Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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To the (K Raise the shaft, 'tis for our n Set its base with colors fair Furl the faded, starry banne? Round its staff, and leave ii Lift it where the earliest sun' Drives the morning's mist ( Leave it where the fading tw, Lingers longest with the da Twine the myrijewith the ivy And the fragrant scented z Bring the white magnolia blos And the crimson colum&ine North and east and south and Front its columns pure and Write %pon the peerless Tarb on its polish tablets, write How they toiled and prayed c Through the long and bitter Kept the altar fires burning, With. the incense of their te How their love, in streams of Wore its- channels deep and Bore the fortunes of the battle n its broad and surgtng t? And An Mem Keo THE 7th S. C. At The Battle of Drury's BI of Sergeant Phillip% a (The News and Heral Mr. Editor: As I have been prevaii- t] e upon by many old veterans and r young men also to write another war: story to your admirable paper, I have reluctantly consented to yield to their! s request and try and do the best I can t at this late day. I- realize LI-at now is the time to write these before years r shall cause the usual cave-in of C memory and bury them forever. So allow me to. ask your indulnt while I describe to the best of my feeble memory, and by the aid of a few ~records I ha.ve on my files, of the part played, by the 7th s. C. battaliont in the bloody battle of Drury's Bluff. fought on the 16th of May, 1S64- b Forty years ago today this bloody but vict:orious battle was fought. Your d scribe on that fatal day- was but quite . ayouth. On the 6th 1of May 'Hagood's bri-t gade, of which the 7th Batallion was a part, arrived in the city cf Peters-p burg from the coast of Sauth Caro- tl lina.' General Butler,-of- the Federal army, landed a force of about 50,0N i, of-all arms at Drurf's Bluff on about r, the 5th of May. He pushed his forces fa out to, and cut the-Richmond and Pet- ti ersburg road at Port W,althall 'on the o morning- of the 6:b. Hiagood s bril- t< gade arrived in the city about mid- t day of the 6th. We were hurriedly n Ipushed out to- the fipld, whe--e tere ti had been heavy fighting all the morn ifg.b We arrived just in time to join in e the shouts of victory and see the ene my disappearing through the woods. e They rallied, however, and in a few y days advanced on and attacked our t lines on the banks of Swift Creek on i the 9th, when they were again -repuls- b ed with heavy losses. After this fight, the enemy fell back to and occupied b their works near Drury's'Bluff. We ri *followed them up and entrenched our a brigade just in their front. There we u had heavy skirmishin.g day and night t till the final blow came on the morn- 1 ing of the 16th. Hagood's brigade oc cupied the line o~f breast-works to' the o left of the turnpike. The enemy was b on this side of the river. The breast- a works were the defence of the flank n of Drury's Bluff and .consisted of, s three lines, semi-circula.r in shape. t: Opposite the crossing of the tu-rnpike fi by the 'first line and across the open d Ifield was Fort Stevens. To the right o of the turnpike were some houses an.d i an. apple orchard. For several days ti before the battle of the 16th Hagood d *occupied the post of honor, support- p ig Fort Stevens on the second line of t entrenchments. Here they endured the g enemy's shaTpshooters and a battery p of several guns placed near the h houses, where shell and grape and canister were poured into our ranks. h At -5 o'clock on the oxrning of the tU 16th, through a heavy fog, the whole 1 was advanced. Gen. Ransom. on Gen. h; Nagood's left, had no first line of en- ti trenchment to charge. They swept on 'o: driving the enemy before us. Ha- 11 good's brigade mounted the ramparts tI of the second line to charge the one- o3 my behind the line, which they had ti romen of the Con Ite P. Flenniken, of Winnsboro.) thers, How their fait} Rested on th6 Watched apove there. And upon th eam Home the summe way, Yet did Love light But their hopes With the aut Then from out ne; Love and hoj soms Soared above t Shook their I westward, Returning, broi white, Saw the bow fe, And the dawn O'er a broad nd suffered But the heart k years, And within ) Where the frag ars; And the inne 5essing, Hang