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| Col. John Randolph Lane Society Cartersville Crossroads Articles |
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The First Part of this Conversation Chatham County native John Romilius Euliss often told stories about life in the Confederate army to his grandson, Max, while sitting around the family farmhouse on what is now Charlie Euliss Road in Snow Camp. Though Max says he has forgotten more stories over the years than he has remembered, he did agree to sit down with family members to recall his grandfather's tales of life in the War Between the States. John Romilius Euliss was born July 14, 1843, at Sandy Grove in Chatham County, North Carolina; the area is now part of Alamance County. In 1862, at the age of 18, he volunteered for service in the Confederate army and was assigned to Co. F, 53rd Regiment, North Carolina Troops. Eight months later, he began service as a teamster. He survived the war and attended several reunions of Confederate veterans until his death in 1939. The stories printed here comprise the second of the two-part series started in the last edition of Cartersville Crossroads. We thank the Euliss family for sharing these stories with us.
Surviving the Elements, William Euliss: Didn't you say that one night John went to bed and it was cold and the mules were standing on the ground ...? Max Euliss: Yea, that was somewhere, I think, in Virginia. Got awful cold and it was awful muddy, and he said the mules when they hitched them out, they were standing in mud knee deep. The next morning, they were standing on top ... it was that cold. It froze under and it was bound to been cold because they were standing on top of the mud the next morning. They didn't have anything to eat, hardly, and they come across a cornfield-in it in roasting ears-and when they got there, they started getting that corn and cooking it and eating it. He said there was one man-I remember that name, Jarias Hester-said he ate 11 big ears of corn. It must have been up in the Shenandoah Valley or somewhere. John Shatterly, he lived north of here just a few miles. They was friends and he told my granddaddy that he killed, I know it was at least 12 or 15, Yankees behind one big tall stump. He was hiding behind a huge tree that had been blowed off. It was up high, pretty high stump, and he got behind that thing and they would shoot on one side of the tree, and on the other side, it was big enough to shield him. And they was up higher and they'd shoot and just try to hit his legs and feet, and he'd load and peek around, and they was in view. He would pick out one and he killed maybe 12 to 15 from behind that one stump. William: He was in the same company as great-grandpa. It is in the book [North Carolina Troops: 1861-1865]. That's probably why John knew the story. Max: Why, yeah, and he seen him after that. They talked like he was a gritty man.
Justice and Discipline I've heard him [J.R. Euliss] tell that if they run away as many as three times, they put 'em in front of the firing squad. Zeno Cotnor, he run away, didn't live but about a mile and a half from here, and he run away the third time and they put him in front of the firing squad. John and the whole outfit, they marched 'em out and had to watch it, and he [Zeno] was executed along with some more, but I don't know how many. They made 'em all watch it. William: John was in General Daniel's headquarters, where he worked for him. That's why he ended up with the paperwork he brought back-the battles and the muster roles and stuff like that? Max: Might have been. I believe that there was after so-and-so camped across the creek and Albright, that's how come he was with him, Albright married his sister and he brought that back. I am pretty sure.
Crossing Rivers with I know they had to cross a river, and it was up and my understanding was that they was going to take the teams across-swim 'em across-and then someway get the wagons across. But, anyhow, they sent one man-I remember his name was Duckworth-he went across to kind of test, and took his team in there, four mules to a team, unhitched from the wagon. He said [the mules] swum across that thing just like four ducks. Well, then they turned the whole bunch in there, you know, not all at one time, but they got it pretty close. They got 'em headed down there, and there was a lot of rock right in below. They was trying to get to the stillest place and there was a big rock across. He said you could see that some of 'em drifted down to that rock. Said you could see mules' heels turn over the rock. He was in there and he done good. The one he was riding, said he would swim just as pretty as you ever seen for a while, and then he would stop and just go down-taking down who was riding him. He said he stood it about all he could. He said, "I can't take much more of this," and he started and saw he was close enough. The water was still enough that he thought he could make it to the edge, and when he started down that third time, he come off there and swum on his own and he made it. William: Wonder why they were there. Max: I don't know, but if they could get the teams across, they might have had some kind of boatin' outfit they was gonna haul the wagons on to get 'em across. I don't know. If I could have questioned him about it like I should have, well I would have found out. But I don't know that, but I have heard him tell it.
Images of Life I remember him telling about there was a branch and they was thirsty, you know. Said one feller laid to the branch to drink a bit of water. In a short while, they got to looking right up above and there was three or four dead Yankees in the water. He talked like that made 'em sort of sick. And, I remember Granddaddy telling about this wagon train going along and the Yankees would stand along beside the road at night. It was pitch dark. When the teams would come along the rider, which was on the mule next to the wagon, he would be knocked off [by the Yankees] with the butt of their rifles as they went by. The word was passed down the line what was happening, so he got in the wagon and drove from there. He had his team well trained, so he could handle his team from there. He said the mules in the rear next to the wagon controlled the wagon on command. While going down steep hills on pike roads, he had seen sparks fly from their hooves when he gave the command to hold the wagon.
The Surrender and He talked like when the surrender come, he had his mule trained so he could ride him. He unhitched the team and rode that mule from Appomattox Courthouse to right down here [in Snow Camp]. They had a day set aside that they was supposed to go-I believe he said it was to a mill, Sutphin Mill-anybody who had government property, and was supposed to go and turn it in. He stood around a while and didn't see much happening, so he just snuck back out to the mule and unhitched him and got on him and rode him home. Never did hear anymore about it, and he kept the mule and saddle. [1] There was a crowd when they left Appomattox. They
made it home, but when he got here, he was the last one. They had the guns out there [in the field], because some had been coming through and taking mules. The man stuttered and, after it finally got out, he asked Peter Euliss, "You want me to shoot him?" [Peter] said, "Oh, no, no. Don't shoot him.
Let's let him come on up and see what he wants." He run all over that four-acre field, waving his hat and carrying on. And that was his greeting home.
Notes. [1] The saddle John Romilius Euliss used to return
home is still in the family. |
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