The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1901-1982, March 18, 1903, Image 1
~'BL.~1E)WEEKLY. WINNS"BORO, S. C.. WEDNESDAY,INMARCH i. SrILSE 84
SOME WAR REMINISCENSES. tj
An lilnstration of the Importance of
-Old Soldiers Putting on Record c
What They Know.
Columnbia, S. C.. Mar. 9, 1903. o
Ed1itor Wli7nnboro News and ler- C
ald: b
Dear Sir: I hand you herewith
a letter from a lady friend which, 7
as von observe,. led up to the 6
correspondence following: First,
a type writt, n copy of ay reply
to her letter, she keeping my
original inmy handwri d
and making a type written copy,
with permission to publish hers g
to me. Second, a letter in the a
handwriting of an old comrade, ]
Capt. A. W. Hudgens, of Easley, s
S. C, in reply to a letter from e
on the same subject. The seem
ing discrepancy in regard to the
actingo Major of the battalion, as a
set i4rth in our letters is account
ed for by the fact that both Capt.
Townsend and Capt. Watson were
"
killed and Capt. Whitener had to
take command of. the battalion. c
Lieut. Roberts, of whom mention
R
is mado, was killed in the fall of '
1864, 1 thintk, in the valley cam
paign under- General Early, and ro
Sergeant Major B. F. Watt died t
of srekness and was buried at
b
GOToilosVille, Va.b
If vou will have the kindness b
to puiblish these letters in their 1
consecutive order you will confer c
an appreciated favor on some 0
anxious and interested survivors s
Und oti-r filends of later days. h
R. H. Jennings.
i
Union, 8. C, Jan. 26, 1903. t
Hoi. R. H. Jenings, State Treas
i'?er, Columbia, S. C.: b
Dear Sir: I have been told that a
yoU wrote an article that appeared t<
in a Wiunsboro paper in 1897 a
upon th.e batta of Chickamauga, c
in whic you spoke of Kershaw's c
Brigade 'and its gallantry upon T
dg t~ i!trand ihat. you t
mentioned Wm. H.' Evans, Com- l
panyA,3rd Regiment. Kershaw's n
Brigade, who was wounded at
that time. I am-deeply interestad
in this pgrtieular soldier, s
lie was brought up by My father, e
John N. Scotield, of Columbia, ei
S. C., and was to me as an own
brother. If you can give me any ci
information as to his conduct or
'fate in that battle, I shall be very tj
much obliged to you. I should e,
gladly purchase any papers that d:
contain articles upon that battle b
or more especially that mention o
Wm. Evans. I am very muchin- w
terested in the history of our
State, ard, as I am trying to h
establish a chapter of U. D. C.w
in Union, I should very much like h
to gzet the record of this soldier, a]
my mother's first -cousin, my s<
adopted brother, and the only 4,
soldier 'my immediate family g
could send to the war, since thereu
was no other boy in the house e
save a little lad of eleven years. ih
Thar king you in advance for tl
any kirdr tess you may be able to a
show ne, I am, c
Very truly yours,m
Mrs. B. G. Clifford. t
Coluimbia, S. C., Jan. 29, 1903. o
.3Ars. B. G. (Clford, Union, S. C: bi
Dear Madam: I am just in 1
receipt of your letter of the 26th ai
C inst. I would gladly send you a W
copy of the Winnsboro paper int
which the letter you refer to was a]
published, or"o copy of the Co- P4
lumbia State, in which I have
written a letter or two on the "
same subject-the battle of P1
Chiekamanea; but unfortunately li
for me I have not preserved a
copy of any of these papers, nor d
do I recollect the dates of their d
publication; but . I will do for s
iou the next best thing I can do, P
i. e , write from memory a sketch t
of the events that transpired in s
that memorable battle as relates "
S to the part Kershaw's Brigade ~
took in it. You have no doubt ai
learned from histories and other t.
sources, that Longstreet's Corps 11
of ee's Army of Northern Vir
gii.almost uimmediately afterd
its return from Pennsylvania to b
* Virginia, after the 'battle of d
Getty.-burg, was ordered to North b1
Georgia to reinforce Gen. Bragg's i
Western Army near Chattanooga f(
Tenu. hersliaw's Brigade, com-: il
posed of the 2d, 3d, 7th, 8th, and b
15th, S. C. Volunteer Infantry, c
and the 3d or James' Battalion 0
f S. C. Infantry was a part of ti
iis corps. James' Battalion
as composed of five companies
om in and around Laurens
)unty, one f r o m Richland
>unty (principally from the city
[ Columbia) commanded by
apt. D. B. Miller To this
attalion William Evans, of
hom you write, belonged. The
'h company (G) was from Fair
eld county, and Capt. B. M.
