, frost-bitten, suffer
ing feet were relieved by our timely and
generous contributions.
People of Georgia, 1 beg of you to be in
haste, as winter is now upon us, and 1 want
to have the great joy of telling our soldiers
that all the fingers of Georgia are busily
working for their relief; such cheering news
as I hope to be able to communicate will
make them (under God) omnipotent, and
soon enable them to wring from our hateful
foe an honorable peace, as they have already
nobly won the welcome plaudits of an ad
miring world for their deeds of unequalled
daring upon many a hard-fought and victo
rious battle-field.
Such a people at home, all heartily work
ing for such an army in the field, will pre
sent such a moral and physical aspect to the
eyes of the civilized world as to draw down
upon us the admiration of mankind, and
teach us a lesson not to be misunderstood
—that we have resolved to
‘ Strike, till the last armed foe expires ;
Strike, for our altars and our fires;
Strike, for the green graves of our sires ,
For God and our own dear land.’
Ira R. F oster,
Quartermaster General,
State of Georgia.
P. S. Factories and Merchants can ren
der substantial assistance by selling yarns
at cost to those who will furnish socks uu
der this appeal.
Every Editor in Georgia who loves the
soldiers, will please insert the above in his
paper three or four times, and greatly
oblige I. R. F.
Pietv in a General. —The Chaplain of
the fifth Kentucky regiment v rites, of Kir
by Smith : “ Before going into the battle
at Richmond, Ky., he spent a season alone
in his tent in prayer. When the battle
was over he returned to his tent, and gave
thanks to God for the victory. When at
Lexington, Ky., the minister at the Epis
copal church refused to officiate on thanks
giving day, and Gen. Smith arose, read a
chapter, led in prayer, and finished the ser
vices. In the Kentucky campaign, Gener
al Smith was the only General who succee
ded in his part of the programme.”
The New York Herald which so loudly
boasted of “ crushing out the rebellion in
ninety days,” has suddenly changed its t une
and now thinks that the war must be inter
minable, if it aims at the subjugation of the
i South. It is refreshing, when we recollect
the boasting of the North, to read such
confessions of the hopelessness of conquer
ing the South, ft is quite evident, that there
are very many at the North growing sick
of the’war, and becoming convinced of the
hopelessness of accomplishing the purposes
for which it was commenced.
i Army Gambling.—A Richmond corres
pondent of the Southern Preshyteriam says :
“ When a regiment is paid off, the harpies
1 gather about it like the eagles about the
carcass, and many an unwary youth is strip
ped of the pittance which the Government
allows hirn for his exposure to the hardships
and dangers of war. I recently heard of a
bugler in an artillery company who had
sont home $5,050 which he had won from
others ; and another gambler made $5,000
in a single week from one South Carolina
regiment.”
Kosencranz says “ the slaughter of Fed
eral officers was heart-rending.” This
shows that Confederate shot fell in the right
I place. The Yankees do not care how many
of their rank and file, composed chiefly of
newly-imported foreign mercenaries, are
slain. But when death lights npon their
General and Field officers, it becomes
“ heart rending.”
All Baptist ministers and others, in the
Confederate States, friendly to our paper,
are requested to act as Agents.