USA > Georgia > Jones County > History of Jones County, Georgia, for one hundred years, specifically 1807-1907 > Part 43
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Ladies made their summer hats from palmetto and palm leaves and old trunks in the attic were searched for bits of ribbon and feathers, a flower, and the old wedding gowns and laces were carefully used over and over. They would use white oak splits for their whale-bone girdles and buttons made of gourd rinds, painted, or covered with cloth. Crochet needles were made from bones.
They would still attend church on Sunday and provide for the preacher and his family. Paper was used to pad the family's clothes for warmth, cardboard was used for shoe soles, and old clothes cut up for the children to wear. Confederate money had dropped in value and anything to buy was very high. One old diary mentions paying $50.00 for a pair of shoes.
Fever, small pox, and pneumonia took a terrific toll. There was hardly a doctor to be found and there were no social gath- erings, during '63 and '64. There were so many children who would never see their fathers and each home had empty chairs for those who were missing. There was a feeling of uneasiness, and a fear of what might come any moment. Messages trickled through of the men dying at Manassas, Chancellorsville and
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around Richmond, where Jones County's men were. There were many unmarked graves on this Virginia soil. There was no ink, very little paper, irregular mails, few newspapers and no sur- cease for nerves strained to the breaking point.
A WAR SONG OF OLD By S. H. Griswold
I enclose a paper which I found among some old letters. It is an attempt at poetry written by a cavalryman in Virginia in 1863. It was sent to my wife during the war by one of her broth- ers, T. W., Dick Brown or Tobe Bonner and of whom were members of the Governor's horse guards of Milledgeville and served during the war in the Phillip Legion. Young's Brigade and Hampton's Cavalry were along the line of Baldwin and Jones and were well known to Jones countians. Box Cox and Jim Andrews were in this. Both the Brown boys were severely wounded and had furloughs but both returned to the army and with others were General Joe Johnston's escort and were with him when he surrendered to Sherman. Jim Andrews was a bugler for the Phillips' Legion.
The Brown brothers went to Milledgeville after the war and Jim Andrews lives in Wallace dictrict. Tobe Bonner died a few years ago, he was a good soldier. Bob Cox had typhoid fever in Virginia, and Capt. Bob Barron was sent to bring him home, he was never able to go back. Barron told of the time he had bringing him home. Near Knoxville, Tenn. he had to carry him by ferry across a river from one train to another, and he had to lay on top of a casket all the way.
Cox used to tell how he felt almost dead himself and riding on top of a soldier's casket. Cox lived on the Garrison road in Wallace district for a long time.
The author of this poem may not be much poet but he knew the life of the Confederate soldier, the hardships, rations, shel- ter, fighting and scouting. He also knew with what cheerful- ness they bore it all, joking about conditions almost beyond human endurance, and how they looked forward to coming home a victor and marrying their Dixie sweethearts.
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New Dixie We are out of bread and out of ham, And not a drop to make a dram, Our stomachs hurt and lone relief, Is beef and crackers, crackers and beef, We cat sorry beef until our laugh, Reminds us of a bawling calf. If when we die, we are not too thin, We apprehend, they'll tan our skin. Our shoes have well nigh lost their soles Our trousaloons have big air holes, We've worn old hats upon our heads And in our pockets is nasty bread, Our shoes refuse to warm our toes, Our coats engaged in scaring crows, And both declare that they are done Except it is to make some fun We lodge with sprawls, without a tent, Yet full of fun and well content Now that the ground is covered with snow Straw beds are a foot too low, The beds are white, but have more ice, That makes one warm, snug and nice, Birds have their nests and foxes holes, But we'll soon have to roost on poles.
Our horses think of Dixie corn While they're as hollow as a blowing horn. And when the Yankees we get after, We can't fight for so much laughter. Should we be killed, or starved or frozen, It's but the lot we have chosen. We'll spill our blood and lose our flesh In the grand cause of old Secesh, When the war ends, if we are alive, We'll eat and sleep and work and thrive And join in wedlocks happy bands, The sweetest girl in Dixieland.
