En Route for Columbia

NH Civil War Gal

Captain
* OFFICIAL *
CWT PRESENTER
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Regtl. Quartermaster Antietam 2021
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
From Sam Watkins:

I was simply one of hundreds of thousands in the same fix. The tale is the same that every soldier would tell, except Jim Whitler. Jim had dodged about, and had escaped being conscripted until "Hood's raid," he called it. Hood's army was taking up every able-bodied man and conscripting him into the army. Jim Whitler had got a position as over-seer on a large plantation, and had about a hundred Negroes under his surveillance. The army had been passing a given point, and Jim was sitting quietly on the fence looking at the soldiers. The conscription squad nabbed him.

Jim tried to beg off, but all entreaty was in vain. (under the Conscription Act, overseers of twenty or more slaves were exempt from the draft). He wanted to go home and tell his wife and children goodbye and to get his clothes. It was no go. But, after awhile, Jim says, "Gentlemen, aye, Ganny, the law!" You see, Jim "knowed" the law. He didn't know B from a bull's foot in the spelling-book, but he said, the law. Now, when anyone says anything about the "law," every one stops to listen. Jim says, "Ah, Ganny, the law (laying great stress upon the law)-"allows every man who has twenty Negroes to stay at home. Ah, Ganny!" Those old soldiers had long, long ago, forgotten about that old "law" of the long gone past; but Jim had treasured it up in his memory, lo! these many years, and he thought it would serve him now, as it had, no doubt, frequently done in the past.

The conscript officer said, "Law or no law--you fall into line, take this gun and cartridge-box, and march!" Jim's spirrits sank; his hopes vanished into air. Jim was soon in line, and was tramping to the music of the march. He stayed with the company two days. The third day it was reported that the Yankees had taken position on the Murfreesboro pike. A regiment was sent to the attack. It was Jim's regiment. He advanced bravely into battle. The minnie balls began to whistle around his ears. The regiment was ordered to fire. He hadn't seen anything to shoot at, but he blazed away. He loaded and fired the second time, when they were ordered to retreat. He didn't see anything to run from, but the other soldiers began to run, and Jim run, too. Jim had not learned the word "halt!" and just kept on running. He run, and he run, and he run, and he kept on running until he got home, when jumped in his door and shouted, "Woopee, Rhoda! Aye, Ganny, I've served four years in the Rebel army."
 
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