Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A CONFEDERi How a German Music His Co: From the Abhe . The following letters will afford a grei McGowan's Brigade and to old soldiers a German musician with added zest whe and tender recollections of his Confeder absent from this country for so many y< ful, equal to the finest writing masters Abbeville, S. C, Sept. 21,1897. The writer of the letter below is John Gabriel Christopher Kruse, who was born Aug. 25, 1821, in the city of "Wismar, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Germany. He came to America in 1853, and lived in Walhalla until 1861. and from that date until 1865 he was in the Confederate army. After that he lived in Charleston until 1878, and then in Savannah for a. number of years. He is now interpreter for the Spanish Consulate in Hamburg, Ger many. After the .surrender he was lost to the sight of his old comrades, who had the impression that he died thirty years ago. Some months ago the editor of the Medium wrote an in cident about the Second Manassas, and brought in the name of Prof. Kruse. That issue of the paper was mailed to him by his friend, Maj. Franz Melchers, of Charleston. Upon this Prof. Kruse sent us a message, and we wrote another article about the Second Manassas incident. Then came the letter he wrote us. We have read it to several veterans, who were, so much pleased with it that we give it to the public. Prof.. Kruse Ss a man of learning and his old comrades were delighted to hear about him. . When we told, at the Greenville Con federate reunion a few weeks ago, that he was still living, scores of the sur vivors, including officers and men, ex pressed the greatest delighi to hear of hie good health and prosperity. Prof; Kruse has a remarkable mem ory, as will appear from the letter. The parties named are well known to many of our people. Rothschild at Second Manassas told the boys that he would, show them that he was not afraid and then went il j the*battle and came out mortally wounded. He was known all over thie section as a great musician and his death was much regretted. Every old soldier will enjoy, this letter. It is written in excellent style, and shows that the men and events of war times are fresh in his mind. Prof. Kruse has an elder brother who lives in Kiel, in Schleswig Hol stein, of which place he is an honor ary citizen. A younger brother, aged 74 years, lives in Australia. His on ly sister lives in Hamburg, at the age of 71 years. The combined age of the four amounts to 300 years, and no one of them has ever been sick. robt. r. he3?phill, Editor Abbeville Medium. , Hambtrg, August 1, 1897. Gen. R. R. Hemphill, Ahheville, S. 0. Dear Sir: With a hearty greeting from an old participant in the memor able war, 1861-'65, the undersigned now takes the liberty to ask you to accept his photograph, which was taken a few days ago; My sincere friend and well-wisher, Maj. Franz Melchers, had the kind ness to send me your interesting "Medium," in which you mentioned an incident of "the little old Geraan of Walhalla, running the scale on a Marionette, etc., etc." I am indeed happy to state, it will surprise you and also my surviving friends when I assure you that I do not feel this'day much older than the time alluded to in the "Medium.^ I pride myself in the thought that so much interest is evinced in my behalf by my old com-, rades. It will please them to learn , from these lines that I have enjoyed almost uninterrupted good health ' since the last fifty years?less than ten dollers would defray all my ex- 1 penses for drugs, medicines, cosmet ics, etc. I devoutly thank the Lord for '< his divine blessing.and protection. I ; have met with many afflictions in my long and checkered life, but I over- i came all its vicissitudes by an implicit 1 liope that all would be for the best. ' Siix-e several weeks am in pos- y session of another copy of your valua- 1 ble gazette of June 24th, mailed to me 1 from Abbeville, for which I am grate- ' ful to the kind sender. 1 beg to ten- ( der you my warmest thanks for your kindness in having, by mention of the 1 ''little incident," caused my friends : and "'comrades in war" to receive the ? information that I am still on the list j of the quick, and I expect to hear I 1 from them. l?emembering vividly the inciden * s touched upon in your "Medium," I beg to saya few words concerning one 1 of them. At the time when the late Lieutenaut-Colonel Ledbctter and n?y friend, the violinist and virtuoso Rothschild, both, wounded mortally, were borne to the rear, I met them on my way as I was returning from the house that was utilized for a field hospital, whither I had been assisting the then Sergeant-Major Wm. Mar shall and another soldier to carry our wounded Colonel Marshall. Whilst we were transporting the dying colo VTE'S STORY. 