University of South Carolina Libraries
SHERMAN AT I Some of the Incidents in He Passed Out of (Writtenfor The Mr. Editor: You ask me to write Something for your Memorial issiie. Some years ago I wrote for the Her ald "Sherman': Stay at Rocky Mount." The former article is lost, and I have concluded to rep,roduce a duplicate, of that account ab mv quota for the MIemorial number. The evening of the 22nd of Febru ary, 1865. a vanguard of Sherw,an's army rode down to Rocky Mount Fer ry, -psumably ;o look out for a crossing of (,awb1 river. A number: of gentlemen, 'i4.,ing Dr. Ira S. ScQt! John A. Duncan. Robert if. Tord, of Fairfield District, an Drs. Tom and Robert McDow, of Kerhaw, were in camp on the Lane?te IW the rivr tr.yin$ 9afve their stock * . f rom the yai r,ees. We were encamp t on the side opposite the power house, built at the mouth of Rocky Creek. We had an excellent position from a high hill to observe an M1emy coming from the direction of Winns boro. Just before nightfall hundreds of troops marched over, occupying the hills for miles westward, and struck camp. It was evident the army would cross at the ferry and Drs. McDow, Scott, and Mr. Ford proposed a retreat toward the town of Lancaster, and left Duncan, Peay and two negroes and myself to dodge the Yankees the best we could. After these men left us we were naturally lonesome and turned our thoughts to the best route to hide our selves. We slept that night on a higher hill just about one-half of a mile up the river and saw the army go into camp, and for miles westward every hill was dotted with camp fires which shown like stars, -and their bands and drums made music that doubtless inspi-red them with' their trembling and evil forebodings. At prowess and superiority, and us with daylight next morning, Sherman's miscreants could be seen just across the river at Dr. Scott's quarter, burn ing the gin house and cotton, chasing t.e chickens and hogs, impressing me, a boy of 13 years of age, with awe and "war is hell." That night the Yankees began put ting down their pontoon bridge, and to throw out picket lines. Their anovements .precipitated our ~retreat further up the river until evening, when we were surrounded by swarms: of the enemy, and finding a bateau we soon had the lock broken and sought security by crossing over to Pickett's Island. and after reaching Foot's cave felt pretty safe. (Foot, a horse thief, who occupied this cave years, before, was hung by a mob). Rain began to fall in great torrents, exaggerating our distress, for onr hiding place was on the bank of the river and was being encroached upon by the swollen stream. The high wa ter broke Sherman's pontoon bridgej~ just below us and this added to our, distress for it kent Sherman's army: from getting away. His forces were! BOSTONIAh FAMOUS SHOE FOR MEN Everybody Walks in the BOSTONIAN. WE ARE HJ This store makes a Children with shoes tha can not be beat. M] In addition to keepi we make a specialty of Company and Internati IN DRY ( this store is particularly Goods and Embroideries MOOR ZOCKY MOUNT. Sherman's Campaign7a Fairfield County. ,ews and Herald.) divided into two divisions on The 01: 1osite sides of the river for severa days. and i: is said he and his nie were not able to conceal their fear of an attack on their divided forccs It is certain they prepared with vig :rous and hasty prosecution the erec Lion of breast works and the plantin :f cannon on the eastern hills of th river. From the island above w were rNe to watch their movement and finally saw some skirmishing be :we fgri.rals and Rebels just altes :he WIln rn1c, o rossed the river )n the idenical go1ind on which 0h, jattle of Rocky lount had beei ought ]prly a ceitury before. \W ;guld -zee wit'h out igg ls n ery distin ctlY, the movements 1 A'heeler's and Butler's men as the) nade a flank movement along th, iorthern slope of the hills down thE )anik of Rocky Creek, It was a grea iiy we did not have a larger fore( vhen so much advantage from theii 'ears and hedged, in position coulR ave been had. While on the island "rusold. we depended on the ragin 2atawba for our safety from She. :an's men. They were on either sid >f us, but were unable to get into iLh island, and on one occasion we wer ,horoughly disconcerted by a 'nunibe Df whistling bullets discharged at u The bullets, I thought, were might close, but my old uncle who was soldier, John Peay (Whistler) sail they were high above, so I guess th whistling near by was a delusion. For three days we were withou food-had eaten our remnant of flou and ham, and although the Yankee still were on our home side, we at tempted to cross the high water, an while drifting down to the point C the island very cautiously, .holdin: and catching to the overhanging tree along the bank. a limb I was holdin b:oke with a snap, and this gave ou boat a rapid turn, which capsized th bateau and we were thrown into th river but saved ourselves by swim ming; with the exception of losin my. hat, we returned to the cave fo another night. We managed to catch the boat little distance down the stream, by low bending tree. Next evening w made a more successful attempt t reach the other shore and after reacti ing Pickett's quarter, -hungry and tii ed. we begged for something to ea and Uncle Simon Pickett, an old ne gro, who had received a severe bay onet wound by one of Sherman's mei and who afterward died from the el fects of