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til mmum M>aifai* BY
F. M. TRIMMIER ZWcJ <o Education,Agricultural, Manufacturing and Mechanical Arts. ?2.00 IN ADVANCEVOL
XXIII. SP A RVANBUEG, S. C-, T1IUR3D A Y, M ARCII 1, 18G0. NO 5.
** " * - . ^"3
(bmh&dyT1 Spmbmt
IR PIII1LI8IIB1) KVKUY
THURSDAY MORNING,
A T
Two Dollars (Specie) in Advance,
From the New York World.
W.YDE HAMPTON.
ATBIBUTE TO T HUE CHI V ALR Y.
ViuoiNi January, 1806.
There was a gentleman of South Caro
Jina, of high social position and ample
estate, who, in 18151, came to take Dart in
the war in Virginia, at the head of a "Lc4?iou"
of Six humired men, infantry. This
.fccnly of men, it is said, ho had equipped
3rom his own purse, as lie hud scut to
Kngland and purchased the artillery with
which he was going to fight.
The ' Legion" was composed brave
AtuiF, and officered by hard fighting gentlemen?the
flower indeed of the great
South Carolina race ; a good stock. I believe
it first " took the field" in earnest at
tho first battle of Manassas us an independent
organization; belonging neither
to Beauregard's " Aruiy of the Potomac,"
Jior to Johnston's " Army of Shenandoah."
But there it was, as though dropped from
the clouds, on the morning of the fiery
JilstJuly, 18GI, amid tho coin fields ol
Manassas. It made its mark without loss
of time?stretching out to Virginia that
1 I- 1 ^ l? t? At /I ?
iirm, uravc nanu 01 aoilin Carolina. At
10 o'clook in Ihc morning of this ccntful
day, the battle seeuiod lost to the South
ernors. Evans was cut to pieces; Hoe
shattered and driven back in utter defeat,
to the ilonry 1 louse Mills between the
victorious enemy, and Hoauiegard's unprotected
flank, were interposed only the si*
hundred men of the 44 Legion'' already up,
and the two thousand six hundred and
eleven muskets of Jackson's not yet in
position. The 44 Legion" ocoupied the
Warrenton road uear the Ktone House,
where it met and sustained with stubborn
Iront the torrent doshei against it. (leu.
Keys, with a whole division, attacked these
six hundred men from the direction of
lied IIouso For i, and his advance was
(breed hack and compelled to take refuge
beneath tho bluffs near Ftone Fridge. The
column of General Hunter, meanwhile,
closed in ou the left of the little baud,
enveloped his flunk, and poured a destructive
urtillery fire along the liuo. To hold
their ground further was impossible, and
they slowly fell back; but these precious
momeuts had been secured. Jackson was
in position; the 44 Legion" retreated, and
formed upon his right; the enemy's advance
was checked; and when the Southern line
advanced in its turn, with wild cheers,
piercing the Federal centre, the South
Caroliniaus fought shoulder to shoulder
beside tho Stonewall Brigade, and saw
the forces break in disorder. Wbun
the sun sot 0:1 this bloody and victorious
field, the 44 Legion" had made a record
among the most lnnorable in history. They
had done more than their part in the gigantic
struggle, and now saw the enomy in
full retreat, but their leader did not witness
that spectacle. Wade Hampton had
been shot down in tins final churgo near
tho llcnry llcusc, and borne from the
field, cheering on to his men to the lust,
with that stubborn hardihood which he
derived from his anocstral blood.
Such was the first appearuncc upon the
great arena of a man who was destined to
act a prominent part in the tragic drama
of the war, and win for himself a celebrated
name. At Manusaas, there in the
beginning ol the struggle, as always uftcrward,
he was the cool and fearless soldier.
