General Bragg was removed from the command of the army of Tennessee and
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston appointed in his place early in the Spring of
1864. The campaign opened and Gen. J. T. Sherman commanded the Federal
forces. His sanguinary and uncivilized warfare on the defenseless is a
matter of history. His careless application of the torch, destroying by
fire whatsoever he could not carry off, leaving the old and decrepit,
the women and children to perish in his wake as he marched through
Georgia, and reducing to ashes everything within his reach, within a
scope of territory fifty miles wide by over three hundred miles long.
Johnston's army consisted of only about half the strength of that of his
antagonist, consequently he adopted tactics by which he reduced
Sherman's army every time that General would make an attack. Joseph E.
Johnston acted all along on the defensive, but was ever ready to inflict
severe punishment. When General Sherman would force his lines of
defense, thus General Johnston generally ceded ground. While his defeats
were actual victories, as the cemeteries along the line of his march
indicate. The hospitals were filling up with sick and wounded;
provisions became scarce, especially as our territory became gradually
contracted. So Dr. Crawford came to me one morning, saying, "Hermann, I
want to send you out on a foraging expedition. Do you think you can buy
up provisions for the hospital? I just drew my allowance of $10,000.00;
it wont buy much at present prices." Yes, I can try and make it go as
far as possible. What do you say? I remarked, Doctor, I will try and do
my best. So he gave me two packages of newly struck Confederate money,
all the way from $1,000.00 to $5.00 bills, more money than I had ever
had in my possession, and I was actually afraid to carry such sums
around with me, although I knew it was not of much value. I also wanted
all the linen, lint and bandages that I could get. I came to Washington
county where I was known; I put a notice in the weekly paper edited by
J. M. G. Medlock, setting forth my mission, and that I would gladly
receive any contribution for the sick and wounded at the fair ground
hospital in Atlanta, under the charge of Dr. Geo. G. Crawford, of the
army of Tennessee, and that I would pay the market price to any who did
not feel able to contribute the same free of charge; that I would
publish all contributions in the Central Georgian. I wrote to the
Central Railroad Company's office at Savannah, asking them to kindly
spare me two box cars, one at Bartow and one at Davisboro, on a certain
day, when I would load them with provisions for the hospital. The
officials kindly offered me the cars free of charge. It was on Thursday
I came to Bartow. Mr. Sam Evans, the agent, gave me all his assistance,
and provisions commenced to rolling in. Mr. Warren from Louisville, Ga.,
sent me four horse wagon loads of flour from his mill, free of charge.
Mr. Tarver, a large planter, brought me a heavy load of meats, chicken,
eggs, butter, etc. Mr. B. G. Smith also brought me a hogshead of hams,
shoulders and sides, the meat all nicely smoked, and 100 pounds of leaf
lard, chickens, eggs and sweet potatoes, in fact the farmers of that
section, all well to do people and slave owners, vied with each other as
to who could do the most. I filled up the car that day with the choicest
provisions which did not cost me a nickel. Many poor women would bring
me the last chicken they had, and when I wanted to pay for the same
refused to take the money, and regretted they could not do any more.
They unraveled all the old linen table cloth and brought me bags full of
lint and bandages. That night I forwarded the car under special
instructions by Mr. Evans that it contained perishable goods, labeled
for the hospital in Atlanta. The following day I went to Davisboro, Ga.
W. C. Riddle, Simon Thomas, Daniel Inman, Ben Jordan, Syl Prince, Daniel
Harris and others in that neighborhood proved themselves as generous and
patriotic as the people of Bartow and filled my car to overflowing with
all kinds of provisions, with the exception of one instance; in regard
to his worthy family I will withhold his name. He was a well to do
farmer and had a profession. He was a hot secessionist and made speeches
to that effect. On the day of receiving he came up in a fine buggy, with
a bushel of sweet potatoes. I said to him, What are they worth? He
answered, "Four dollars," I think is what they are selling at. I paid
the money and he departed, and that was all the money on the debit side
of the $10,000.00. The same was published as stated in the Georgian. I
returned to Atlanta with the last car of provisions and when I alighted
from the car the hospital convalescents actually carried me on their
shoulders and would not let me walk. Dr. Crawford looked on me in wonder
when I returned my account and gave him back the $10,000.00 minus $4.00,
and said, Well that gives me money to fix up my hospital as it should
be. He bought sheets and mattresses and had the hospital renovated and
made as comfortable as money could make it. Under Dr. Crawford's
treatment I again became strong and the paroxysms of pain gradually gave
way and became less frequent until I really considered that I was a well
man again.