the wound, gave us a tra of canned peas which was seize with activity, and after enjoying th glorious repast we moved on ,ani spent the night with MIrs. M. E. Gay den, who was greatly deranged, in duced by fright of thge Federals. Th poor lady's hands and arms were se verely cut by being thrust through th windowpanes. She was better ne, morning and we hurried on home. A ~ADQUAR TERS specialty of fitting the fe t invariably please. Th EN'S CLOTHIl ng a full stock of the b uits to order. Our tailori anal Tailoring Company. JOODS AND: rstrong. Special attenti E& COl! along the way we witnessed- ashes and silent lone chimneys of defence less homes. Our fears we:e greatly relieved when we reached our home to find our house had not met the same fate. TIome folks were glad. of course, to gieet us and full of start ling things to relate about Sherman's army, which I shall n3% proceed to Mr. F. B. Lumpkin, an old veteran of former years, had been hung by the Yankee troops until nearly dead. for his money and gold and silver plates. After hangir.g him until near ly dead (Mr. Lumpkin was a large man, weighed 300 pounds) they let him down for breath. and when he pleaded he had never owned a watch even, they assured him they wuld complete the job of hanging. fC:- they said any man who had lived so long xithont owning a watcb ought to be hanged. Mr. Lumpkin about ihis time was :nducd 1o make a Masonic sign of 1istres, and was rescued by one of t1e mjen p,i snt. Dr. Wi. 9-loud. -n old wealthy gentleman, n-ot far away. was also maltreated in thC same) waY and for the same purpose. Dr. Scott, my father. was a cripple, one leg 1'eing shorter than the oth-. A few nights after leaving us hr -ad vised his friends to leave 'aim and save their stock, that tey would be. better able to keep 'out 'of the way of the Yankees .1rffho1X& him. After his friends lelt he concluded rather than hazaid a apture from the enemy he would mnake an effort to escape, and walked all night in an effort to get away. He was very much disappoint-, ed at daylight next morning to find he was only a short distance from where he be an his retreat. He often explained as the reason he didn't get away, his short leg kept him making circles. He went to a farm house next day and was there until all the army passed on. unmolested, however. The first night spent in this home the Lollowing occurred: The owner of this home, a soldier. slipped through the Yankees and went into the house and found my father sleeping in one of his beds and, sup Sposing him to be a Yankee. passed out silently to find an axe to strike without a noise. A member of the family apprised him who the sleeper was before a blow was given. Gen. Sherman's headquarters were at Rocky Mount, at the old Barkley place, the home now of Mr. John Johnston. Gen. Garlington, who com anded one of the army corps. made his headquarters at our place. The e.latter was a gentleman and was es-, pecially kind and polite to my mother *and children. Mr. E. 3. Palmer, of Ridgeway, made my father's house his refuge after being taken by Yankees and he and General Garlingtonl 'is *cussed and argued the questions be tween the sections with such warmth and vehemence every day in the par-* lr that my mother was actually afraid the two men would come to blows. Mrs. Scott always cherished~ the opinion that Palmer got tbe bet-i *ter of the argument. Gen. Garlington kept his men from intruding and ex epressed the fear that the boomers or, camp followers would depredate after, the place was vacuated, and suire enough two or three of these meni .1came in at night and ruthlessly gath a' - OR SHOES. tt of Men, Ladies and BOSTONIAN for men st custom-made suits, re the Globe Tailoring NOIONS on called to White Dress AANY Wed< ALL ered Mr. Palmer by the throat and: forced him out doors and threateied i his life unless he gave up his valu ables, including money. They robbed Lim of some valuable plates. There was considerable of a fight batween our men and the Yankee forces, our soldiers taking positions behind the large oaks around the' house and behind the granite pillows nder the house, and the blue coats on the eastern ridge, near and about. the house of Mr. Robt. Ford, fou.r or five hundred yards away. A number of bullet holes were made. in the house Pnd trees in the yard and, flattened balls were picked up under the house. Two or three of Wheeler's men were slightly wounded-do not know what casualties were produced mong the Northern men. One of our generals, Cheatam, I think, after the skirmish was over, and supposing the Yankees had left, rode down the road and was warned; by Mrs. Scott that a troop of Yankees were in ambush just beyond, had a fair prospect of being captured,. when admonished from the front piazzza to o back. Some years after the war hen the general was a member of ongress, the late Mr. B. R. Scott, of~ IJ>ngtowtl, met Gen. Cheatam in Nash ville, Tenn., and he remembered the ncident well, how he retreated with his aide up the road, with Yankee bul Lets flying around him. The following is an amusing inci ent related by Mrs. Scott. She heard a .great commotion in camp one morn ing and on investigating found that' me of Sherman's men had gone into the smoke house and had filled a tub with sorghum syrup and when he raised it to his head the bottom drop ed out and he was being chased ev rywhere by his comradese for being ransformed into a candy