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BLOODSHED AND WAR TIMES By S. H. Griswold
A peddler kills young Choates, was tried and convicted. Be- tween Macon and Griswoldville on the Garrison road was Flat Shoals. Here Commissioner Creek crosses the road, the hills on each side steep and a bridge of more than a hundred feet spans the creek. There was a dam above the bridge and a deep race on the east side down to the mill and wool cards some 400 yards below. The fall of the land so dropped as to give a good site for a mill. On one of these flat rocks half way up the east hill was Flat Shoals church, a very old Primitive Baptist church, even when I was a boy. Uncle Billy Denning preached there then.
The mill stood on the east side below the bridge and there was a great overshot wheel twenty feet in diameter. The mill was two stories high and well built on the rock foundation. It had one set of rocks for grinding corn into meal and one set for grinding wheat into flour, in the upper story was the bolting cloth for separating bran from the shorts and flour. A few miles up the race was a woolen mill driven by an overshot wheel, one story high and contained sets of wool cards. These mills were burned by Sherman's armies during the war.
This property belonged to Squire Choates who lived on the hill going toward Macon. He was a man of wealth, a good man- ager, had considerable land. He had one son named Dick, two daughters, Mrs. P. T. Pitts, Jr., and Mrs. Richard Gibson.
There was a Jew footpeddler, with a pack on his back who usually came by and often spent the night, as that was the cus- tom. He knew the family well. One night I was there and the Jew was there. He and Dick got to bargaining for a pistol the Jew had, and somehow, no one ever knew how, the pistol went off and Dick Choates was killed. Squire Choates believed the peddler shot him in anger, no one was present, so he had him arrested and carried to Clinton jail. The Jew claimed it was ac- cidental, a Mr. Moses, a Jew lawyer from Columbus came up to defend the peddler. This was quite a noted trial, and Moses
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made the most eloquent plea that I have ever heard in a court- house. The Jew was convicted of manslaughter, and given four years in the penitentiary.
A BIT OF HISTORY By S. H. Griswold - April 9, 1908
I was honorably discharged from the army of Northern Va. on account of ill health, I returned to my home in Griswoldville. It was 1863, but my health was so bad, I went to the oaky woods to my aunt's, Mrs. Giles Griswold to see if it would help me and it did, I was only 18 years old but when her overseer left she asked me to take charge of her plantation and I did.
This place was near where Haddock now is and later the lands were owned by Dr. John Hardeman, Charles Andrews, Tom Speights and others. I used to go to Pleasant Grove Church and stop by Col. Mark Johnsons, who was a smart and entertaining gentleman of the old school. I also liked to his daughter and step-daughter. Misses Fannie Pendergrass, and Kate Johnson, both educated and talented young women. I wish you could know the social life of this part of Georgia before the catrastrophe of the Civil War. The going to church, worshipping together, singing, dining with friends, it was just a paradise. I rode a fine horse the two miles, (Sherman got him later), and on my re- turn trip I met a soldier in the blue uniform, I took him prisoner, and on the way he said that he was very bitter toward his gov- ernment for not exchanging him for another prisoner. He had been at Andersonville for two years and had only enlisted for 12 months to begin with. He said that he had escaped but made up his mind not to stay in the woods another night, he was cold and tired. I gave him some clean clothes, a good supper, made him a pallet by the fire after he had had a bath, and there Mal- colm Johnson and Charlie Bonner and I sat, until morning.
Johnson took him in his buggy to Milledgeville the next morn- ing. My aunt filled his haversack with good food, gave him a good breakfast, and as he left she said. "I have a boy in Lee's Army, all I ask is that they treat him as I have treated you, Goodbye, my boy may you return safe to your family." His name was Parsons from Illinois. Dear Aunt Penina, how little
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she thought that in a few short weeks, she would lose her life by means of these same Federal soldiers. Parsons was only 20, I hope that he got home, but we never heard from him afterward.
MORE WAR HISTORY-SUNSHINE By S. H. Griswold
Since writing about Stoneman's raid and his capture at Sun- shine Church, I have been informed by Francis (Frank Green), that he was at his father's place near Round Oak going toward Five Points. He was a paroled and wounded prisoner. He heard that the Yankees were coming so he mounted his horse and rode up to Round Oak where he met them.