3ian Was Honored, by cxirades. ville Medium at deal of interest to the veterans of generally, who will read the story of in they know that he cherishes warm ate experience, although he has been ?ars. His penmanship is very beauti of this day. nel, Sergeant-Major Wm. M. wept and exclaimed: "I thank God my father dies a Christian!" Oh, this noble ex pression of the brave and devout young Christian soldier, who beheld for the last time on earth the pale countenance of his dying father ! As said words of lament were uttered by the dying hero's son, I said to tbe dis tressed Wm. AL: "Oh, Mr. Marshall ! Kiss him, kiss him for your mother !" If the then Sergeant-Major Wm. Mar shall should be alive now, he could tell you that he did kiss his dying father, for he would undoubtedly re - member it. I should like to be in formed whether Mr. "Wm. Marshall has passed through the war unhurt; and, if so, where he resides. It may seem strange that I ask this informa tion, because I returned after the capitulation of our so-called rebel ar my at Appomattox on April 10, 1865, with General McGowan to his house in Abbeville, where was also the home of the late Capt. Marshall; but having (for about thirty-two years) been with out any communication with my old comrades in war, it seems to me like one that has read history, and in the turmoil of life has forgotten some part of it. It is a marvel to me, that I should be in doubt about the existence or non-existence of Sergeant-Major Wm. Marshall. I now beg to say a few words about the late Lieutenant-Colonel Ledbet ter, whom I have known at Walhalla. When I was returning from tie im provised hospital, in order to rejoin my regiment, I met Lieuteuant-Colo nel, L., who was being borne od a litter by some of our soldiers. He said to me: "My dear Kruse, as you ar? re turning to our regiment, please get my sword and also my leather pouch with two lemons in it; these things must lie near the spot? where -I fell." I answered, "Yes, sir, I shall try my best to get what you wish." Iob served no marks or signs that might indicate how and in what part of his body he had been wounded. Alas ! I did not know whither to wend my way in order to fulfill my given promise. I pursued a path which I thought; would carry me to the desired spot. It was an unlucky hour for us. j In less than thirty minutes there were killed more than thirty men and officers. I did not find my regiment at the place where I had left it; for,. havf.ng re ceived reinforcements, our troops were forcing back the enemy. I went in a direction that I guessed would lead me to our brigade. As it was growing dark and I felt much fatigued I laid myself down and soon fell asleep. When I had awoke very early on the next morning, I found that I had coiled myself down in the midsr, of( many dead. Within a few uteps of me there were lying about ten or more corpses in blue uniforms, which, how ever did not frighten me in any way; for around me all was serene, no deto nation or cracking of guns and reports of cannon could be heard. I thanked Almighty Gcd for His divine protec tion. Being, like many of my com rades, deprived of the luxury of soap, towel, hair brush and other toilet stuff, and being minus water to moist en my parching lips, and nothing in sight to bite or chew for breakfast, the thought that I was not able lo find Lieutenant-Colonel Ledbetter's sword, pouch and lemons troubled my mind. Whilst I was thus cogitating and walking in a direction unknown tome, I was at last surprised to find my way to my comrades, who hailed my re turn into their midst with great, joy, as I was considered by them.'one of the jolliest of the jolly boys in gray. It may be that I was now on the identical spot described by the "Ab beville Medium' as the place where a little wren (known in the German language as /.aun konig, which, trans lated literally into Kngli.sh, means king of the fence, or fence king), and where across the way "the little old Gferman ma ?, of W;. Ih all?, was run ning through the .scales on a clarionet, ?te, etc." It may be that 1 then played the, at that time in our regi ment, favorite tune. "Let Mc Kiss Ilim for His Mother." or some kin Ired plaintive air. I was .well acquainted with Mr. Rothschild (pronounced Ilote-shilt). It was generally mispronounced Ros child. Said unfortunate musician was a great favorite with Col. Pcrrin and likewise with Col. Marshall, Col. Cothran, and