It was easily seen by those who watched
Hampton "at wurk" that lie lbught lrom
a sense of duty, and not from passion, t r to
win renown. The war was a gala day,
full of attraction and excitement to some ;
with him it was hard work?not sought,
but accepted. 1 utu certain that ho was
iiot actuated l>y n thirst for military rank
or renown. From those early days when
nil was so gay and brilliant, to the latter
years when the conflict had become so desperate
and blood)', oppressing every heart,
JIampton remained the enine co. l, uncx
.cited soldier, lie was foremost in every
fight, and everywhere did moic than his
.duty, but eventually martial ambition did
not move him. Driven to take up arms
by bis principles, he fought for his priuci
pies, not for fame. It followed him?he
.aid not follow it; and to contemplate the
and career of such a man is wholesome.
Ilis long and arduous career cannot hero
.be narrated. A baru reference to some
-prominent points is all that can be given.
(Ifll IT n mntnn nl' flift D llonmfnn I "
??-("v.., v,. W.V IIVU1|<IVII
soon became Brigadier-General Hampton
of tho cavalry. Tho horsemen ot tlie Gull'
State* serving in Virginia, were pluoed
under him, and the brigudc became a portion
of Stuart's command It soon made
its mark. Here arc some of the landmarks
in the stirring record :
The bard and stubborn stand made at
the Cutoctin mountain when General Leo
first invaded Maryland, and where Hampton
charged and captured the Federal ar
tillery posted in the Suburbs of Frederick
City ; the rearguard work us tho Column
hastened on, pursued by McUlellan, to
Sharps burg ; the stout lighting on the
Conlederuro left there; tho ruid around
MoClollan'e artuy in October; the obstinate
lighting in front of the gap of the
Blue Ridge as Lee fell back in November
to the line of the Rappahannock ; the expedition
in dead of winter to tho Occoijuan
?the oritieal and desperate combat on the
9th of June, 180*5, at Fleetwood llill, or
Brandy, where Hampton held the right,
and Young of Georgia, tho bravo ol
braves, went at the flanking column of the
enemy with the sabre, never Qring a shot,
and swept thoni from the field; tliospeedy
advance, thereafter, with the fighting,
fighting, fighting, on the road to tlcttysburg;
the close and Litter strugglo when
the enemy, with an overpowering foroc of
infantry, cavalry and artillery, about the
20th of June, attacked the Southern cavalry
near Middleburg, and forced thorn
buck, step by step, beyond Upporvillc,
where, in the last wild charge, when the
Confederates woro nearly broken, Hampton
weut in with the sabre at the head ol
his men and saved the command from de
struction by his " do or die" fighting ; the
advance thereafter in Pennsylvania, when
the long, hard march was strewed all over
with battles like the verses of Ariosto:
the stubborn stand at Hanover town, whero
Hampton stood like a rock upon the hills
above the place, and the never-ceasing
rccediug roar of his artillery told us that
on the right flank all was well; the march
thereafter to Carlisle, and back to Gettysburg
; the grand charge there, sabre to
sabre, where Hampton was shot through
the body, and nearly cut out of the saddle
by a sa'-re blow upon the head, which
almost proved fatal; the hard conflicts ul
the Wilderness, when General Grunt came
over in May, the lighting on the
north bank of the l'o, and on the left ul
the army at Spottsylvaina Court House;
the various campaigns against Sheridan,
Kautz, Wilson and ;h later cavalry louddors
on the Federal side, when Stuart
having fallen, Hampton commau led the
whole Virginia cavalry; the hot fights at
Trcvilliau'g; at Ucauis; at IJollliolds ; in
a hundred p'acos; when in t.liu-v- . spiring
hours of the great conflict a species ot
fury seemed to possess butli combatants,
and Dinwiddie was the arena of u struggle,
bitter,' bloody, desperate beyond all ex
pressiou ; then the lighting in the Cam
' o o ~ > '
liutis uu t!io oi l grounds of the Kdisto,
the high hills of the S uitoo atnl Conguree,
which in 18t$4 ami lStio sent bulletins of
battle as before ; then the last act of the
tragedy w! en .Sherman came ami Hamptons
sabre gleamed in the glare of his
own house at" Columbia, fire i by himself,
anil then was sheathed-?such were so:ue
ot tho scenes ami 1 which the lite firm ol
this soldier moved, and his s.Yo. i Hashed.
