Chapter 89

CHAPTER LXXXIX

Our entry into the city was indeed a gala day for the colored citizens, the streets were thronged with them, old and young of both sexes, they were almost beside themselves with joy.  With their feet and hands going to the music of our bands and drum corps they would call out:

“Bress de Lord, de Yanks hav kum, bress de Lord now we’s free.”

Occasionally a “smoked Yankee” as we called the negro servants belonging to some of the Union regiments would recognize a friend or relative among the sable crowd, and strike for them in a bee-line, and the most ludicrous scenes would be enacted, the ladies would hug and kiss them, while the men would show their joy in a scarcely, less demonstrative manner.

We marched into the city and camped between the Chattanooga and Atlanta and the West Point railroads.  Before we encamped we passed a number of rebel prisoners which had been captured by the left wing of the army in the vicinity of Jonesboro.  As they moved past us a number of them spoke in boasting tones of how the Southern cause would ultimately triumph in the end; to all of which we responded good naturedly, that General Sherman had started out to find the “last ditch,” but as yet be had not found it because they always stole it and skeedaddled with it before we had an opportunity of taking it.

We moved into position occupying the deserted rebel works between the Marietta and Sandtown Roads, with orders to make ourselves comfortable.

Lewis Millhoff found a hand grenade and taking it to be a rocket, he ignited the fuse and a number of the boys had gathered around him to see the rocket go up.  Orderly Stuck happened to see what Millhoff was doing and realizing the danger which he was exposing himself as well as his comrades to, called to him to extinguish the fuse.

This Millhoff proceeded leisurely to do and then the Orderly told him the danger he had been in.  Lewis proceeded to investigate the “rocket” for his own satisfaction, and removed a large handful of fine powder.  Had not the Orderly stopped this experiment, there is no telling how serious the result might have proven.

Having taken possession of the city we next turned our attention to the appearance of the place.  It contained a number of fine buildings, but a very large number of them, and most especially those in the vicinity of the depots, had been badly damaged by our heavy shot and shell.

We visited several printing offices and found, from the appearance of the rooms, that the material had been removed very unceremoniously.  Type and manuscript covered the floor, one of the 29^th Ohio boys, was planing down a form with a sheep-foot.

The citizens had dug large holes in the ground in the rear of their buildings and which they covered over with heavy timber and on these threw a large quantity of earth, and then fitted this bomb-proof up, to sleep in as well as to seek shelter in when­ever our guns were throwing shells in their neighborhood.

We were informed that a number of men, women and children, were seriously wounded by our shells during the siege.  Most of the citizens, most especially those who had the necessary means, left the city when the rebel army evacuated it.  Owing to the usual number of thieves and bummers, accompanying so large an army, undoubtedly much property was wantonly destroyed.

The city was about as large as Harrisburg but was the hilliest city we ever had the pleasure of seeing, the streets in some portions of the place were a continuation of up one hill and down another.

The city contained a fine court house which was transformed into a guardhouse, and where by the way, the writer had the pleasure (?) of spending a night in company with Corporal Wallace, (if we are not mistaken in regard to the Corp. as far as we are concerned we have reason to know that we are not mistaken).  We had been to the theater, which was run by a party of soldiers, and had a pass in our pocket permitting us to be out, but in the early part of the evening a number of soldiers had committed serious depredations upon some of the citizens and orders were given up to the patrol, “arrest all that are found on the streets tonight, officers or privates, pass or no pass.”  In consequence of which arbitrary command all out fell into the hands of the provost guards and were taken to the Courthouse and furnished a nights lodging.

We do not think that we shall ever forget the night we passed in the Atlanta temple of Justice.  The seats had all been removed, and a fire had been kindled in the middle of the floor in a sand box, especially prepared for the purpose, the smoke was wafted all over the room, by reason of the windows being raised on all sides, the room being on the second floor.  The room contained about 150 persons, black and white, as well as from all the Corps in the Army; many of whom were well loaded with benzene, and soon they began quarreling, the whites with the blacks, and they kept it up until the guards were compelled to take the colored men and put them into a separate room, and then the members of the different corps, or at least a few of them, attempted to kick up a row, between themselves.  This was prevented by the Sergeant of the Guard, who brought up a squad of men, and said that if we did not stop the noise and fight­ing, he would order the men to fire into the crowd.  We had a seat on the floor, as far away from the fuss as we could get, fully determined that if any shooting was to be done, they would be compelled to shoot very low.

In the morning, at about 9 o’clock, we were taken down before the Provo Marshall, and had the good fortune to be dis­missed and sent to our quarters.  A number of the men were returned to the smoky room, whilst also a number were sentenced to do fatigue duty.

On the 8^th of the month W.S. Keller was detailed as assis­tant issuing Clerk at Brigade head-quarters, and thus for the first time since the company left Bolivar Height in 1862 was Keller and the writer separated, having messed together all the time.

On the 11^th, a detail was made out of the regiment for Bri­gade Commissary Guards, of a corporal and two privates.  Samuel Teeter of Company B, and Daniel Kneely of F, and the writer were detailed to report to Lt. Conner at the Brigade Commissary.  Here we were met by a Corporal, and ten privates from the other five Regiments of the Brigade.  Lt. Conner appointed us to take charge of the guard.  And thus we found ourself united with Keller again, and pretty comfortably fixed.

On the 12^th, we moved on the South side of the city, between the Sandtown and Cherburg Roads, the right resting on the first mentioned road.

On Thursday afternoon, the 15^th, we received orders to be on the lookout, as several rebel deserters came into our lines and reported that the enemy intended to attack us.  The men were put on the qui vive, for a day or two, and then matters settled down to their usual status.

On Monday 19^th, Captain Byers came back to the company, re­lieving Lt. Yount of C Company, who had command of the Company the greater part of the time, in connection with Lt. Hummel of Company H, since the time that Lt. Parks was wounded at Kennesaw Mountain.

(The writer has been in error up to this time, having been of the opinion that Captain Byers had been with the Company from Bridgport to Atlanta, which proves to have been not in compli­ance with the facts as recorded by the diary of Comrade Wm. H. Spade, of Union, Mich, extracts from the same being now before us.)

About this time, Sept. 1864, Company K, of our regiment arrived, and a more motley crew we never saw together; Company H, of our regiment, which was always considered as being com­posed of the “odds and ends,” presented quite a genteel appear­ance beside them.  They certainly represented all the National­ities of the globe, excepting the genuine Ethiopian.

They had been recruited in Pittsburgh, with the understand­ing, as they asserted, to be assigned to Knap’s Battery.  Upon their arrival at the Corps head-quarters, and finding the Battery had its full complement of men, they were assigned to our regiment, which up to this time had only been composed of nine companies.

The men declared that they would not take a musket, as they had enlisted with the understanding that they were to be assign­ed to Knap’s Battery and that they would not serve in an Infan­try regiment, and that no officer would make them do so.