'bitner, its commander, was
Ating major of the battalion;
ence the command of Co. G.
evolved upon the writer, he
eing first lieutenant. Our Bri
Ide arrived at Ringgold, Ga.,
bout 18 or 20 miles (I think)
om Chatianooga, Tenn, and
>me 8 or 10 miles from Alexan
r's Bridge on Chickamauga
ver late in the afternoon of
ept. 19th, 1863. After a long
ad tiresome ride on freight cars
-om Petersburg, Va., and camped
util midnight or after, when we
-ere aroused and marched to
lexander's bridge, which we
rossed about daylight, and from
iere we marched some three or
ur miles to the vicinity of
nodgrass Hill, and were held in
)serve for several hours, while
le battle raged furiously not
6r in our front. This was on a
eautiful, bright sunshiny Sab
ith day, the 20th of September,
363, and all nature was in lovely
)ntrabt with the raging billows
I fratricidal war which were
veeping over the plain, and
urling thousands upon thou
inds of our friends and foes
ito eternity as by a mighty
dal wave of destruction. It
as a time of the most awful
ispense, as we lay in line of
tle, in constant expectancy of
courier to ride up and order us
> the front. It mnst have been
)out 1 p. m. when the summons
ime, and Capt. Townsend, from
kesbury, a son of Rev. Joel
ownsend, being *i 'ommand of
ke battalion, - addre~sed ,.s ifn
ving but firm tones, rirnding
3 where we were from, and
cPouraging and urging every
an to do his duty. Poor brave
an, lie was instantly killed
rly in the fight. W hen we
nerged from the skirt of woods,
here we had been partially con
aled from the view of the enemy,
e came upon an open field at
te foot of Snodgrass Hill, the
iemy being perhaps two hun
red yards in our front on the
-ow of the hill and under cover
woods, mostly oak and hickory,
ith here and there a large pine
terspersed. Our brigade was
stily formed in fiting line and
e advanced under fire up the
.11 under circumstances in which
uy other. than true and tried
>ldiers would have recoiled; but
2 we went to victory or death.
hen we were about half way
> the hill Gen Kershaw observ
I that our line was not advane
g in nuch direction as to strike
Le enemy just aLs he wished.
ur battalion was acting in the
ipacity of what is known in
ilitary parlance as 'the bat
lion of direction,' and the
-igade. had to' allign itself by
ir colors, Sergt. Win. Evans
~ing the color-bearer. Gen.
ershaw walked up to Evans,
id taking the flag from him,
alked out in front of the line so
at the flag could be seen from
1 parts of it; Evans thinking
erhaps that the General had an
a that he was going to waiver,
lked along with Kershaw, and
eaded with him to please give
mn the flag, and just point out
him where to go, and assuring
m that lhe would go there or
e in the attempt. Gen. Ker
aw kindly gave it back and
>intingto large green pine at
e top of the hill said: "Do you
e that pine?" "Yes," said Evans,
ITo directly to it;" and he went.
assing to the top of the hill we
Ivanced down the opposite side
rough the woods uder a gal
ag and murderous fire, in which
any of our gallant men went
>wu, we reach a ravine, lying
tween the hill we had just
scended and a much Lhigher one,
fact almost a mountain, where
e enemy had 'rallied in strong
~re. I saw through the forest,
iat they were running up a
attery, and I remarked to my
>pany, "They are going to
peu a battery on us," which
e did almost immediately, and
No Time to Lose
You cannot afford to disregard
the warnings of a weak and
diseased heart and put off tak
ing the prescription of the
world's greatest authority on
heart and nervous disorders
Mie' Heart Cure.
If your heart palpitates, flutters,
or you are short of breath, have
smothering spells, pain in left
side, shoulder or arm, you have
'heart trouble and are liable to
drop dead any moment.