They halted him as he rode off, shot at him several times, striking his saddle three timse but did not hit him. When Stone- man returned from Macon with his command he was met at Round Oak by Wheeler's Cavalry, which was pursuing him. I think Col. Clews was in immediate command of them, but Gen- eral Iverson was the Brigadier. I don't know whether he had gotten to the "Oak," when the fight began or not. As soon as Green heard that the Confederate Cavalry was after him, he mounted his horse and met them at the Oak. He says that the skirmishing began there, and that the battery, or one gun was stationed immediately under the big oak tree in the village, and that they gradually drove them back through the Frank Hascall place to the line which the Federals occupied near the old Sun- shine Church. When he got to the road near the Oak he met a Confederate Captain with about twenty-five men on horses.
They asked him if he lived near here, and knew the country well. Frank Green said that he knew every pig path, so the Cap- tain asked him if he could lead him around the Yankee line and bring him in the rear of the Yankees. He told that that he could, and that he was a paroled prisoner and had to walk with a crutch from a wound, had fought in Co. B, 12th Ga. Regiment. The Captain said, "You know the circumstances, if you should be caught, its certain death." Green said that he knew what it meant, that he would take the responsibility and would volun- tarily guide them.
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Green set off at a fast pace, he led them around toward Ben Green's and by the old Butt's place, the Luke Mercer place and came into the Clinton road at Wayside where Jonothan Holmes lived, they came up on several Yankees at Holmes' well drinking water. The Confederates charged these, running them up the road as hard as they could go toward Sunshine Church, yelling and shooting. This led the Yankees to believe that a large force was coming on from Clinton, and this they reported to Gen. Stoneman who believed it. Green and his men were fighting them vigorously in the rear, and meantime others had formed a V- shape and Stoneman thinking they were completely surrounded, ran up the white flag. Some Federals broke out, and went to- wards Athens, but most of them were captured near Sunshine Church.
Frank Green wounded and paroled, risked his life again for the south, and did more towards the capture of Stoneman than any other one man. He should be recognized by his government, for valorous action beyond the call of duty. He hated to violate his parole, but could not stand by and see his home and people invaded by the enemy and not fight.
While on the subject of the war I want to mention Hal Chris- tian who belonged to John Morgan's Cavalry and was with him on raids in Kentucky and Tennessee. John, Zack and Mill Us- sery and Hazel Caldwell were neighbors and friends in the upper part of the county and enlisted in the Gray Infantry which be- came Co. F., 45th Ga. Regiment.
These boys were in the seven days fight around Richmond and saw plenty of action. No braver soldiers ever wore the gray. I know that Hazel, son of Pat Caldwell was killed, I can't re- member about the others. They were under Capt. Bonner from Jones.
A LITTLE WAR HISTORY By S. H. Griswold -1909 - Jones County News
In Nov. 1864, I was living with my aunt on the plantation now owned by Dr. Hardeman near Haddock, when one of our neighbors rode up to inform me that it was rumored that the Yankee army under Gen. Sherman was approaching. I got on
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my horse and set out with him to seek other neighbors, and when several of us had gotten together we went to find out just where they were and went toward Clinton. At Mr. James Finney's place we found the rumor to be true, and after consulting with the group we decided to find some older men and seek their ad- vice as to what to do. They could not advise us, so we all de- cided that each one would act as he saw best.
Some hurriedly hitched up their teams and loaded their wag- ons with supplies and things they valued, a few negroes to lead the stock, and put out through Twiggs County, crossing the Ocmulgee River at Buzzard Roost Ferry into thickets and swamps of the neighborhood. Some of these were found, and all they had, taken by the Yankees, and some managed to evade the enemy and save theirs.
It was decided by my family that I should leave, as every negro knew of my capturing an escaped Yankee prisoner the week before. We knew that the Negroes would tell the Yankees and that I would suffer the consequences. I asked the oldest and most reliable slave to take the stock and hide them in the thicket and swamps, giving them all necessary instructions. I mounted my horse and went to the place of Gen. D. N. Smith in Wilkinson County, on the Oconee River. Here was a large thick swamp where I could dodge the Yanks. Having hunted and fished there, I was familiar with the place. I arrived there late in the evening and found everything in a state of excitement. I spent the night but I was so worried over the others at home I decided to go back. So I started back the next morning. I had my honorable discharge in my pocket and thought they would let me go, as I was not subject to military duty. All went well until I reached Mrs. Chas. Ivey's place near Stevens Pottery. Here as I turned from a long stretch of road through the woods into a lane I ran into a squad of Ohio soldiers. Dick Brown was riding a little way behind me, he wheeled his horse and escaped through the woods. He was at home on a furlough from Hampton's Cavalry and had on his uniform and pistol. They rode up to me and ordered me to dismount, one of them taking my horse and spur, put me on an old mule, refused to look at my papers, and bade me follow them.
