Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 33.djvu/311

 Roster of Georgia Military Institute Cadets. 307

General Capers was placed in command as major of the battal- ion. Commandant James S. Austin was assigned as captain of Company A. Professor V. E. Manget was assigned as captain of Company B. The other officers of the companies were members of the cadet corps.

Rations of "hardtacks" and bacon were issued, and pretty soon things began to take on the aspect of active war. The first duties were in acting as provost guard about the city of Marietta, and other general duties incident to their position at that time, in the rear of General Joseph E. Johnston's Confederate army.

In a few days an order was received for a detachment of cadets to be sent to Resaca, and there, on the I4th of May, 1864, the de- tail of cadets were first under fire from the guns of the Fed- eral enemy.

A Federal officer, Lieutenant James S. Gates, of the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry, writing of the "marching through Georgia" and of the first day's fighting in the battle of Resaca, says: "It was during the advance of that day that we came in contact with the Georgia Cadets, from the Military Institute at Marietta, who had come out from the woods at Resaca and formed their line be- hind a rail fence. After a volley from the cadets, which killed several of our men, our regiment charged them."

Thus it is shown and acknowledgedby one of our opponents that the cadets were intrepid and effective in their very first engage- ment.

At the time of entering the service the roster of the Battalion in the respective Companies A and B was substantially as follows:

General Frank W. Capers, commanding the Battalion, under the title of Major Capers, of the G. M. I. Cadets. Died in Charleston, S. C, January 1892.

Sergeant-Major, and Quartermaster of Battalion, Cadet John A. Fitten, Atlanta, Ga. Died, 1895 in Atlanta.

Adjutant of Battalion, Cadet Jack F. Crutchfield, Macon, Ga. Died in Macon, 1905.

Following is the roster of Companies A and B, with first and last known address. Those marked with * are known to be dead:

COMPANY A.

Captain James S. Austin, Marietta, Ga. ; Waterman, California.

First Lieutenant, Cadet LodowickJ. Hill, of Washington, Wilkes Co., Ga.