oui first Col. ?James L. Orr, later Judge Orr. and then em bassador or minister, who died in St. Petersburg, Russia. Col. Cothran said of my friend R. (who was an Is raelite), that he (R.) was a very intel ligent man, and ;hat he (R.) was the noblest of his race. M%y he rest in peace ! I have for many years not heard from Gen. S. McGowan, at whose bri gade headquarters I aeted as clerk un der Adjutant-General A. 0. Haskell, and Inspector-General L. C. Haskell was also in McGowan's brigade. Said adjutant-general was later colonel of cavalry, and in an encounter with the Union cavalry he lost one of his eyes. I met this gentleman after the war once in the Charleston Hotel, and later in Savannah, where a relative of his is living, from whom I heard in the year 1891 or 2 that Major L. C. Haskell had died on his plantation at or near Little Rock, Arkansas. I en close a letter dated Abbeville C. H., S. C, 20th Nov., 1865. You may see how kindly I was remembered by this noble soldier, that he sent money to his old comrade at a time when funds were scarce in the Southern States, that he would entrust mc with busi ness, etc. Said letter is dear to me, but I am quite willing to let you have it. Col. A. C. Haskell also made me a kind offer when he met me in Savan nah. But the first who made me a kind offer when we returned to our homes after the war, wa3 my beloved Gen. S. McGowan, who took m his residence, took me with him to the Episcopal Church in Abbeville, intro duced me to Mrs. Gen. McGowan, as also to his daughter, Miss McGowan, who declaimed to me a poem, "Bingen on the Rhine." Before I left the general's house to go to my old home, Walhalla, he offered me a position in his law office, complimenting me on my punctuality and the keeping of his papers. Gen. McGowan wished that I should live at his residence and be a permanent guest at" his table. Thus you see how kindly I was treated by these noble families. I must also mention the late Col. Marshall, Col. Cothran, Lieutenant Colonel J. Townes Robertson, who subscribed my parole (as paroled pris oner of the army of Northern Vir ginia, having permission to go to his home and there remain undisturbed). This was after our capitulation at Ap pomattox Court House, Va., April 10, 1865. I then went with Gen. McGowan to Abbeville, where I delivered to him at his house all the brigade papers and books, and also a piece of the colors of the 14th Regiment, of which General McGowan had tbeen colonel, (if I do not err) before he was brigade general. The day on which the agreements and the terms of the capitulation were signed (i. e., effected) several of our soldiers and non-commissioned officers began to destroy their regimental col ors, flag-staffs, etc. I snatched from the hands of a soldier (who was tear ing into pieces and cuttingxup the beautiful blue silken flag with a beau tiful wreath, or palmetto tree, em broidered on said flag in white silk) a piece of said flag and hid it under my uniform, and as soon as I saw a chance I hid it under my shirt, and after hav ing arrived at General McGowan's house, I delivered, together with all I our archives, this remnant of the said blue flag of the 14th Regiment. I should like to know if the general is still in possession of this relic of the war. "What else could he do with it than to keep it? To surrender it to the State of South Carolina was shame ful, as it would have brought to light the miserable conduct of the destroy ers of the beautiful colors. It was a shameful act of the soldier to commit such an outrageous deed of insubordi nation. It was against all usages of warfare. As I keep on writing I remember a certificate which was written by G. McD. Miller, Captain commanding Orr's Regiment Rifles, S. C. V. It was in camp on the Rappahannock, 'in Virginia, on January 12th, 1863, soon after the battle of Fredricksburg. I was, at my request, and endorsed by the different commanding officers of regiment, brigade, division, army corps, tranferred from the army of the Confederate States to the navy of the Confederate States by command of Gen. Robert E. Lee, and signed : 'By command of Gen. Lee. W. II. Taylor, A. A. General." I took this transfer, because I considered myself utterly unfit for further service in the field on account of irreducible double hernia. I felt unable to stand the marching, and believed I would be better able to serve on a Confederate gunboat or some other vessel stationed on one of the rivers or on the coast Of Confederate States, as 1 had been in j service of the German. Belgian and I '. S. merchant ships for at least lU years of which I could