.. W. Woodcock, one of the
Znown alperators in the coun
try dronped dead from heart diseatte
recently,.; i howe In Portland, Ind.,
whUe a his lawn.-The Prtm.
Mrs. M. A. Birdsal, Watkins, N. Y.,
whose portrait heads this advertise
ment, says: "I write this through grat
itude for benefits I received from Dr.
Miles' Heart Cure. I had palpitation
of the heart, severe pains under the
left shoulder, and my general health
was miserable. A few bottles of Dr.
Miles'Heart Cure cured me entirely.
Sold by all Druggista.
Dr. Miles Medical Co., Elkliart, Ind.
with the very first discharge of
grape, or canister, tire gallani.
Capt. Townsend fell, seeminglr
to me, as I passed . rig'bt nea-.
bim, one entire side of his faco.
was torn away. Death must.
have been instantaneous. T
passed Wm. Evans lying on the
the ground, and saw blood oi,
his face, and as I passed he said.
-
tre rse
this flag."' I gathered it up, ano
almost instantly the staff of it.
was struck twice and nearly cut.
in two by rifle balls, so tbicld
were they flying. It seemed t(
me that never before or since, ir
all the many battles I took part;
in, did I pass through such b.
storm of minnie balls. I was.
disabled with a ball in my left.
leg and was helped from the,
field, and did not see Evans for
months after. It turned on.
that he was not very seriousl.
wounded, but not from any fail
ure on his part to do his duty,
for he was a good soldier. I
hope I have not wearied you.
with this long letter. I am.
always glad to give any informa
tion in my power in regard to
events of the war, and to answer:
any questions about any of my
former comrades. You will
never, I am sure, have any cause
t ,regret that you v er -so intimate
ty associatLed with myv old comrade,.
Wmn. Evans. Please excuse any
errors or interlineations, as I.
have not time to rewrite. The.
beautiful monument erected by
South Carolina on Snodgrass
Hill stands within about fifty
yards of the large pine that Gen.
Kershaw pointed out to Evans,.
and the battlefield looks now~
very much like it did the day of
the fight.
Very respectfully,
R. H. Jennings.
Easley, S. C., Feb. 4, 1903.
Dear Friend and Ceomrade:
Yours of the 31st ult. to hand
and the information that it con
ains is highly appreciated by me.
You know that it is difficult for
two or more persons to see or
remember things exactly alike..
Yet it would be well for thos'e
veterans yet living to compare.
notes and leave for the good of
posterity and the honor of fallen.
omrades a true history of the.
war between the States.
When Lee started on the Penn
sylvania campaign, while Ker
shaw'< Brigade was near Culpep
per C. H., Va., Sergt. Watt, the.
sergeant-major of James' Bat
talion, was ta.ken sick and sent to
the hospital. At his request 1
was detailed to act in his place..
I served in that capacity during-~
the Pennsylvania and westeri.
campaigns, or about nine months.
in all. I merely mention this to'.
show my relardon to the comman.
at Chicka mauga and I now wiL
[p the hill Capt. Watstn sent me
n an errand to the commanding
>fficer 4n the right. I saw Capt.
Pownsend and walked with him
little way in rear of the line.
Yhile we were passing Coinpay
), a minnie struck a testament'in
,he side pocket of L. G. Ball and
odged in the book. Ball thought
Lt first that lie was severely
vounded, but finding he was not,
ie did not leave the line.' The
)ook was a present from his
weetheart and lie carried it over
iis heart. He told me a few
rears ago that he still had the
)ook and the bullet.
Whe-n I returned to the left the
)attle was at its fiercest; our line
vas being raked by- schrapnell
hot. Capt. Watson was missing
Lnd I stepped across the ravine
nto the itterval between onr left
nd the right of the 2nd regiment.
en. Kershaw was but a few feel
wy watching the conflict. In a
thort while a courier arrived faom
he right of the brigade and de
ivered a muessage to the general,
vbo then ordered the line to re
ire to the foot of the hill. As
be general turned to go the cou
ier was shot down. Kershaw<
>ade him good-bye, but a com
ade and myself took him up and
'arried him to the foot of the
Lill and gare him to the litter
iearers. When we reached the
oot of the hill the men took
efuge behind the trees. Here
re remained for several hours
)efore we were relieved b y
xracie's Brigade. At this point
lie enemy ch:agred ,ns twice and
-ere repnhbed. In one of the
harges some of their men were
illed in ten steps of our line.