man. We hildren had great pleasure in hunt ing for trophies in the Yankee camps. [ remember I found some Yankee oney (greenbacks) and having heard the contempt the Yankees had for our oney and having imbibed a Spar tan's spirit and filial love for my Southland, I committed this money o the flames. It is needless to de lare that forty-five years .of burdens and fruitless efforts to procure this ame kind of money has increased very greatly my distress, for my poor judgment and consideration and mo tives of patriotism. If another op ortunity for getting the same money Ls presented I am sure after so many rears of regret and reflection, I shall e governed by a more sordid com on sense and up to date spirit and t higher estimate of Yankee mfonev. Some Insurance Thoughts. No insurance is airight until you have a loss; then you ought o have the best. If you have it placed with Arnette, you can' sleep easy. A satisfied customer is my best advertisement. They are. scattered all over Fairfield Coun "Procrastination is the the thief of time." When you have to pay for Insurance, why not~ place it with Arnette, and have the safest protection the strong est companies afford. When seeking a place to place your insurance, examine the~ different methods used by the different agents. If this office isnot the most up-to-date you have ever seen in Fairfield Co., and our methods of handling your business are not thoroughly in accord with sound business methods, then place it elsewhere. We want you to visit us, and we will prove our ability to serve OVER BANK OF I-AIR FIELD.n TELE PHONE 133. :ling Pre THE YEAR RC CHANi LEE'S FAREWELL ADDRESS. Headquarters Army of Northern Vir ginia, Appomattox, C. H., April 10 1865. General Order No. 19. After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage anc fortitude, the Army of Northern Vir ginia has been compelled to yield t( overwhelming numbers and resources I need not tell the survivors of s< many hard-fought battles who hav( remained steadfast to the last, that ] have consented to this result from n( distrust of them, but feeling that va 13r and devotion could accomplist nothing that would compensate foi the loss that must have attended E continuance of the contest, I deter mined to avoid the useless sacrificE of those whose past services have en deared them to their countrymen. B3 the terms of the agreement, officer and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction thal proceeds from the consciousness 01 dty well performed, and I earnestb pray that a merciful God will extenc to you his blessing and protection With an unceasing admiration of yout onstancy ar.d devotion to your coun try, and a grateful remembrance o: our kind and generous consideratiox for myself, I bid you an affectionat4 fareyell. R. E. LEE. Not thelHiu The Best fo We do not preten stock of the highest we do make a specia in Furniture for t Medium and Low-g is[no[place where y Specialiy Bargains You will find it t< come here for Groce aries. SW. H. WII Lion Fondles A Child. In Pittsburg a~ savage lion fondled the band that a child thrust mnto his cage. Danger to a (child is sometimes great when least regrarded. Often it omes through Coldis, Croup, anc Whooping Cough. They slay thous ands that Dr. King's New Discover3 could have saved. " A few doses eurec our baby of a very bad case of Croup,' writES Mrs. George B. Davis, of Fla1 Rock, N. C., "We always give it tr him when he takes cold. Its a won. derful medicine for babies.'' Best foi Coughs, Colds, LaGrippe, Asthma Hemorrhages, Weak Lungs. .50c. anc: $1.00. Trial bottle free. Guarantee( by Jhn TT. McMaster & Co. )UNDI )LER 1* * * * * * * * * * * * * MR. DAVIS' TRIBUTE TO THE * * WOMEN. * ** ** * * * ~* * * * * * President Jefferson Davis, in his great work, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy," pays a high tribute to the noble women of the South in the dedication as follows: To the Women of the Confederacy, Whose pious ministrations to our wounded Soldiers soothed the last hours of those Who died far from the object of their Tenderest Love; Whose domestic labors Contributed much to supply the wan Of our defenders in the field; Whose zealous faith in our cause Shone a guiding star undimmed by the darkest clouds of. war; Whose fortitude Expressed theirenduringgrief,loveand Reverence For our sacred dead, and Whose patriotism IWill teach their children to emulate The deeds of our Rvolutionary^sires, These pages are dedicated By their countryman., adrThe bexst shoes for the least money are a great hobby 'with me. Some very attractive Oxfords for men and ladies. F. M- Clarke. ~hest-Priced ut r the. Money di to carry the largest -priced furniture, but ilty of the very best he money. In Good, rade Furniture there au can do better. Attractive in Clocks your advantage to. ries and Ct.nfection ULINCHAM. The Demon of The Air is the germ of Lagrippe, that breathed in, brings sufferings to thousands. It after effects are weakness, nervous ness, lack of appetite, energy and am bition, with disordered liver and kid neys, The greatest need then is Elec tric Bitters, the splendid tonic, blood purifier and regulator of Stomach, Liver and kidneys. Thousands have proved that they wonderfu.lly strength3 ened the nerves, build up the stem and restore health and good sis after an attack of Grippe. Ifsuffrn try them. Oniy50e. Perfect astisko tion guaranteed by John H. McMaster & Co,