----- Original Message ----- From: "Margie Daniels" <margie@majorinternet.net> To: <GACRAWFO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000 9:52 PM Subject: [Crawford County] CV July 1893 Reconstruction in Georgia > ABOUT RECONSTRUCTION TIMES. > > HISTORY OF THE FIRST ACTION AGAINST CARPET BAG RULE IN GEORGIA. > > Col. C. B. Howard has written of the time, in June, 1867, when the State of > Georgia was under military rule and the citizens were being annoyed with all > sorts of indignities. Judge W. W. Clayton, a prominent citizen, had just > been turned out of house and home because his daughters refused to pass > under the United States flag, and hid their faces from yankee officers with > their parasols. It was a few days before Alexander H. Stephens wrote a > letter to Col. R. A. Alston, saying he considered the country in articula > mortis, that if the South resisted reconstruction would be forced, and if > they accepted it they were disgraced, and that it was a choice between > martyrdom and suicide, and for himself he preferred martyrdom. > > The story of that meeting was told by Mr. S. A. Echols in a letter printed > in the Sunny South during the summer of 1878, just after the controversy > between Mr. Hill and Mr. Stephens over the question, " Who saved the State ? > " In that article Mr. Echola gives a ong interview with Col. Alston, who > told how he, Dr. J. P. Hambleton and Mr. Eli Hulsey, in discussing the > deplorable situation, decided to call a Democratic meeting. They did so, and > wrote a letter to Col. T. C. Howard, at Kirkwood, asking him to attend and > preside. The papers refused to print the call and the city hall was secured > only by consent of Gen. Pope. When the time came for the meeting the house > was partly filled with Pope's officers and civil staff, and many of the > Democrats present opposed any demonstration. > > Col. Howard walked into the room and looked around in astonishment. He had > left the plow and walked into town. Charlie Herbst called on him soon > afterward for a speech. Col. Alston said of it: " I never shall forget the > scene and solemn dignity with which he rose. Never shall I forget how he was > dressed an old coat with the lining torn out and hanging in strings, an > unbleached homespun shirt, no cravat, a pair of brogan shoes, without socks. > His handsome, intelligent face contrasted strongly with his apparel, and > even a stranger would not have been surprised to hear something good, even > from such a poorly dressed speaker. His first words were: > ' My fellow countrymen, when I am called upon on an occasion like this, > surrounded by circumstances like these (pointing to the eager Democrats), > and these (pointing to the soldiers), and these (pointing to the scalawags), > I feel that deep solemnity which the man of God feels, or at least ought to > feel, when he rises in the pulpit to talk to dying sinners about the > salvation of their souls.' He then went on to trace the history of this > country from the settlement of New England and Virginia down to the breaking > out of the Confederate war. He demonstrated that three generations had > raised up in these different latitudes two entirely different races of > people, that the bloody war which had resulted had been brought on by the > love of constitutional freedom on the part of the South, and a love for > religion and law battling a.gainst a total disregard of all compacts on the > part of the North, and an utter disregard of public morality, constitutional > law and Bible religion on the part of the North. That while slavery may have > embittered the contest it was not the cause, but only one of the incidents > of the struggle. That the constant and persevering invasions of our rights > had proceeded from envy, hatred and malice. 'Yea,' said he, 'my countrymen, > from the day that old John Adams left the white house,' pointing his finger > at the portrait of Washington and saying, ' You and your people did this, > there began a struggle which never ceased until it left this whole continent > with crutches and crape in every household, which drew one broad line of > charcoal from Dalton to Charlotte, N. C., and brought delicate women to > cooking, scrubbing and scouring, where Sherman had left them any thing to > cook, to scrub or to scour.' Here he paid a glowing and beautiful tribute to > the women of the South, and passing on he said, 'But when I come to speak of > the 150,000 dead heroes that lie slumbering in our soil, what shall I say?' > Here he burst into tears. * * * Soon rousing himself, with bitter > scorn he addressed Pope's people and said: 'And do you call upon me to > disgrace the fortitude of women like these? Do you call upon me to desecrate > the memory of heroes like these? Never! never! And what for, what to gain > to save what little we have left? No, my friends, this would be to lose our > all) to surrender the only jewel that even tyranny cannot wrest from us our > honor. Even Wendell Phillips says, a few years longer and a change of a few > thousand votes will cause the shackles to fall from our limbs. Yes, Wendell > Phillips, the worst man who has cursed God's footstool for the last thousand > years, always excepting that fiend and scourge of hell, .' > When these words fell from his lips the consternation was painful. We all > grasped arms and felt that the supreme moment had arrived. But Col. Howard > thundered on and the crisis was passed. Turning to where we were standing he > said: 'Go on, my little band of Democrats, bend your backs and take the > blows, the anvil will yet wear out the hammer. Recollect that God has said > in his word, "One man shall be equal to a thousand, and two shall put ten > thousand to flight," armed with the power of truth, therefore stand firm, > and oh, when your hearts grow weary, when you are ready to exclaim, " How > long, O Lord, how long," faint not, but look back more than 1800 years and > behold the most sublime spectacle that assembled creations were ever called > upon to witness. See the Son of God condescending to become man to save a > sinful world, remembering that when he walked throughout Gallilee, armed > with the power and majesty of God, distributing his loaves and fishes, whole > multitudes followed him. But alas! when the day of his tribulation came, > when he had no more loaves to divide, no more fishes to distribute, when we > see him swinging upon the cross, whom do we see there then? One poor, lone, > weeping woman! Ah, if you yankees had been there then, if you scalawags had > been there then, if you timid Democrats bad been there then (the scorn > dripping from his fingers), you would have gone to her and said: "Get up > from here, Mary, never an office will you get for remaining here. The > majority is against us. Let us yield." And this day you would have been > peeping into the quivering guts of birds and animals to learn the will of > God, and sacrificing to Jupiter, and we would have lost the Christian > religion.'" > > > > > ==== GACRAWFO Mailing List ==== > I am a Southern Woman with revolutionary blood in my veins. Freedom of speech and of thought are my birthright. Rose O'Neal Greenhow Heroine of the Confederacy > >