Iere I witnessed the coolest and
ravest act I evera saw. 'ieut.
toberts, of Company B, acting
jutant, that day while thore
as a lull in the firing during the
fternoon, went, up the i.
ea'rch for Captane . 1i
nd buch valuables as they might
ave in their pockets. Whilk
toberts was stoopingi over one
f the dead officers five federal
ldiers rushed towards him from
cluster of bushes near by with
be view of capturinghim. Bob- 8
rts raised his sword and ordered
hem to surrender. Two of them
n and the other three surren
ered and were marched by him
ito our lines.
About five o'clack in the after
oon we were relieved by Gracie's C
;rigade of Alabama. 'thus after
ve or six, hours of continuous
ghting ending, so far as we were
oncerned, one of the hottest
ontested battles in which I was
ver engaged.
Mr. Will Evans, of 1432 Main I
treet, Columbia, S. C, says that I
e is a son of Ser'gt. Evans. -a
Sincerely yours, I
A. W. Hudgens. t
Foley's Kidney Cure makes the kid-~
es and bladder right. Contains
otbing injurious. Sold by McMaster
0.
It is proposed to make cock
gbting a misdemeanor in South
arolina. Now, if- they would
nly matke homicide at least' a
reach of the peace, things would
righiten up a bit.-Mail and Ex
ress.
Cough Settled on Hier Lungs.
"My daughter had a terrible cough
hich settled on her lungs" says N. J4
ickson, of Danville, Ill. "WVe tried a a
enat many remedies without .relief, r
rili we gave her Foley's Honey and .a
ar which eured her." Refuse substi- t
ites. Sold by McMaster Co.
SIX MONi
50 CENTS IA
To New Subs<
This offer is limited. I
aking- advantage of it.
give yon an account of th. r' 1i0
tle as I saw and remember i -
Our command arrived at c
gold, Ga., on the evening of ..
tenber 19, 1863, where three ( aQ t q
rations of corn meal was iss * O
to us and instructions given t
it be cooked and that we h.,u t
ourselves in readiness to move. 1
The orders to move came beforA e
midnight. and we marched in the I
direction of where we had heard I
cannonading in the evening. We I
crossed Alexander's bridge ove'- S
Chickananga creek about one or I
two o'clock that night and bivou- i
aced for the remainder of the
night on the right hand of the
road, close to the creek. On Sun - 1
day, the 20th, we marched for i
soie distance towards the left E
and reaching the vicinity of Snod- v
grass Hill we formed line of bat- i
tle in a large body of woods. P
While stopping at this point,
Capt. Townsend, acting lieuten- i
ant-colonel and commander. was e
in rear of the right wing of the t
battalion. He called me to him II
and told -we to tell company com- N
manders., to come to him as he t
wanted 'o talk with them. I t
obeyed his order, and on return- r
ing to him found him talking to I
some of the officers. About .tis r
time some order was given, which c
indicated the forward novement I
W:.s to bein, and he told me to 1
tell such officers as had not i
reached biu to take charge of r
their companses and for Lce to y
go to the left and assist Captain 1
Watson, who was acting as major. C
Thie brigade moved forward, and t
after going sonie dJ,tance reached V
an open field. 'Here for the first c
time we beheld Snodgrass Hill, I
which was soon to be made famous I
by one of the hardest battles of I
tie war fought for its possession. I
The hill was covered in original a
forest and occupied by a heavy v
force of the ~eneny, consisting of a
infant nd artillet .They also a
west ' the hill. From their a
position they opened fire upon b
us. Gen. Kershaw here ordered I
a change of front in order to o
place his line nearer on a parallel s
with his antagonist. a
Though this maneuver w a s t
made under fire, I never saw it e
more accurately done by any com- t
mand on a parade ground than it r
was executed on this occasion by d
James' Battalion. Gen. Kersaw ii
was immedietely in its rear and
clapping his hands be exclaimed, n
"Well done, battalion!" These I
words of praise had the effect of fi
greatly enthusing the men. The fi
command was then given the C
fifth battalion the battalion of c
direction. This made sergt. EVan4 e
the color-hearer of James' Bat
talioni, the guide of the brigade. s
Kershaw then went to him and h
pointed to a tiee on Snodigrass
said, "Do you see that pine on
yonder hill?". Evans replied that.