show the best cer tificates, as a practical seaman and navigator. After having received my paper of transfer. I left the Confeder ate army and reported at Confederate navy headquarters .o Commodore For rest, in l?ichniond. After an exami nation by a surgeon I was declared un fit for any service, and ordered to go home to Walhalla, there to remain. I opened a school in Walhalla, and did well. After a *fcw months it was claimed by the ^enrolling oilicer that I had to go back to the Confederate army to my regiment, and that I had not been discharged from service by General Lee, but only transferred, and that Commodore Forrest could Dot discharge me, but only refuse me, and that I could only be discharged by the Secretary of War. Thus I bad to report back to my command, Orr's Rifle Regiment. As I declared my self unable to march, Col. . C. Has kell kindly caused me to be employed as clerk in the ordnance service. A few months later, Gen. McGowan's clerk, Mr. Norman, died and Gen. Mc Gowan then took me in Mr. Norman's place as clerk of headquarters of Mc Gowan's brigade, under my kind pro tector, Adjutant-General, Capt. A. C. Haskell, under whom I officiated until Capt. A. C. Raskell became colonel of cavalry. The last five or six months I offici ated under Adjutant-General W. Rid dick, of Kettle Springs, N..C, and also under Major and Inspector-Cen crai Langdon C. Haskell, whose letter I have mentioned already. There arc some other irentlemcn of Abbeville whose names I remember at times and then forget them. I . remember a nice young man named Houser, who lost a leg in the first year of the war. After the war he lived in a little house on the prem ises of Col. Cothran, where I visited him. He was then a manufacturer of cigars. On this occasion Col. Coth ran invited me into his house, where I was introduced by him to his family, and treated very kindly. I have also been at Du? West, at Capt. and later Col. G. McD. Miller's house, who kindly went with me to Maj. Melton's office in Columbia and there claimed me as a soldier' of his \Orr's) Regi ment. Through his intercession I was allowed, before going back to my regiment, to remain about a month in Walhalla, and then on the first of July, 18G3, to report at Due West, Ab beville District, S. C, to the said Col. G-. McD. Miller, who took me along to Mrginia. I'was very kindly treated and provided for by the said gentle man, and had a very agreeable ;iour ney to my old regiment. Here I must state that Col. M.'s stay at home was on account of a wound re ceived in some battle, and that I met him accidentally in the streets of Columbia, where he then stayed until he recovered from the effects of his wound. Now, I ask to mention a few names of our regimental hand, of which I was a member before I was at Mc Gowan's brigade headquarters. There was a Mr. Vandiver, Mr. Wm. Trib blc, Silas Clinkscales, little Johnny Ansel, of Walhalla, Sergeant" Bul winkle. of McGowan's brigade wagon guard, and' others. I have now penned down more than I thought I would be able when I be gan this letter. After reading your first paper sent me by Mr. Melchers, I intended to write to you at once. I delayed my writing a few days and studied about my intended letter. Later on I began to write and kept on writing until I saw a very voluminous letter before me. After scanning the contents of it, the tenor did displease .me very much. I put it aside and wanted tc compose a more sensible one, because there seemed to me such a confusion and so many repetitions of the sameOccurrences, so that Icon eluded to make several changes in ex pressing facts. Instead of doing bet ter, I did worse. I almostlostallcon fidence in myself. It seemed to me that my honest efforts to write some what like reminiscences of my soldier life were not crowned with the ex p*ected success, and thus I became dis heartened. I forgot altogether, or lost sight of the fact, that writing a letter about one's daily business and composing something like a novel, resting upon facts or fiction, are dif ferent tasks. It seemed to me that I had better leave "writing like an editor" alone, and that best of all would be to i;hank you kindly for hav ing saved my name and the insigniti cant doings of your old comrade from oblivion: then to request you to be so kind as to extend my greetings to all friends that may remember Old John the Piper, and communicating, g means of printer's ink, to all the world that I ain't dead yet. To-day I made a new attempt and I now assure you that I have done faith fully all I was able to do in my ardent desire to give you a sign of life. In conclusion I would