The gleaming sabre bad always been seen
in tho van. On the Rappahannock, th
Po, the Susquehannah, the Shenandoah,
the North Ann, tho James, the 11 iwanty
?iu Virginia, Maryland and l'cnmyl?
j vaiiia?JIamptcn had fought with the
' stubborn rrourago inherited from his revolutionary
sires. Fighting lastly upon the
soil of his native State, ho felt no doubt
us -Marion anil Sumter <li<l wliou How Jon
anil Turleton came ami were met sabre iu
sabre. In tlie hot conflicts of lMtio Hampton
niot the new enemy us those />r< iur
chcvalicrt with their Virginia comrade,
I" Light llorso Harry" Lee, had met the
old, in 1781.
Of this eminent soldier, I will say that
seeing him often, in many of those perilous
strutia which reveal hard fibre or its absence,
I always regarded him as a noble type of
courage and manhood?a gentleman and
| soldiicr "to the finger-nails." Hut that is
j not enough; generalization and euiogy are
unprofitable?truth and minute chat-actor
! ization are bettor. One personal anecdote
' of Caesar would be far more valuable than
1 a hundred commonplaces?an 1 that is true
of others. It is not a "general idea" 1 am
to give?I would paint the portrait, if I
can, of the actual man The individuality
'of the great South Caroliuian was very
marked You saw at a glance the race from
which he sprung, and the traits of heart
and brain which he brought to the bar 1
contest. He was "whole in himself and
due to none." Neither in physical or mental
conformation did ho resemble Stuart,
the ideal cavalier, the rou -h ri.l. r
| or tho re.st. 'I'o compare him lor an in
| slant to the famous Stuart?the latter
laughed, sang and revelled in youth and
j enjoyment. Hampton smiled oltcner than
he laughed, never sang at all that I ever
. hoard, and hud the composed demeanor of
; a man ol middle age. Stuart loved bril;
iiant colors, gay scenes, and the sparkle of
' luight eyes. Hampton gave little thought
! to these things, and his plain gray coat,
worn, dingy and faded, beside the great
cavalier's gay '-lighting jacket," shining
with gold braid, detined tho whole, diil'erj
once. 1 do not say that the dingy coat
| covered a stouter heart than tho brilliant
jacket?there never lived a more heroic
| s n than Stuart?but that in this w..:- shown
the individuality uf each. The one?S
art?was young, gay, a West Pointer, ;
> splendid in his merriment, elm and nl,
'don. The other?Hampton?a civilian
preaching middle ago, a planter, not a i
dicr by profession?a man who embirl
in the arduous struggle with the cooln
. ol'the states to an, rather than the ardor
: the soldier. It was the planter, sword
hand, not the l?. .S. olliecr, that ono saw
Hampton?the country gontlonian who t<
' up arms because his native soil was Inv
j ed, as the race ol whicli ho came had di
in the past. That the plain planter, wi
cut military education, bejatnc the gr
: soldier, is au evidence that'The strain v
! show."
Here is an outline of tlm South Hir..!
