Jasper-Butts County GaArchives News.....Bicentennial Bits - The Life of John Oliver Andrews 1970's ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Suzanne Forte suzanneforte@bellsouth.net August 7, 2004, 12:47 pm Monticello News Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net) from copies of articles contained in the Monticello News. There articles were prepared by Mr. John Harvey and published in this newspaper during the 1970's time frame. Permission has been granted by Mr. Harvey for use of these very valuable and informative articles. BICENTENNIAL BITS BY JOHN HARVEY The Life of John Oliver Andrews Source: Mrs. Augustus (Maude) Malone John Oliver Andrews lived on South Warren Street near the Dexter Axle plant, in the house presently owned by Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Thompson. Mrs. Malone is his granddaughter. Andrews was born in a house on the road from Jackson to Stark, Ga., now known as the "Uncle Billy Saunders place". He attended the local school when crops were "laid by" for a few weeks each year. He says in notes written for his children and grandchildren, "At the age of 16 years, I went to war, so did not have the privilege of getting an education, which is the best legacy that can be given a boy". When a boy he thought little of getting an education and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brother, James, who was four years his elder. They kept good dogs and spent a lot of time hunting on a large body of woodland near their home. In those days there was no shooting of quail and other game birds and he especially enjoyed trapping birds. His parents insisted on their children attending church and Sunday school and he always cherished the memory of such dutiful parents. THE CIVIL WAR When the Civil War began, his three older brothers enlisted immediately. The two oldest, William and Allen, were in the 30th Georgia Infantry and while in camp near Savannah in 1862 contracted a fever and died, William in May and Allen in November. James enlisted in the 14th Georgia Regiment. His father would not let John enlist because he thought that three sons were enough to give to the war. The father and a few others put up a salt work son the coast to supply the people of Butts County and surrounding counties with salt, and John was sent to work there. Many people were having to boil the scraping from the smokehouse floors to get this necessary item. His job was to drive the wagons from the salt works to the railroad. After a short time he looked on the job as hard work and wanted to go home. He tried to get sick and did. He went to the salt works manager, Mr. Harrold Byers, a kindly old man, and asked to go home. He was allowed to go. After returning home it was not long before he was dissatisfied and wanted to go to Virginia to be with his brother, James. His father did not want him to go. He had already lost two sons and James had been severely wounded. Therefore he arranged for John to be placed in Capt. Longine's battalion of the Provost or Home Guard in Atlanta. John stayed four months. He was on duty at Oakland Cemetery when he heard some of the boys in the battalion talking of running away to the Army in Virginia. On coming off duty one night he wrote himself a twenty-four hour pass to come home, claiming his mother was sick, packed up a small bundle of clothes , went out to the "old car shed" and boarded the first train to Virginia. He says: "I landed in Richmond in due time, but had some trouble finding out where the command my brother was in was located. I finally found out that they were camped near Fredericksburg and started out from there. I finally found them camped near Fredericksburg on the Rappahanock River. I enlisted immediately on the 16th of March, 1863; in Capt. Carter's (T. M.) Command, Company I, 14th Georgia Regiment, Thomas Brigade (T.J.) Stonewall Jackson's Division. Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863 and died 10 days later. We were then assigned to Gen. Wilcox's division in A.P. Hill's Corps. The following morning just at daylight we charged the Federal line of battle in our front commanded by Gen. Hooker. We broke their line, got them stampeded and ran across the river. My brother was wounded, having his left eye shot out. He was sent back to Richmond and given a furlough for six months. He rejoined his command and was killed at Petersburg, Va. "The next battle I was in was at Gettysburg, Pa., July 1, 2, and 3, 1863. I was wounded the afternoon of the 3rd in Pickett's charge, laid on the battlefield in a wheat field until 11 o'clock that night, and was carried out by Alex Holsenback, of Jasper County, to a field hospital. I lay on the ground with no blanket for two days and nights. I was placed in an ambulance and taken to Winchester, Va. "I lay there until Yelventon Thaxton, one of my company, split his blanket open and put half of it on me. A deed of this kind can never be forgotten. The good ladies of Winchester gave us every attention possible. We were then moved to Winder Hospital in Richmond. They kept us there until Sept. 17, 1863, when I was given a 60day furlough home. I sure was glad to get home, where my dear old mother was prayerfully waiting for my return. It seemed that the next 60 days were the most happy and shortest of my life. At the expiration of my 60 day furlough I was about well, so I returned to my command, which was in camp near Harrodsburg, Va. A few days after my return our brigade was ordered to move to Orange Courthouse, a distance of 80 miles. The ground was covered with