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A Captain rode back and took my watch, as he rode off one of my guards said to the other, "What right did he have to take this man's watch ?" "Oh well," he said, "he is a Captain."
They were all riding horses and mules taken from the people around and loaded down with plunder tied in great bundles to the saddles. They had a cart and steers with a Negro driving it, loaded with the things they wanted to take, I remember seeing several demijohns of peach brandy and bushels of apples they got from Mr. Henry Stevens of Stevens Pottery. They were making their way toward Gordon, foraging on the country. As they came to a house they would stop and go in. It was a cold, windy day and I remember one saying, "If this is your warm Sunny South, then damn your Sunny South."
My guards had me dismount and go in with them, I saw them rip open feather beds, open drawers, closets, search the house and take anything they wanted without asking. Outside a crowd of Yankees was getting the horses, mules, shooting turkeys, chickens, hogs, and getting syrup, hams, eggs, and where a fam- ily was at the table eating they were made to get up and serve the Yankees until they had enough. One of my guards told me that he did not approve of what they were doing, he said he entered the army to fight for the Union and not to become a thief, he said that it made him ashamed to see the things his outfit were doing. He was truly a fair and just man, whom I re- spected. Once while going through woods I saw the Captain whisper to the men and they spurred their horses and tried to leave me with a mean rough looking fellow, whom I felt would shoot me, so I beat my mule and kept up with them. Later on the Captain asked to see the papers I had, he looked them over, and let me go, as we were going into Gordon.
The road was full of soldiers, Negroes, stock and wagons, and I had my mule doing all he could going back to Jones, when the same Yankee, the mean one demanded that I give him the mule and take the old sick and soreback horse he had, he reached over and took the heavy wool shawl I had around my shoulders. I led the poor old horse over to Mr. Daniel Brewer's house and spent the night. Early morning I decided the horse couldn't make it, so I set out on foot through the woods. I passed Mr. Finney
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Ivey's house, he was salting down meat which he had killed the day before. His horses were all around, so I told him that the Yankees would get them all. He was a fine old man and sorrow- fully said, "Well they will get them anyway, no use to hide them."
I arrived home about noon and found everything in a state of fear and excitement, the Yankees had carried off everything on the place, carriage, horses all of the food and had committed other depradations. My aunt was in bed, horribly burned, and in a serious condition. She always took good care of her hus- band's rod and gun as they were the best to be had, and he loved them. While she was hurriedly wrapping up powder in a paper a spark of fire popped into it, causing it to explode, burning her hair, face, clothing, almost the whole surface of her body. Only her five children were there, the oldest 17, all girls except a two- year-old boy. They did what they could and the Negro maid, but the nearest doctor was Milledgeville. There was nothing to ride, the Negroes were afraid to go out, couldn't get to a neighbor. What suffering, agony and what grief stricken children watching their mother dying. On the third day we got Dr. Hall from Milledgeville. Mrs. Mattie Brown and Mrs. Mark Johnson came to help but it was too late and my aunt, Mrs. Giles Gris- wold died. (Penina Newton.)
I watched dozens of gin houses burning as I knew the neigh- borhood and could tell where each fire was. Everything written here is true, and to those in my county who have grown up since the war, I want you to know what your parents or grandparents endured. About everything in the line of provisions were taken off, or destroyed. We picked the loose corn where the Yankees horses left it (our corn) and ate it until we could walk far enough to find a family who had been luckily missed and had some food. May our land never know those days again. God forbid.
MORE WAR HISTORY By S. H. Griswold - 1908 - Wilson - Macon
General Wilson with his Federal Cavalry came to take pos- session of Macon in May 1865. Col. James H. Blount of Jones
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County with his battalion of Confederate Cavalry, was picketing the roads to the city at that time and met Wilson some miles out on the Thomaston road with a flag of truce and informed him that General Lee and Johnson had surrendered and that there was an armistice suspending operations, but he paid no attention to this flag and came on and took possession of the city. Several days after he came a squad of troops under an officer went to Griswoldville in the afternoon and arrested Col. E. C. Grier (son-in-law of Sam Griswold and manager of his business ) A. N. Griswold lessee of the shop and Ed J. Freeman and Mr. Frink. These were all of the white men in the place at that time except Sam Griswold who was old and feeble.