the sworc wide, With the coa And perfumed All the flags eside the faded banners, d the urns of storied dust, Yry stands within the portals, ,ping watch above her trust. BATTALION E uff. The Gallant Deeds Ad Private Poteet. -t d, May 2.5, 1904.) ey swept, the right of the brigade esting on the turnpike. marching i .o line to line. Gallantly did they arry themselves across the open page under the fire of the enemy un 1 they became masters of the 're pective positions assigned, to each agiment. The right of. the 25th S. . V., the gallant Col. Simontons. oc t Lipied the turnpike, a point at which! ie enemy's cannon thundered with!C arful havoc upon, their ranks, caus g heavy losses. They gained the st line of entrenchments, driving1 2e enemy -in the woods- beyond. These must be *teared!" shouted the raye .Col. Nelson, as the battalion ounted the parapets. "Fix bayonets, ouble quick. charge," is the corn and given by the gallant. sweet Col. elson. Amid the shower of balls. le word of evacuation -comes, : march." No one ever saw a more' erfect line formed 'on dress parade ian this. in the very shadow of death. As the left of the battaliop came ito line, they came in contact with ires which the enemy had stretched 'o stump to stump, concealed in ie brush in front of their second line Swork.s. which .threw them in a mass >the ground. Amid converging fire e line was quickly refoa med. About Riy brave soldiers fell dead before ie blast and niearly one hundred ere wounded. Our gallant color-1 ~aarers, Sergts. Outz and Barnes Rob: rtson, were killed.- while. gallantly. ating the colors in the face :,f the aemy. As the noble Robertson, a auth of just 19 years, went down,. ie gallant Preston Cooper grabbed' ie colors and kept them flying to the.' reeze. Yet for twenty. minutes Col. elson and .Major Rion held these rave men to their line under a ter ble fire of ball and canister. looking rxiously for their support to come p. They came not. they had retired the line inside of our first works. ad they ecme on as exf'ected, they ould have enfiladed the second line. ehe enemy's works and saved the ittalion to some extent from the dis-. ster to which it was subjected. To arch forward or remain without this pport was ruinous, and therefore ie order was given to retire to the rst line of entrenchment. which or ewas executed calmly and in good rder. The left company 'of the bat-I tlionl under Capt. Clybarn lost two iirds of its men. *Company H, 'in-. r Capt. Brooks. was cut all 1to [eces, every offcer wounded and six- . --seven fell dead or wounded. The llant captain was wounded in three aces, yet he continued to care for is men and to give orders for their elfare. Declining to use the litter. a walked off the field and referred e litter to privates worse wounded ian he. No more determined stand is ever been takeni by any command ian that made by the 7th Battalion 1 the morning of the 16th 'of May. 164. Its loss was probably more in any regiment sustained in any le battle. Retired to the trenches, te brigade soon succeeded in drivir.g . Federacy F,, that trusted ever, soldier's shield, the bloody carnage, tented field; r bloomed and faded, and Trust abide, ,like shattered roses, zmn glory died. Phe burning embers, e and faith and trust e desolation, lumage of its dust; cght the sprig of olive, Df promise spanned, )f peace and plenty and smiling land. nows no forgetting, er silent halls, rant incense rises r sunlight falls, s and rusty scabbards, s of faded Gray, with myrrh and aloes, xre laid away. vorks andi the field ws.s won. They. eft their artillery and the field cov !red with their dead and wounded. Ve pressed them to the river and in few days they crossed the James nd joined Grant near Richmond. Now, Mr. Editor, in conclusion, hough I dislike to indulge in person lities, I wish to tell of a few brave eeds committed by brave men while Agaged in this bloody struggl:. ust before the battalion reached the rst lines of the enemy's works, Sergt. t. W. Phillips. of Company B, receiv d a ball in his shoulder that whir'ed dim around like a top. As he s,ank D the ground, he said, "I am ruined, ;ive it to them, boys." As our line ame in contact with the wires men ioned above and the men were hrown to the ground, the brave and aliant Lieut. Wi. A. Harvey, seeing he situation, sprang- to his feet, wav rig his sword