snow and we had to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains, very rough country. "I gave out with my wounded leg the first day and I had to ask our Lt. Col. W. L. Goldsmith, who was in command, for a pass to fall out of ranks. He did so, telling me to follow the army as best I could. I then sat down on a fallen tree and was soon in shape where I couldn't walk at all, hence I stayed by that tree until the net morning. With only one blanket and no fire I nearly froze that terrible night as the snow fell to a depth of several inches and the trees were bent over with ice. I have often wondered how it was possible to live through such a night as that on that mountain, but I can now look back over my life and recall many close calls I have passed through, realizing that it was a merciful God who brought me through and protected me. "Next morning I started out as best I could and soon met three others who had had to fall out of ranks. We wended our way slowly, passing over the mountains and lived by foraging from the few people that lived on the route. The invading armies had already taken most of their food and they could give us little to eat, but what they could was given cheerfully. Within a week we reached our command, which was in camp at Orange Courthouse. THE SPRING CAMPAIGN opened the first of May, 1864. Andrews participated in the Battle of the Wilderness on the 5th and 6th of May, in the battle on the 6th of May he saw his Colonel, Col. Folsom, fall just a few feet away. He made an effort to help him, but saw that he was dead, having been shot through the heart. The next battle was a Spotsylvania Courthouse where most of the company made up of Butts and Jasper County men were lost. Andrews lists some of his friends who were lost: Henry Collins, and Jim Evans killed, and H. P. Dodson and Matt Harris captured. He missed that fight because he had been detailed to guard the company's baggage. He tells the story of an encounter with a Yankee soldier - the battle began in the afternoon of June 22 and lasted up into the night. He slept well that night. The next morning a company of confederate cavalry passed by and asked what he was doing still there. They told him the company was retreating to Orange Courthouse and that is he stayed there he would be captured. Correction: The Andrews home was the one known as the Shelton Huff house rather than the Gilmore house now the home of the Carlos Thompsons). Thanks to Mrs. Maude Malone for setting us right. J.P.H. He abandoned the baggage and headed off towards the direction of Orange Courthouse. Not far away he met a Yankee soldier who was wounded in the foot. The Yankee said, "Halt there and surrender". Andrews replied, "No, sir, you consider yourself my prisoner for you are wounded and I am not, You will go with me." The Yankee said, "Well, then if I must go with you it will have to be slow for it hurts me to walk and you will soon be a prisoner for our men are nearby." Andrews readily saw the situation and said, "If you will give me that tin cup tied to your belt you can go on your way and I'll go mine". Without a word he handed over the cup. Andrews said "Farewell, Yank" and the other answered "Farewell, Johnnie." Andrews said that he then made distance between himself and those Yankees, soon reaching his command. THE NEXT BATTLE was on Weldon Road south of Petersburg, Va., and led to some exciting and dangerous experiences. Here we let John Andrews take over again: " On June 25, 1864, Jim O'Neal of my company and I were on picket line duty when the Federal troops began their advance. Our order were to fire on them and fall back if we saw them advancing. They opened fire and we fired back. Him and I found ourselves caught between the two lines, and saved ourselves by jumping into a hole made by a big oak tree that had been blown over. Another man whom we didn't know jumped in behind us and was hit by "grapeshot" and killed. During the next few weeks the army went into camp on the Rapidan River and the 14th Georgia went on picket duty again. Orders were again not to fire unless the enemy began to advance. This was to be the signal for the battle to begin. As John Andrews was standing on the bank of the river one morning at about daybreak a drove of turkeys came into sight led by one of the finest gobblers he had ever seen. He knew it would cause trouble in camp but he just couldn't resist taking a shot at that old gobbler. He missed. He was relieved and sent back to camp. The sergeant said he should go up to the colonel's quarters and he knew he was up against it. The colonel asked him why he had fired on the picket line and Andrews told him the truth. The colonel said that he knew it was a tremendous temptation and would to let him off light. He gave Andrews a good lecture and told the sergeant to have him stand on a barrel for two hours. Andrews thought it would be easy, but after a short time he was so tired, hot and thirsty he thought he would die. The barrel turned over once and he got a little rest. This was the only time he was punished for disobeying orders. ON THE NIGHT of April 1, 1865, a small detachment under Lt. D. W. Patterson and including John Andrews was placed some 600 yards in front of the Confederate battle line. It being dark and rainy, misty night, the men on either side could see little During the night the men fired back and forth at each other's gun flashes. Early the next morning they were moved out and back to the main lines. That night they had dug what would be called "foxholes" for their protection. Andrews