e did. Kershaw said. "Go to '
it." Evans replied, "I'll go orhi
die." A fter proceeding some dis - C
tance across the field Kershaw
discovered that the guide was not
moving exactly in the direction
he desired, He went to Evans*
again and attempted to take the
colors out of his hands, but Evans
refused to give them up, and told b
him that he had beeni mistaken in P
regard to which tree he was to
go to (for there were several large
pines on the hill). Kershaw wasw
satisfied with the explanation and Ja
again giving him the direction he g
returned -:o the rear of the li ne. U'
Evans was a worthy successor oft
Simpson, Stokes, and Harris,
those gallant heroes who had
borne the colors on other fields
the two first having laid down
ther lives on the altar of their
country, the latter, Sam Harris,
was at that time suffering from a
severe wound received at Gettys
burg. The last impressions that
I have of Evans' face, as he*
crossed that field, was that of a
man whoe knew his duty and was
resolved to do it. C.
The enemy who occupied the
wooded ridge to thne west of Suod
grass gave way without much re
sistance and J..h-ft a battery of
artillery behind therr. The lines
were adjusted in the hollow at
the foot of Snodgrass and then
followed the enemy towards the
top of the hill. The left of the
battalion was in a ravine imme
diately in front of where the ironi
tower~now stands. While going* t
A Word to
Nursing
Mothers
It is a well known clinical fact
that babies who depend whoHy. am
mother's milk never have cholera
and are exempt from two-thirds
the ailments which afflict infants.
Some inkling to this has checked
the resort to artificial foods and
begun to make it " good form " for
every mother to nurse her own
baby - when she can.
Some try it, and grow weak and
sick under the strain. With
others the milk flow is insufficient,
and the poor baby is at last given'
over to the tender mercies of the
milkman with his corn fodderand
stale slops, and worse.
If any mother within ten miles
of our store reads this, we.want to'
give them a hint. Try VinoL
There are many mothers who have,
found that it enabled them to take
more nourishment, restored their
strength, and made baby healthy,
hearty, and happy.
Vinol not only supports the
nother's strength but transmits
to the babe the foundtion for a
healthy childhood.
Vinol contains no da
drugs. We are willinig to tell.you
just what is in it and give you the
money back if it don't help yo6
Don't doubt, try it.
rHE OBEAR DRU CO.
Drugg*s&.
Flnt t1 m it.
Miss .Melichamp
)uiham's.
Mr. John Hollis h s moed:
imself and his brothgr's family
o Winnsboro. He is now deputy
heriff to sue.eed Mr. D. A.
3room.
There was too :much Tillman
sm.and anti-Tillmanism brought
ato the last election. Why not
et old scores go?' Isn't it best?
Roosevelt will never get his
.ne society idea into the brains
f the Soxithern people.
March 14, 1903. B. T. B.
Colds are Dangerous.
How often you hear It remarked:
ft's only a cold," and a few days later
rrn that the man Is on' his back with
reumonla. This Is of such common
cearrence that a cold, however sl'ght,
bould not be disregared. Chambe
un's Cough Remedy counteracts any
edency towards pneumonia. It al
'ays cures and is pleasantto take. For
le by McMaster Co., drugglsta.
A kissing telephone, or telos
ulator, has been patented bj
wo Kansas experimenters.I
s said that a thirty-million dol
ir syndicate will be formed.to ~
lance the improvement..
'he best pill 'neath thestarsand stripes;
t cleanses the system and neger gripe.
,ttle Early Risers of woridy repute
1k for De~Vitt's and take no subeti
tute.
I mal piil, easy to buy, .easy to take
ad easy to act, but never falling in
esults. De~Vitt's Little Early Risers
rouse the secretions and act as a tonic
Sthe liver, euring permanently. Me
rster Co.
PHS FOR
ADVANCE
ribers Only.
)n't let it pas without