Saturday, 28th.—Marched in regular order along the big road. Passed near Lafayette, Alabama. 56th Georgia boys left us, and took their own ways home, being in a different direction. From this on I can’t remember dates but we got plenty to eat and had a jolly time, finding plenty of friends to help us on our way. One day about half-dozen young ladies came out and said they were glad to see us going home. Some of the older women shouted: “That’s the way we love to see you coming home, boys; wish they would all come home that way.” One nice-looking old lady said: “I wish I could see my old man coming.” Several places in Alabama, as we were marching on, half dozen women and children would come running and ask if peace was made. The first ones we told if it was we did not know it. Well, they said, we have heard it has. The next that asked us, we said we had heard that it was, but only a few miles back. They would take it as confirmation of what they had heard, and get almost into an ecstasy of joy. Poor things, perhaps, we ought not to have treated them so; but we had been bound down so long, we wanted a little fun.
We kept in Alabama, but near the line, until we crossed both Big and Little Talapoosa River. Came into the left of Cedar Town; passed through Cave Springs. Crossed Coosa River at Queen’s Ferry; same place Hood’s army crossed, twelve miles below Rome. We had dreaded Coosa River all the way, because we were afraid it would be the line between the contending armies and ferry boats destroyed and pickets along the river, but when we got near, we learned that ferry boat was running all right and no pickets. As we came to the river, a man by the name of Davis was coming over in the ferry boat. He told the ferry man he ought to set us over free, as we were soldiers. The ferryman replied: “You pay half and I will give half.” The fare was $l0.00. The man was caught at his own game, and handed him $5.00, and so we passed over free, and gave three cheers for Davis—not Jeff, mind you. The boys of Companies H and E and also W. A. Keys, left us here, leaving only seven of us. Came on by Ecles’ Mill, in sight of Subligna and struck Taylor’s Ridge some distance south of Shipp’s Gap. After passing Shipp’s Gap, we decided we had better not carry our guns farther, for fear we run upon some Yankee soldiers, and they might treat us as bushwhackers. So we hid our guns in the cleft of a rock on top of Taylor’s Ridge. Travelled Taylor’s Ridge to Nickajack Gap; there turned eastward and came to Dixie’s Ridge, near James Wright’s.
