Bill Arp; A man of Georgia

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http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/arp/arp.html

This is an unbelieveable treasure of a man who lived and died in Georgia. His story gives you a look into life in the South before during and after the war by one of our own. What better way to learn the true truth of what it was like and who you should believe about what really went on during this period of our history. Enjoy

On Stonewall

On the sixth day of the Chickahominy fight, when McClellan was in full retreat, our brigade commander, Tige Anderson, sent me down the river to General Lee's headquarters for some instructions about moving the brigade. I found him in a large wall tent with many officers around him. This tent opened into another where the camp tables were set for dinner and the servant bringing it in. There were four or five large camp tables joined together, and as I sat upon my horse awaiting a reply, I saw a man, an officer, whose head and body were underneath the right hand table and his feet out upon the straw. His slouched hat was over his head and eyes, his sword was unbuckled, and his boots were on and


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spurred. His Confederate gray clothes seemed faded and worn. My curiosity was greatly excited, and when the adjutant handed me the instructions, I ventured to point to the sleeping man and to ask, "Who is he?" "That is Stonewall," he said; "he has had no sleep for forty-eight hours and fell down there exhausted. General Lee would not suffer him to be disturbed, and so our dinner will be eaten over him and in silence." Reverently I gazed upon him for a minute, for I felt almost like I was in the presence of some divinity. What a scene for a painter was that--the two greatest generals of the army, yes, of the age, together; one asleep upon the straw, worn out with fatigue and excitement, the camp tables set above him; while the other, with his staff, dined in silence over him and watched his needed rest. Both of them were patriots and Christians, and both of them were men of prayer.

Have you ever read a better account of the respect and accord between these two men? Little wonder that they held the Northern army at bay. Or understood the feelings of those who fought under these two?

There is much more enjoy.

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What others say:

http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Charles_Henry_Smith_('Bill_Arp')

What Bill would say about Mr Obama's New Deal.

Although it helps to know what greenbacks were and what mackadaamizing a road means, what he wrote about politicians in 1874 can still be appreciated by everybody today.

"We are going to give protection to the manufacturers and free trade to the consumers. We are going to buy the farmers' corn at a dollar a bushel, and sell it to the poor for twenty-five cents. We are going to issue ten thousand millions of greenbacks so that everybody can have a hat full, and then we will build railroads to every town and open all the creeks and mackadamize all the roads, and give all soldiers and widows and orphans pensions, and have a general jubilee all over the country."