ia.ii as lie appearcl in Jul}, 1SG2, wt
the cavalry were resting after the battloi
' the Chicuhoniiny, an<l lie often came
the old shady yard of Uauover Court 1 lot
to talk with General Stuart under the tr
tie re. What the eye saw in these '
was a personage of tallstaturo and "dial
gui died" appearance. Tlic faoc was broi
ed by sun and wind, half e vcred by d;
side-whiskers, joining a long moustache
the same huo?the chin bold, protnim
and bare. The eyes were brown, inclin
to black, aud very mild and friendly;
voice, low, sonorous, and with a certain
cent of dignity and couiposurv The Ira
of the soldier?striight, vigorous aud e
wart, but not too Ltoal fir grace?was
0:l>?"i] in :i Tilfim iii-iv uicl
... ? i * n**V "MVtt Ui W4f u
cut, with the cellar turned down; cava
boot*, largo and serviceable, with br
spurs; u brown kit bat, without star
leather; the rest ul the dress plain gr
Imagino this stalwart figure with a he:
sabre buck c 1 uruu-i 1 tlic Wav , and men
ed upon a larirc and power! .t! animal
most excellent blo<> t and action, but whe
"un-diowy." an 1 a e->:rect idea will bo
tainol ol tlonei il Wale Hampton. Ik
ing Ironi the clothes tn the limn?what :
pressed all who saw him was the attract
union ol dignity and sinij lieity in his be
ing?:t certain grave and simple court
which indicated biilli and breeding. 11
was evidently an honest ..i-nt!.>m.?n ?
j --- !
disdain 1 : i| ]iic.V::oo or artilico. Jt \
|>lain that !i thought nothing <.f perso
decural.uos or inuin^-y ' ,?.v iid
drcaun d of "'producing an i:u. re<-i n i
on any one. This was revealed by t!
bearing lull ol' pvoud mode<ty?noitl
stiff nor insinuating?simple.
Aft_r being in his presence fur ten in
utos, y ?u saw that he was mar. tor lis
work, and not J >r display. 'fhai plain a
unassuming manner, wi'hout pretciisi<
affectation, or "oSc al" ooolneip, was
index to the character o! the individn
It i. easy tj tell a gentleman?sonuthi
betinys tliat character, a: something b -tr;:
the prcte ml. r. Refinement, g > >d broe 1:i
1 a!; I lealtv till*. I a.ill ?i1' t.? ...... u
Il l II ? * ! iviivtx ? I UV MVJIV'W) IUI* I'Vl
soldi r who has cViT -. rvi'd tr.idcr hilt
lie was always doing the ] >nvr m< nibi
1 of his command some kindness. Hi ha
was open like his In-art. Many a bra
fellow's lata ly was kept from w nit hy hi
and a hundred instances ol thi Moral
are doubtless recorded in the gratciill nie
I orics of the women and children whom
fought lor ami fed, too, in those dark da
This munificence was no where else reco
cd. The left hand knew nut what the rij,
did.
I tisk a few wor is more, at the ri&k of
petition. In reference to the per- titl heari
of the man. llis composure upon trying
eitsiolis, as in every <1 ty life, nidi ;Vd n .1
poi -e?l and independent character !le i^r.
' yield-. ! to beany re rth, tut Ml tn.l< wa, v<
? - - ?j %?..j *v? ..vii'M , nvi ' in
embodied. TliO <?ct: -rul \v:is as courtei
to the huuillot private ; ! !: r as to t
Cc. 121:11 ni'l in Chief, and you c al l J". .
cr 'n him no trace what vcr ?>i" that ;-ir
"c Mid -c ;?ni u" an 1 patronage" whi
small persons, aim.n^ to be at, >u
tiim ? a>l>>pt. It Was >'uc an. 'r~_u ro.ii
I .1 - . ? ' "
sv oi mo l'ciiuuuiiii. ii't the hollow poll
ncss of the proton Jut t.) that tit!.*, whi
all BiW in Hampton. Ho <1:1 n t a*
I tulo, but lived libs character. In his voi
in his Loarin % in ail that he said an 1 <1
the South Cuolin. m betrayed the m in v;
is too prou l n't to be rininle, natural. :i
uiiu-sutniiii;.
