Georgians helping General Sherman defeat the Confederates

[Cainkane1]

I live in Conyers GA and my town and another town called Madison bribed Sherman and his men into not destroying their homes like they did in Atlanta.

IN Conyers there were a lot of freed slaves who ran thriving little businesses and a small Jewish community. They got together with the white citizens in an effort to save the city.

Both Conyers and Madison were saved from destruction by free sex from the women in the profession both black and white and with food and services. The Jews provided mended uniforms and new clothing to the Union soldiers. Free food, like I said sex. Something anything to save the city from being burnt to the ground like Atlanta was. One journalist provided a unique service. He wrote letters home for the Union soldiers and read letters from relatives to them. That guy was originally from Macon reporting for the Macon Gazette and Sherman made him come with them all the way to Savannah another city that opened its doors for the conquering Union army.

The journalist was originally from Austria and Jewish. He wrote volumes and one thing he wrote was what he called the future chocolate race in America. Many fo the black women following Shermans army got pregnant.

Looking around my town there are many houses that would not be here except for these (sometimes) dirty sacrifices.

 

[theprestige]

Your lack of citations is fascinating. /s

 

[Cainkane1]

Your lack of citations is fascinating. /s

I'm quoting local lore. It isn't written down.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Isn't Johnny Appleseed local lore too?

 

[Elagabalus]

I'm quoting local lore. It isn't written down.

There are elements to your story that seem a bit fanciful.

 

[Cainkane1]

There are elements to your story that seem a bit fanciful.

Well, let me tell more of the story as it was told to me. There is what was once a whore house here. It was run by freed black slave women. There was also an inn nearby. The food was in the form of eggs and a corn-based bread called a fritter. The Union soldiers ate this with relish. Free sexual services were offered. Free clothing and free mending of holes in Uniforms.

Shermans brother in law lived in nearby Madison and that's why that town was spared. Conyers was indeed spared for some reason. Many of the houses here predate the civil war. One large house was built in the late 18th century and it's still standing. All of Olde town predates the civil war. There was a skirmish nearby between Sherman and General Wheeler. The town was spared for some reason. Folklore says it was food sex and hospitality. It either happened or it didn't.

 

[SpitfireIX]

Isn't Johnny Appleseed local lore too?

No, he's not, although some aspects of his life are disputed. From the Fort Wayne Sentinel (now the News-Sentinel) May 18, March 22, 1845:

On the same day in this neighborhood, at an advanced age, Mr. John Chapman (better known as Johnny Appleseed).

The deceased was well known through this region by his eccentricity, and the strange garb he usually wore. He followed the occupation of a nurseryman, and has been a regular visitor here upwards of 10 years. He was a native of Pennsylvania we understand but his home—if home he had—for some years past was in the neighborhood of Cleveland, where he has relatives living. He is supposed to have considerable property, yet denied himself almost the common necessities of life—not so much perhaps for avarice as from his peculiar notions on religious subjects. He was a follower of Swedenborg and devoutly believed that the more he endured in this world the less he would have to suffer and the greater would be his happiness hereafter—he submitted to every privation with cheerfulness and content, believing that in so doing he was securing snug quarters hereafter.

In the most inclement weather he might be seen barefooted and almost naked except when he chanced to pick up articles of old clothing. Notwithstanding the privations and exposure he endured, he lived to an extreme old age, not less than 80 years at the time of his death—though no person would have judged from his appearance that he was 60. "He always carried with him some work on the doctrines of Swedenborg with which he was perfectly familiar, and would readily converse and argue on his tenets, using much shrewdness and penetration.

His death was quite sudden. He was seen on our streets a day or two previous.​

See also the Wikipedia article.

 

[Norman Alexander]

No, he's not, although some aspects of his life are disputed. From the Fort Wayne Sentinel (now the News-Sentinel) May 18, 1845:

On the same day in this neighborhood, at an advanced age, Mr. John Chapman (better known as Johnny Appleseed).

The deceased was well known through this region by his eccentricity, and the strange garb he usually wore. He followed the occupation of a nurseryman, and has been a regular visitor here upwards of 10 years. He was a native of Pennsylvania we understand but his home—if home he had—for some years past was in the neighborhood of Cleveland, where he has relatives living. He is supposed to have considerable property, yet denied himself almost the common necessities of life—not so much perhaps for avarice as from his peculiar notions on religious subjects. He was a follower of Swedenborg and devoutly believed that the more he endured in this world the less he would have to suffer and the greater would be his happiness hereafter—he submitted to every privation with cheerfulness and content, believing that in so doing he was securing snug quarters hereafter.

In the most inclement weather he might be seen barefooted and almost naked except when he chanced to pick up articles of old clothing. Notwithstanding the privations and exposure he endured, he lived to an extreme old age, not less than 80 years at the time of his death—though no person would have judged from his appearance that he was 60. "He always carried with him some work on the doctrines of Swedenborg with which he was perfectly familiar, and would readily converse and argue on his tenets, using much shrewdness and penetration.