and yelling, "Forward, oys, we will take that battery or .ie." Poor fellow! Just ene month ater, while .leading a skirfnish lne .gainst a battle line of Federals on )'Hares Hill: he fell to rise no mor-e. On reaching and occupying the 'en my's outer line of works, Col. Nel on, while rapidly passing along the ines. cried oat: "Major Rion, hold hese works at all hazards." The gal ant major replied. "I will do it, sir." ts the firing again began, Major Rion nounted the parapet, which exposed uim from the belt up. He ordered >rivate MlcDowell and Scott to load! heir guns for him and he fired them .s fast as they could. They loaded nid handed them up to him for twen y minutes. He was ordered down by 'ol. Nelson. "I made it hot for their. runners. Colonel," was his reply. .Just as the Federal lines were giv ng way and their men fleeing to the roods, and our firing ceased, Private acob Poteet, of Company B, leaped tpon the cap)tured works, saying: They are flying, boys. Let us cap ure them or drive them to h--.' ust as these words- passed his lips, ball pierced through his brain ond e fell dead at his captain's feet. When Capt. Brooks. of Company H, ad realized that his company had all een killed and wounded, he ordered. hat all his dead men, nineteen in umber, be brought to him, while he et. lay on the dusty and bloody round, suffering and bleeding from is own wounds. He had them all uried in one grave. When the last ad duty was performed, he arcse r'om the ground, wiped the -trick-ling ears from his powder-blackened and lood-stained cheeks, and exclaimeLd: 3My brave heroes,; they .died for thei ountry." and he left the field. I do trust the' memory of the gal nt and noble deeds of the Confed rate soldiers may live and sparkle in he breast of generations to come.- for a a very few years there will not ~oe ne of us to tell the tale. J. H. NEIL, 'onmpany B. 7th Battalion, Hagood's Brigade. White Cak, S. C., May 16, 1904. P'OR SALE-One Kingsbury Pi ano, regular $375 style. Has not been used. Can be seen: at The News and Herald of fice. Will be sold at bargain price, for cash or on easy~ terIns. iGS. E. Gwin & Co.'s 5 andi 0 cent counter is always loaded vith barg-ains. "If you cannot find it at be hi SThe Good Old IS NOW ALI% CASH S SCARCE. YOUi SO BUY MILLINERY a Especially at this season do we and Notions. In our Millinery Depar latest styles and approved patterns. BARGAIN PRICES, as we will not ca other season. Our Notion Departme is the one place to get your Notions. MATTINGS Now is the time for completing t need some Matting, of course. Ther ing the room comfortable in the sum you want here. FURNITUl The largest and most completi county is to be found right here at th There is no place else in Fairfield wAell in the way of a Buggy or a Cook Ihere. A cordial welcome to veterans at .J.O. B THE UNIVI SOUTH C FOUNDF,D BY THE ISTATE IN Spacious campus, commc able athletic field. Universit between faculty and student individual student, public oi regnant as regards gentlemal athletics and physical culture. The health and morals of the yo governing authorities. Varied courses of study il cation, Civil and Electrica Practical work in road constr Scholarships, each worth Tuition remitted in special ca The advantages offered bn passed in this section. The graduates of the coll admitted to the University in out charge foi'tuition. For Catalog11 S. C. MITCHE COLUMBIA. SOL Boag's, then i ot to . Summer, Time IOST HERE. MONEY MUST COUNT HERE id NOTIONS. invite attention to our Millinery tnent we are showing some of the These are now all being offered at rry any of our stock over to an nt is just as strong as ever. This and RUGS. he renovating of the house. You 5 is nothing better suited for mak mer time. You can get just what IE FACTS. ' stock of Furniture in Fairfield uis store. Come and see for your county where you can do quite soI, ing Stove. These are specialties, all times. G--A - me~m .1 ~RSITY OF AROLINA. 1805 IN THE CAPITAL CITY dious buildings, and admir y life is marked by fraternity s, careful' attention to the - inion of th4 'student body rly conduct, enthusiasm for mng men are the first care of the a Science, Liberal Arts, Edu 1 Engineering, and Law. .ition. $100 in cash and free tuition. y the University are unsur ges of South Carolina are all courses except:Law with e, Address LL, President