I'pon tlii trait ol in:.an r merely, I m
seem to dwell too !ou_'. llut it i- n
trifle. 1 run trying to delineate a man
wnoni wo .^outnerncrs are proud?and t
rare grace was his. It reflected elea
the charactir uf the individual -the it >
pride, the true courtesy, and t!i high 1 i
simplicity ol otic who amid all the jurii
strife of an < xcitod epoch, would not mi!
his serene i.prunimity ol'tcnip r to bo <J
turbed; wl. aim.-! to di hi duty to 1
country, not rise above his as >ociatcs; w
i was no politer to the higher than to t
low, to the powerful than to t!. weak, a
who respected more the truth and ceuta
beneath the tattered jacket th in tho st
and wreath on the braided coat. The
| suit ol tl i> kindly feeling toward "men
low estate ' was marked. An officer lo
associated with him saiJ to iu one day,
do not believe there ever wu. a Gene
moro beloved by bis whole coinman 1, a
he more than returns it. Gen II unpl
li-t-u l lVeil I .1. > -? ? * ? ---
tu- friendly ami attract ire. You could see th it <
lI1(j he was a person of earnest feelings, anil had a i
good heart. In camp lie was a pleasant coin- I
" pinion, and tlioso who saw hint daily became
:,p' most attached to him. His stair was Jevote l
i >1- to him 1 remember the r<-gret experienced i
ted by these brave gentlemen when Hampton's us- i
C<3S ignnieut to the command of all the cavalry i
, separated thctn from him. The feeling which I
!' they then exhibited left no doubt of tlio titleu(r
cordnile between tliu members of the military '
ill family. General Hampton liked to laugh and
;,k talk with thctn nrouud the camp tire; to do <
j(i- j 'hem every kindness he could?but that was
[ his wc'kiiess toward everybody?and to play
j chosa, draughts, or other game-', in the inter
1,1 val3 i>l" iigh'tntr or work. (>nc of his passions | <
eat was hunting. This amusement he pursued '
vill upon every occasion?over (lie Spottsylvanin, 1
ami J liic Woods of Diuwiddio, and ou the riv- ,
era of North Carolina. Ilia success was great, j
1,1 Ducks, patridges, squirrels, turkey and deer
ton fell .before his double-barrel, in whatever couu I
ol try he pitched his tents. He knew nil the old
; to huntsmen in the regious in which lie tarried,
lse delighted t? talk with such upon the noble
' science of venery, anl wis considered by
; t licsc dangerous critics a thorough sportsman.
:ty.s 1 'j'l .y logardel him, it is said, as a comrade
.til- . n : undistinguished, and scut him, in friendly
srii- i recognition i?t hi." merit, presents of vcusion
:,nd ..!?; f I. 1.1 -1 ?
tJ- ^ ...... nuivil >1 u-> 1'ICUllilil ;viung lllC
.. I jdiorcs ot the ltowanty, or in the backwoods uf
Dinwiddle. Hampton was holding the right
B'H of General Leo's lines there, in supreme coiuitig
inuud of nil the Virginia cavalry ; but it was
the not as a hunter of ' blue-birds"?<o we used
ac_ to call our Northern friends?that they respected
hint most. It was ns a deer hunter ;
aud 1 have heard '.hat the hard tightiug caviltnl
, jor relished, very highly, their goj 1 opinion of
en- him in that character. It s singular that a
iaa love for hunting should so often characterize
jr,. 1 men of elegant scholarship and literary tase.
i his great soldier and huntsman was also a
a s ; poet ; aud one day Stuart spoke in high com- |
or j mend ition of his writings. His prose style !
ay. | was forcible and excellent?in letters, and all
ivy i 'hat lie wrote. The admirably written ad,
^ Less to the people of South Carolina, which
was recently published, will display the justice
V of tliis statement. That paper, like alt that :
tlly conic from liiui, was compact, vigorous lucid, !
ob- " written in Knglish," and overewhcrc betray- ;
t< , od the scholar uo less than the patriot. 1: will
itu- ! ''vc " ,u,i ath .u .uwl octavos have disappeared. j
SaoU wus W.vlo Hampton, the man?a gen- |
tlcuinn of refinement, purity, and elevation iu
J every lihreolhis being. It vrm iinpos iblo to
i!-v . int igiue anything coarse or profane in the ac- 1
ere ' lion or uticrauce of the mail. An oath never
.jlu soiled li:s lips. "I)j bring up that artillory 1"
I or -uino equivalent exclamation, vas his near
. est approach to irritation even. Such was the
,);l- j Bcprctae control which this tnan. ot character ,
' if , tJ or. und ve->; ii. u, hud Over his |
r>- ; pi"-- ms. For under that simplicity and kindh
it ' Culll"-'sy wa* the largely-raided nature of
| one ready to go t < the death 'vm.ii honor called.