His death was quite sudden. He was seen on our streets a day or two previous.​

See also the Wikipedia article.

So somewhat different than the Disney version, yes?



I imagine much the same can be said for the OP's "local lore".

 

[Horatius]

From Wikipedia:

Conyers has been nearly destroyed several times by fire. It is said to have survived Sherman's March to the Sea due to a friend of Sherman's who lived in the area between Conyers and Covington. The story goes that the houses were spared because Sherman was uncertain where his friend lived.[citation needed]

So, "Citation needed", but it seems others have heard similar stories.

 

[Foolmewunz]

From Wikipedia:




So, "Citation needed", but it seems others have heard similar stories.

Yeah, I saw that in Wikipedia but discounted it for the missing Jew Reporter and Negress Whores.

 

[shemp]

Jew Reporter and Negress Whores.

I'm stealing this for the name of my new klezmer/hip-hop band, thanks!

 

[dudalb]

So somewhat different than the Disney version, yes?



I imagine much the same can be said for the OP's "local lore".

FOlklore and actual history: Do Not Confuse.
Both have their place, but you need to keep them separate.T
To cite an example from your country. the real Ned Kelly and the folklore Ned Kelly are considerably different.

 

[bruto]

So somewhat different than the Disney version, yes?



I imagine much the same can be said for the OP's "local lore".

WRT Johnny Appleseed, there's an interesting chapter in one of Michael Pollan's books about him and the legend. He was certainly real, and certainly planted lots of apples, but as I understand it, he made a good business of this because homesteaders were required to plant a certain amount of orchard within a certain time in order to claim title to their land, a need which he filled. He got his seeds largely from cider mills, owned a good bit of land on which he raised seedlings, and, because apples do not breed true, the vast majority of his apples were not edible, but used for cider.

Which has nothing much to do with the Georgia story. A nice story with probably a core of truth even if it's become streamlined with time.

 

[theprestige]

I'm quoting local lore. It isn't written down.

Even local oral histories can have citations. Even the guy who writes it down for the first time (hey! you could be that guy!) can still document who they got it from, and in what form.

Even the guy documenting an oral history (hey! you could be that guy!) still kinda has to say, "I got this story from this person, who claims to have witnessed it, and I did the following due diligence to corroborate that claim..." Etc.

For all I know from this anonymous Internet anecdote, what you're calling "local lore" is really just three dogs in a trench coat.

 

[SpitfireIX]

WRT Johnny Appleseed, there's an interesting chapter in one of Michael Pollan's books about him and the legend. He was certainly real, and certainly planted lots of apples, but as I understand it, he made a good business of this because homesteaders were required to plant a certain amount of orchard within a certain time in order to claim title to their land, a need which he filled. He got his seeds largely from cider mills, owned a good bit of land on which he raised seedlings, and, because apples do not breed true, the vast majority of his apples were not edible, but used for cider.

This is more-or-less accurate, as far is it is possible to know today.

 

[SpitfireIX]

I should have mentioned that Johnny Appleseed is a figure of outsize importance in the history and lore of Fort Wayne; he's second only to the city's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne^WP. Our local minor league baseball team is named the Tincaps (after the pot he supposedly wore on his head) and has "Johnny" as their mascot, and every September we have a large "Johnny Appleseed Festival" in Johnny Appleseed park.

 

[Foolmewunz]

Ironically, there were Alabamians helping Sherman. His outriders and personal guard were from Alabama Volunteers, who were a pro-union (small) force.

Oh, and the myth about Madison being spared 'cuz of Sherman's brother-in-law? Close... Madison was the home of a pro-union politician, Joshua Hill. He was a friend of Sherman's brother.

Conyers was likely spared simply because there was nothing there of interest. It was not key to the roads heading out of Atlanta and in the early stages of the "march to the sea", Sherman had four or five groups heading out in different directions. They could've been heading south to cut AL, MS, LA off by land like they'd done to TX. They could've been heading east to Macon (and thus directly threatening Charleston, a huge military target), or they could've been heading to Savannah.

Several cities and towns in the area claim that Sherman spared the town because it was just too darned purty. Madison is one of those, Savannah is the most noteworthy.* Neither is accurate. Madison was spared as a "spoils of war" default because of its noted Union sympathizer congress critter. Savannah was spared because there was no longer any infrastructure there that could get support to the other Confederate states. It was essentially blockaded from sea and land. The defending army had high-tailed it north and left the city's citizens to sue for peace. (Ironically, not the "ebil Yankees" but the Confederate raiders from the fleeing army way-laid the towns folk who were on their way to parlay and took all their horses! So much for the myth of the Southern Gentleman!)


*But growing up in the South, I remember any number of antebellum mansions that were spared because one villain or another just thought they were too fine-looking a structure to destroy. Local lore. It either happened or it didn't, right?

 

[Tolls]

To cite an example from your country. the real Ned Kelly and the folklore Ned Kelly are considerably different.

You'll be telling me next that he didn't look like Mick Jagger!