said they surely did get muddy. He then describes what he called a "fool thing" he did the next morning. The lieutenant had left a favorite blanket out on the picket line the night before and asked for a volunteer to go and get it for him. Andrews volunteered to go. The blanket was in an open space where the soldiers had cleared to get firewood, but there was some brush scattered about which made it hard to walk in places. As he started out the Yankees thought he was a deserter and encouraged him to come on across to their side. They didn't realize what he was up to until he picked up the blanket and started back. Then they began to yell "halt" "stop there" and to shoot. Bullets were hitting the brush all around him but he made it back without a scratch. He says, "I have often thought about it since and I don't think they were shooting to hit me, but wanted to scare me into surrender. I acknowledge they succeeded in scaring me". AT ABOUT sunrise the morning of April 2, 1865, he says, "Gen. A. P. Hill, our corps commander, rode up the line and deployed us out ten paces apart so as to be ready to meet five heavy lines of the enemy who we could see advancing in front and to the right of us on our right blank. The whole country was blue with them as far as we could see and I lost hope right then and there. It was plain that we were overpowered and it was useless to go into battle with that mighty army which was advancing rapidly. " I guess Gen. Hill thought the same for he ordered us to fall back o Battery Gregg. I thought we were ordered to go into the fort and I am sure he intended us to do so, but he was killed about that time and our line passed on over the hill. We went into the fort and quickly saw that we had made a mistake. I saw my brother James for the last time then for I learned later that he was killed there. George Heath and I found ourselves with some western men, from Mississippi and Louisiana, some of the bravest men I ever saw in battle. There were only 82 of us in the fort and according to history we were surrounded by 150,000 union soldiers. It was an hour before they succeeded in capturing the fort - 32 of us got out alive. That was one time I know I killed a man. I got ready to shoot through a port hole and as I raised my gun to shoot a Yank stuck his face in the hole, I fired in his face and he fell. "When they had killed all but 32 of us we couldn't stand the rush and the fort was full of them in les than a minute. A big Yank said to me, "Well, Johnnie, you fought us well - have you surrendered? If so, throw down your gun and accourterments", I started to unbuckle my belt and he said " cut em" - I cut everything but my pants belt. I wanted to keep it - it was a good one and had a pretty buckle, but he said, "No, you don't need it, cut it" so I did. That ended my fighting. "We were quickly lined up and marched back to the rear to Gen. Grant's headquarters, registered and placed under heavy guard until they took us back to City Point, where they put us aboard ship. "I was sent to Point Lookout Prison, where we were allowed no communication with the outside world. (Point Lookout Prison, Md., was as infamous in the South as Andersonville, Ga., was in the north) While in prison I went through some of the hardest experiences I had during the entire war. We were half fed, half clothes, had bad water and were mistreated by the guards. "We were exposed to the weather, we had only a little tent that had a fly opening and had to sleep on the hard ground. On the 18th of May, 1865, we were marched to headquarters where we had to draw lots for our lives. They wanted 20 men who were to be lined up and shot in retaliation for 20 Northern soldiers they said he been shot by Southern soldiers in North Carolina. I drew a blank, for which I have always felt thankful. No battle I was ever in scared me as much as that did. ON THE 20TH OF JUNE 1865, I was released and given transportation to Savannah, Ga. We were four days making the trip by steamer from New York. From Savannah, six of us walked to Waynesboro, Ga. in four days (130 miles) At Waynesboro four of us boarded a train for Covington, which we reached at about dark that night. We walked from there to home, about 25 miles that night. At about sunrise on July 8, 1865, I was welcomed home by parents who had thought me dead. I was grief stricken for I had not known of my brother, James' death until then. I had last seen him a few minutes before he was killed. I knew that Gen. Lee had surrendered the army three days after I was captured and had thought he had been sent home. I remember my father saying to my mother, "Well, this boy is all the war has left us." "When the war began we were a happy family with eight happy children. When it was over three sons and one daughter had died. our sister, Amanda, age 19, had died the same year my two older brothers died. "After the war I wanted to go to school, but there was no school near enough for me to attend. Our home had been in the line of Sherman's march so nothing was left but the land so I had to go to work. So I missed an education." Andrews says that he believed that when one has taken part in momentous events he should write down what he did and how he felt so that future generations would know how he saw the events in which he participated, and so that his descendants might have a record of these events. Wouldn't it be good if everyone felt this way. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/jasper/newspapers/gnw228bicenten.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 17.3 Kb