1 | In a single word, it was a powerful orgnnizaj
lion uudcr complete control, which the present
in I writer > -etned to veeogni/o in Wado Hampton.
ir,l l.'nder that meekness an I liguity which made
nj linn conspicuous among the tirst gentlemen of
hi' epoch, was the stubborn spirit of the bora
jn- oluier.
a!' i Little space is I f: io speak of him in nis mili
itary character. 1 preferred to dwell upon
",-t 1 li imptou, the man, as ho appeared to mc?for
Ly.s | Hampton the (iencral. will find tuany j.istorians !
j , Sjm.' traits of the soldier, however, m:i3v "<Jt !
.; 1- mittcd?this character is too eminent to
he draw.; only in profile. <>u the fichl, II;i:np,
ls ton was note I for his coolness. This never |
tt-' kit him. I: might almost be called repose, j
jv aj perfect was it. lie was never an excitable
vj" man, a:: 1 as doubt an I danger presse 1 heavier, i
his equanimity seemed to in ivase. You could ;
- th..1 iiis was truly a stubborn spirit. 1 do I '
1 ' u a tnitili that any body who knew hi in could |
'l' even imagine Wad' tl:iiii|>.on "flurried.'' Ilis I
i nerve was ma le of invincible elutr. and his en j
t.|j tire absence of all exc lability ou the field was
f ( spoken of bv his enemies as a fault. It was
.-anl that his coolness amounted to a defect in
a env ?lry leader; that lie waute 1 the dash, rush,
1 . and impetus which this branch of the service
ho U mauds, if there was any general truth iu |
11.| | this criticism, there was in particular iustuu j
j \\ iv as 'It I liio ircncliant weapons of thu an
if- .''ieht knights. This spirit of the thorough
n (wvali- v in 1! impton is worth dwelling on
no- I'mlor the hraol of tho Major-Honor*! was the '
If- brave >ul of the feerless soMier, the ''fi^ht!
in,; man." It was not a roeiit in htm or in
srv ' '!,era that thrv pave u we?'?S, bv itui -,
elegance, nil (lie comforts, conveniences and
serene enjoyments of life, to live hard and fight
lianl; (o endure heat, cold, hunger, thirst, exhaustion,
and pain, without a murmer; but it
was n merit in this brave soldier and gentleman
that he did more than his duty, met breast
to breast, in single combat, the boat swordsmen
of the Federal army, counting his life no more
than a private soldier's; and seemed to ask
nothing more than to pour out bis heart's blood
for the cause in which he fought. Thle perBonel
heroism?and Hampton had ittoa grand
i-xteui--euiraetstlio admiration of troops. But
there is somothing better, or more useful at
least?the power of brain aud force of character
which won the confidence of the Common
ucr-iu-ciiiei is cmicu liobert li. l.ee, it is something
to ! iVO secured his high regard and eon*
fide nee. Hampton !iad won the heart of Lee,
and by that '-nublost (Ionian of Lhetn all" his
groat character and eminent services were fully
recoguized. Tlicsc men seemed to understand
each oilier, and to be inspired by the same sentiment?u
love of ilieir native land whioh never
failed, and a willingness to spend and be spent
to the lust drop of their blood in the oanse
which they had espoused. During General
Stuart's lite, Hampton was second in command
of the Virginia I'uralry; but when that great
cavalier fell, betook charge o'f the whole as
ranking o'Jiccr. Mis first blow was that resolute
night attack on Shccidan's forco at Me-,
ehauicsvillc, when the enemy were driven in
(he darkness from their camps, and sprung to
horse ouly in time to avoid the sweeping sabres
of the Southerners?giving up from that moment
nil further attempt to enter Richmond.
ucii tunic me lung, naru, ucspcraic nguiing
of (ho whole vonr lbf>4, aud the spring of 1865.