They carried these men to jail and put them in the old city hall on 4th street. Two other Yankees walked in Mr. Griswold's room, found him there alone, they drew cocked guns and com- manded him to unlock his safe or they would kill him. He opened the safe and they searched it thoroughly, finding only a Colt's revolver and 25 cent silver piece, they cursed and swore and threatened him unles he would tell where his money was. They made a 12-year-old grandson take them all over the house and place searching for money, Charlie did as they said but they still found no money. They left with the final threat that they would be back the next day, and unless the gold was produced that his wife and daughter would suffer for it. They took every- thing of value that they found. After several days the three men they had arrested returned as they had no charges against them.
Griswold did have several thousand dollars in gold, which had been safely hidden long before Sherman's crowd had burned the town and gin works but no one but Griswold knew and the war and reconstruction was over before the money was brought out.
There was so much confusion, lawlessness, and thieving among the freed negroes that the Federals sent a company of soldiers to Clinton to preserve order. Captain Lockett was in command of a New York Regiment and he was in charge. These guards usually made the unruly negroes behave themselves. One of the Federals named Harris had to arrest a bad negro and on his way to Macon, 6 miles away at Gaines Crossing, the prisoner
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got away and fired on Harris, Harris fired back killing him. At that same place a negro killed Mr. Bill Wood, a few weeks be- fore.
James M. Gray lived on his plantation where W. C. Roberts now lives, sent to Clinton for a guard as he was having trouble on his place. As the guard tried to restore order he was shot in the arm by a negro. Perry Finney and James Finney near neigh- bors went for help. A posse was formed and went to the Gray place, the negroes had left.
These were trying times in Jones County. First an order was issued that anyone in Jones having a gun must bring it to Clinton and surrender it to the Federals. Men were sent out to search the houses. All of the old broken down horses and mules Sher- man had left when he took the best ones were brought in. So a family had no arms or any way of getting any place. The only way one could keep a horse was by bribery. So if you were able to pay, you had a horse.
The commander of this troop was also head of the Freed- man's Bureau, which caused no end of trouble with the blacks. They were promised 40 acres and a mule of their former owners. They sold the negroes stakes to go and stake off the land, and told them to select a mule out of the bunch brought in. The Yankees were not as good as their word, and this did not come to pass. Cooks quit the kitchens, hands left the fields, only a few faithful ones remained and worked for wages.
When we went to bed at night we wondered if the house would be burned down before morning. The souls of the people were tried beyond endurance, nothing was stable or secure.
The commander was an inveterate gambler, and anyone who had a few dollars, they would have a game. The order came removing Captain Lockett to New Orleans. He left owing $50.00 to one of his card-playing partners. He gave him a note for it. After almost a year had gone by, Capt. Locket was mus- tered out, and on his way back to New York, he got to Macon and hired a driver to drive him 12 miles to Clinton over muddy roads and paid his debt, to the utter astanishment of the man he owed.
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If it hadn't been for the good negroes in every settlement who would not follow the radicals, things would have been a great deal worse than they were.
AN ELECTION IN JONES COUNTY UNDER BAYONET RULE By S. H. Griswold
After the surrender of the Confederate Army, Georgia called a Convention, adopted a new constitution (or amended the old one) elected a Legislature and State House officers. Congress however, would not recognize this state government and passed a Reconstruction Act, disfranchising the greater part of the best citizens of the state, giving the ballot to the negroes and placing the state under military rule.
General Rucker, being in command, moved the seat of gov- ernment from Milledgeville to Atlanta, issued a proclamation, appointed registrars for each county to register all qualified vot- ers under the act, called for an election of all state and county officers as well as Congressmen, the election to be held three days at county seats, under supervision of Federal soldiers sta- tioned at the polls. Jackson Jones (or Big Jackson as we called him), a large black negro was appointed chief registrar of Jones County. Big Jackson could barely read and write, but had more than ordinary intelligence and was conservative and well-liked by the white citizens of the county. He carried on the work of registration with as little offense to the whites as could have been done. The negroes all "relished," as they called it, in fact they were keen about it, as this was the first time they had ever participated in anything pertaining to an election.
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