History of Rome

trials and tribulatioils in Dirttown out of our way just to forage on Valley, Chattooga County, about Wesley Shropshire's farm" fifteen miles from Rome : In the meantime, my father remain- ed in his room listening to the con- The first real sorrow that came to versation. His life had been threat- rile during the Civil War was when ened often, and for this reason we my only brother was brought back never allowed him to appear at the home in his coffin from Cumberland front door until some of the family Gap, Tenn., Dec. 1, 1862. It had never had first reconnoitered. I said to the occurred to me that his home-coming captain, "Step out into the moonlight would be so sad, that with my dear and let me see your uniform." He old father, whose life was bound up jumped lightly over the bannisters in his promising son, and whose heart and jocularly remarked, "Are you sat- never recovered from this stroke, and isfied?" I made him promise on his with the broken-hearted young widow honor as a soldier and a gentleman and the five little children, I would that my father should suffer no vio- stand beside the form of a strong lence from him or his men. He sol- voung soldier, cut down in the hey- emnly gave his word, and I then di- hay of his youth. rected him to a window in my father's Nearer and darker grew the war room. He and father had quite a cloud in 1863. Marching and coun- chat; he gave father several Confed- ter-marching was the order of the day. erate newspapers and father presented Wheeler's and Forrest's cavalries him with a number of Northern pa- dashed in and out of our quiet little pers that a neighbor had secured in Dirttown Valley. Thousands of cav- Chattanooga. Father then directed alry camped on my father's extensive Capt. Harvey where he could find corn plantation; the commanding officers and fodder for his horses. quartered in our home, and often sat Capt. Harvey and his command re- at our table. mained in our neighborhood six weeks In the latter part of the summer of or more, raiding the railroads up about 1863 nearly every family of promi- Ringgold and Dalton, and capturing nence in our neighborhood refugeed. On many Federal prisoners, many of Sept. 20 and 21, 1863, the thunders whom conld not spealc a word of Eng- of artillery from Chickamauga battle- field startled us, and from then until the capture of Kennesaw mountain the roar of cannon reverberated over this section of Georgia day and night. Then came the lull before the storm. For six long weeks everybody in our neighborhood kept close at home; not a human outside our own family did I see, save my step-brother-in-law as he passed twice a day going to and from his mill. One bright moonlight night I was awakened by a low, rumbling sound; the sound came nearer and nearer until I recognized the hoof beats of cavalry. In a short time the noise increased and I heard the command, "Halt !" given. Instantly the quiet became intense. I raised up in bed and peered through my window. The whole front grove seemed full of mounted soldiers, whether friend or foe I could not tell. In a few moments a trim, soldierly fellow. rapped loudly on the front door. I threw up a window and asked, "Who knocks?" He replied, "I am Capt. Harvey, of Mis- sissippi, and I have been ordered by Gen. Johnston to his rear to tear up the railroad between Chattanooga and REV. G. A. NUNNALLY. Baptist minister Kingston. I a'm here in command of who once ran for Governor of Georgla on 100 men. We have ridden 100 miles a liquor prohibition platform. lish intelligibly-these were foreig - hands on my father, swearing he ers imported by wealthy Northerners should be hung unless he gave them as substitutes in the Federal army. money, either gold or silver. A rope The prisoners were taken to Cedar was thrown over his head, and with Bluff, Ala., and as a member of Capt. an oath one of them started to drag Harvey's command told me, "were lost him off to a limb. I threw up my in the Coosa river." hands and begged for my father's life I can say that Capt. Harvey was a with all the fervor of a pent-up soul, gentleman, and we suffered no violence assuring them he had no specie. The from him or his command. He was ring-leader looked me steadily in the very fond of music and liked to playn face and said, "I believe you are tell- whist, and was a frequent guest in ing the truth." I answered, "On my our house. Thus he whiled away his honor as a lady, as sure as there is a time with my step-sister and myself. God, I am!" The rope was removed Once when I sang "The Officer's Fu- from my father's neck, the leader re- neral," he leaned his head on the table marking, "Old man, you owe your life and sobbed aloud. He begged me to to your daughter; but for her we overlook his apparent weakness, for would have hung you as high as Ha- .he had a wife and a little boy in Mis- maan." sissippi, and the chances were he On Oct. 10 and 12 Hood's weary would never see them again. horde appeared and passed in hot re- On Sept. 15, 1864, we met a different treat. It was ragged, worn, foot-sore band of men. These were the "Inde- and dejected in spirit. Yet they plod- pendent Scouts." Yes, write the name ded on their weary march, some bare- in blood, drape it wit% the pall of foot, others with raw-hide tied over death, trace it with fire, and then you their bleeding feet. "Lost Cause" was cannot conceive the full meaning of stamped on every face. I knew then the term. A horde of these marauders the Confederacy was doomed. made their ,camp in our neighborhood, On Oat. 14 and 15 the center of committing the most outrageous atroci- Sherman's army passed, following ties on old and feeble men. A gang Hood. I think this part was com- of perhaps a dozen came to our home, manded by Gens. Slocum and Frank and took everything they could carry Blair. What the "Scouts" left was away. Before leaving they laid violent appropriated by the Federals. Again our home was pillaged from founda- tion to attic. Large army wagons were loaded to the brim with corn, fodder and wheat; cows and hogs were driven off or shot, smoke houses stripped, pantries cleaned of every mova- ble article, and such as could not be carried off was broken or damaged. The negroes huddled together in their houses, like sheep among wolves, scared out of their wits and fright- ened almost white. Father and several neighbors had left a few days before for Blue Moun- tain, Ala., to procure salt, all of .this commodity having been exhausted some time before from the smoke houses. My step-mother, a woman of unusual courage, was so prostrated with fear that she took to her bed. Thus I again had to run the household. Capt. Hall, of Kentucky, kept guard over us for four hours, and after he left we were at the mercy of "wagon dogs." Three of these prowlers shut my step-sister, Em White, and myself in a room, swearing they would search us. Em collapsed in a large rocking chair. One of the marauders stood with his back to tjte door, while another ransacked bureau drawers, wardrobes, turned up the mattress, etc. I engaged the third in conversa- the carcasses left by the Yankees and tion, holding in my Rand a heavy dragged in by the negroes. The new wrought iron poker, with which I oc- corn left was sufficiently soft to be casionally poked the fire, but really grated on graters constructed from kept in readiness to give the fellow mutilated tinware." a whack if he dared lay hands on me. Oh, those were strenuous, perilous That "dog" never made a movement times. I will say in justice to our to touch me, although he said he had faithful slaves that only four left us; "stripped mlany as damned good- they stood by us nobly until my father looking women as I was and searched came in from Rome and announced them." One jerked Em from the that Lee had surrendered. My fakher rocker and pretended that he would called them all up and told them they strip her. I begged for her and he were all free.** He employed some; let her go. They left very much dis- others "spread wing." None went appointed that they found little of away empty-handed. Father helped value. them to the extent of his ability. Hoop skirts were in vogue then, and When Gen. Lee furled the Stars and so were full skirts. I had several Bars, sheathed his sword and shook thousand dollars in Confederate money hands with Gen. Grant, I did the same in a bustle around my waist, and my and on that day I buried every feeling small amount of jewelry and a few of animosity, never to resurrect the keepsakes in huge pockets under my dead past. With thousands of other hoops.

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