At Trcvillian s, Sheridan was driven book, and
Charlottesville saved; on the Weldon Railroad
the enemy's cavalry, under Kanti and Wilson,
was nearly cut to pieces, and broke in disorder,
leaving on the roads their wngons, cannons,
ambulances, their doad men and horses; near
Hcl'.tichl the Federal column sent to destroy
the railroad was encountered, stubbornly opposed
an 1 driven back before they oould burn
the bridges at Hicksford; at Burgess' Mill, near
l'ctcr-hurg where General Grant uiade his first
great blow with two corps ot infantry, at the
Southsido railroad, Hampton met them in front
aud tl ink. fought them all an October day
nearly, lost his brave son Preston, dead from
a bullet on the field, but, in conjunction with
Mahotte, thai hardy fighter, sent the enemy in
haste back to tlicir works, thus saving for the
time the great war artery of the Southern army.
Thenceforward, until lie was sent to South
Carolina, Hampton held tho right of Lee, in the
wuoda of Dinwiddie, guarding with his cavalry
cordon the line of tiio llowauty, and defying
nil comers. Stout, hardy, composed, smiling,
ready to mcot any attack, in those last days of
the strange year ItH'-i. he ueetued to my eyas
the hcau ideal ofas<luler. lhe man appeared
to be as firm as a rock, as immovably rooted
as one of the gigantic live-oaks of his native
country. When 1 asked him one day if he expected
to l>c attacked aoon, ho laughed and
said : "No; the enemy's cav%lry urc afraid to
show their noses beyond their infantry." Ner
d:d the Federal cavalry ever achieve any results
in that region until the ten or fifteen
thousand ctack cavalry of Gee. Sheridan came
to tide over the two thousand men, on starved
and broken-1' wn horses of Gen. L'iti Lee, in
April. 1805. From Virginia, in the dark winter
of 1SG4, Hampton was sent to oppoae with
his cavalry the udvauce of G?n. Sherman, and
the world knows how desperately he fought
there ou Lis natah zeehtrn. More than ever
or lore, it was sabre to sabre, aud Hampton
was siill in front. When the enemy pressed
on to Columbia, he set his fine house there on
lire v it la his own hands, and fell back, fighting
from 11reel to street, and so continued fighting
i: i.::! t!;.- thunderbolt fell in South Carolina
it had lnllen in Virginia, at Appomattox,
nil the struggle ended. The sword that
llaiupt m sheathed that day was one which no
evil ?t had faith, cruelty or dishonor had ever
tainted, h was the blade of a brave and irrepr
reliable chevalier?of a man who, throughout
the tuost desperate and embittered conflict
of all history, had kept his ancestral name from
every blot, and had proved himself upon a
hundred battle ticlds the worthy son of the
"mighty tucn of old."