ask you to send me the piece of paper with the order written on it by me for Gen. McGow an. It will be pleasant to show it to my brother and sister. With kindest regards, Vour obedient servant. John < '<. C. Kruse. ? According to an old law in St. Louis, a man may be sold at auction t" tho highest bidder for a term of six months' service lor deserting his wife and failing to support ber. The law is lo be applied in the ease of a con firmed loafer, aud an announcement of bis sale is posted i?n the front door of tbe City Court House. ? Chicago Jour nal. ? Lt takes about three seconds for a message to go from one end of the Atlantic cable to the other. ? "Man; have said their children would have died of croup, if Cham berlain's Cough llemedy had not been given," writes Kellam & Ourran, druggists, Seaview, Ara. "People come from far and near to get it and speak of it in the highest terms." This is equally true of this remedy in every community were it is knowa. Buy a bottle at the Hill-Orr Drug Co. and test it for yourself. Corn as an Adulterant. A report comes from St. Louis to the effect that corn is extensively used as an adulterant of wheat flour, and also as a substitute for barley malt by brewers. The millers of St. Louis are said to have declared that manu facturers of wheat flour will be either driven out of the market in the course of time, or forced to adulterate their product in order to meet the competi tion that surrounds them. Corn flour is, it seems, being produced on a very large scale, and the only mills show ing an increase of business this year are those manufacturing exclusively corn products, all of which show an enormous increase. They are turning out not only corn flour made from grits, but a new flour made :'rom corn starch, which is said to be very white and finely ground, so that it lends it self particularly well to use as an adulterant. Corn flour has been sold as low as 70 cents a hundred pounds, so that it is quite an object to bakers and manufacturers to use it. The bakers are said to be doing -.he great er part of the adulterating in order to cheapen the cost of their flour. In the manufacture of crackers and that class of bakery goods, the adulterated article is said to be most extensively used. The brewers figure as the largest purchasers of corn products. Corn flakes are substituted for barley malt, producing excellent results, while the expense of making beer is lessened, and the process is said to be less trou blesome. The beer that is adultera ted with corn is more palatable, but it is not as wholesome as the pure ar ticle. There is no reason to doubt the truth of these reports concerning the use of corn as an adulterant. It would be strange if its introduction into the flour and beer trade had been prevent ed, considering the magnitude of the corn crop, and the great effort that has been made to utilize it. It is, however, unfortunate that it cannot find a legitimate field, instead of com ing into trade as an adulterant. Whatever gain it may show at present from this cause is likely to be tempo rary, for the consumers are clearly entitled to protection from adultera tions, and are bound to receive it*. It is no more fair that flour and bread should be bought as made of whole wheat when they are a mixture of corn and wheat, than it is that filled cheese should be bought as full cream cheese. It is best that the purchaser shall be sure that what he is buying i:3 exactly what it purports to be. A law that compels millers and bakers to sell genuine goods will undoubtedly be de manded and passed in course of time. A similar law relating to beer will undoubtedly also find its way upon the statute books.?Milwaukee Senti nel. How Uncharitable?How Uojust. Did you ever hear of a man trying to lift an unfortunate womi.n when she falls from the high pedestal of honor and virtue? "We think not. When once she falls from her high and honorable position she lands into a hell from which no h.uman hand will stoop to lift her out. But on the other hand we have seen men fall as low as it were possible for men to fall, seen the wife pull her husband from the gutter and press ? him to her heart as though he was a god; seen r,he wife follow the husband through life in one constant whirl of misery, and when by the gates of hell they separated, weep because she can go no further. We have seen the mother follow the son and the sister the brother through paths man has never been k:aown to follow woman. Who is to blame for the downfall of woman? Let the angels in heaven be the jury and God Almighty the Judge. Contagious Blood Poison has been ap