Such, in rough outline, was this brave and
kindly soldier and gentleman, as he dashed
before our eyes in Virginia ' working his
work.-' Seeing him often?in camp, on the
field, in bright days, and wheu the sky was
darkest?the present writer looked upotn him
as a noble spirit, the truthful representative
of a great and vigorous race. Brave, just,
kiudly, courteous, with the tenderness of &
woman under that grave, nt times almost cold
exterior ; devoted to the principles for which
he fought and won! 1 have died : loving his
native land with a love ' passing the lovo of
a wounu proud, but never haughty ; not so
much " condesccn Jing" to men to low estate,
as giving them -if they were soldiers?the
warm rigid hand of fellowship; merciful, simple
minted ; foremost in the fight, but nowhere
to be seen in the ante chamber of living
man ; with a hand shut tight upon the sword
hilt, but open as day to "melting oharity
colliding his life as nothing at the call of honor:
lighting with stubborn resolution for the
faith that was in him; never cast down, never
wavering, never giving back until the torrent
'-in- nun away, urn ngnting (0 uic last with
ihat hcioic courage burn in hid blood, for the
independence of the country. Such was Wade
Hampton, of South Caroliua. There are those,
perhaps, who will malign him in these dark
da\<. when no sun shines. But the light is
yonder beyond Uio clou.I and storm, some day
it will shine out, and a million of rushlights
will not be ample to extinguish it. There ore
others who will call l.im traitor, aud look, perhaps,
with pity and contempt upon this p&gu
which claims for him a noble place among the
illustrious figure* shining all along the coasts
of history, like beacon lights above the storm.
Traitor lot it be ?one hundred years ago there
Were many in the South, and they fought over
the name ground. Had tho old Revolution
failed, those men would have lived forever, aa
11 impton and his associates in the recent con*
diet will. "Surrender," written at the end of
this g<cut history, cannot mar its glory?fail*
in o cannot blot out its splendor. Let the storm
flutter obloquy and insult heat?it will not
be long At least one fellow traitor livee to
share that obloquy, and take his portion of that
*'pitil?j3 ptorm"?a poor writer, who is protid
to have louche 1 the brave hand of Hampton
40/j
oes. Hampton w is sufficiently headlong when i
I saw liiin?was one of the iiiOtl thoroughly ;
l.v -ncei commanders imaginable, and ecrt
" I Mini* seemed to have a natural turn for going
ol in fr nt of hid column with the drawn sabre,
his ' What the French call is not, howevor, t!ie
j.?v gicatest merit in a soldier. behind the strong
arm is the very brain. Cool an I collected resI
,l' 1 idnti at, a comprehensive surrey oft ho whole
! field, an l the most excellent dispositions for
II ' att.i ;k or defence such were the supreme mer.
fcr its f this great soldier. I could never divest
^ | n vself <>f tho idea that, as a corps commander
! of infantry, ho would h ire figured am ng tho
I m ist eminent names of history. Willi an unlio
couid ni brain, a r<> ;. J / us clear as a ray
lie ?>l the sun: invincible before danger; never liar
iul ri"l, anxious or do'pond ni; content to wait;
,, ! >> wary even to l>c surprised; looking to great i
tria'.s i f strength, an 1 : > g TitTal results?the 1
11 " in.in possessing the traits of cliaraetor was ;
I'1' better tilted, I always thought, for the command I
ol ol troops of all arm?infantry, cavalry nut
ii . artillery?than far one arm nlono. Hut with '
,. p : hat arm wliioh lie commanded?cavalry?what
I j splendid i v suits did he a -lucre I In how many
I'Wtiivu^ -? i? ? ? c m-? ??!> Il^lliv acvu iu I1U111 ?
nd I of iho Southern horsemen, bidding them "come
;ou <>n." not ' go on." I!.- was not only the com>ry
in.in.lor, but the ir too. Thousands v.-ill |
'? remember how tiis stalwart form towercil in
' v.vi at Frederick t'ity, at Fpporvillo, at i
L*^ (!ctiy burg, at Trcvillian's, and in a hundred I ,
other f.gbti. Nothing more superb could bo
iVc imagine 1 th .:i Hampton ut .-Mich moments. < !
m; There w .> 11 > tinny in the in in?but determine i '
. nl n oluiion. No doubt of the result apparent- j
'' no looking for an aveuue of retreat. "Subro
i to Sahro!" might have been taken as the motto | !
'le I of his binnei. In the "hoady fight' lie was J
ys. everywhere seen, amid the clouds of sinoke, I
rJ. the crashing shell, and the whistling balls, {
,y . fight ng like a privto soldier, his long tword a
* I doing b ird work in (lie uieloo, and carving its