propriately called the curse of mankind. It is the one disease that physicians can not cure; their mercurial aud potash remedies only bottle up the poison in the system, to surely break fcrth in ? more viruleut fonn, resulting iu a total wreck of the system. Mr. Frank B. Martin, a prominent jeweler at 926 Pcusylvauia Ave., Wash ington,D.C.says: I was for a long time under treat' meut of two ol the best physi cians of this city, for a severe case of blood poison, r .1 uiv condition all IB mV'hundred dollars W ?dy month was filled with eating .sores; my tongue was almost eaten away, so that lor three months was unable to taste any solid food. My hair was coming out rapidly, and I was iu a horrible fis. I had tried val ions treatments, and was nearly dis couraged, when a friend recommended S.S.S. After T had taken four bottles, I began to get better, and when I had finished eighteen bottles, I was cured sound and well, my skin was without a blemish, and I have had no return oi thedisea.se. S.S.S.sa^ed me from a life of misery." S.S.S. (guaranteed purely vegetable) will cure any case of blood poison. Books on thedisease and its treat ment, mailed free by Swift Specific Co., Allanta, Ga. ks on thediseasi sss A FEW FACTS. WE fully realize the fact that when we address the people of Anderson County, either through the press or otherwise, we are addressing a class of highly intelligent and well-informed people. We know there are some people who read the higlj-sounding advertisements promising great and unreasonable things, and also believe them, but this class of people in Anderson County is fast booming extinct. Now, a few words in regard to our business : A few years ago we came to this town with a small capital and unknown to the business world. Our business has steadily increased, and the year 1897 will show a business of over ?60,000.00. What has been the secret of our success ? To do the Bight because it is Bight. Many ay that this rule works well every way except in business ; but we find it more applicable to business than.any where else. Now, we know this is out of keeping with the usual way of advertising but with due regard to our competitors' methods of doing business we deem it necessary to say what we have, and xrt commend to the intelligent and right thinking people of our County. We also wish to state that our present facilities for handling goods direct from the manufacturer to the consumer are second to none in the city. We carry almost everything needed by the general trading public, and at as close a price as good, first-class goods can be sold for. Respectfully soliciting a continuance of your highly appreciated patron age, and, if possible, will try and serve you better in the future, we are? Yours very respectfully, D. C. BROWN & BRO. BROWNLEE & VAND1TERS, - DEALER IN ALL KINDS OF General Merchandise, Cotton and Fertilizers, FFER their tretneodoua Stock of Heavy Dry Goods, Boots, Shoes, Hats and Caps at prices that ensure salea. In h few days we will have a full line of Williams, Kneelaad's and Geo. G. Snow's Men's Fi S hoes. Wo bave decMed to add this, the finest line of Shoes we know, to our already large Stock. We have in stock the Jones 8hoe Co's. Une of Women's Fine Shoes that we can conscientiously recotnraeod to any one. In other grades of Shoes we have them from the c?eapeet up.' See us before buying a pair of Shoes. We wdl not allow any one to nndeisell us in Prints. Ginghams, Outings, Flannels, Blankets, Lap Robes. Jeana, Cassimers, Sheeting, Checks, Drills, etc. We mean ex actly what; we say in the above remarks. Come see for yourself. We sell large quantities of Ballard's and other mill's fine Flour, all grades Co e beat Ham ?, Rice, Sugar, Lard, Molasses, Soap, Soda, Starch, and other Groceries too numerous to mention. Don'c forget that we sell the best Flour, Coffee and Tobacco that we can buy. We want to buy your Cotton for the highest cash price, and sell you your Bag ging and Ties. Yours very truly, BROWNLEE & VANDIVERS. P. S.?Just received a lot of Guano and Add for the small grain crop. And yon will find out that yon are often deceived by a very small animal. WE say come at us with your search-light, (so you mean business,) and you will see which way the cat is jumping. INVESTIGATE, And you will find no danger to your peace nor your purse in buying your? HARDWARE From us. Throw out your search-light on us and our Goods. It will save our talk and our time, and save you from pain audioes. INVESTIGATE. Sullivan Hardware Co. We have them in StocK and ihey Musi Go. The best and cheapest line of Ladies' Oxfords to be found anywhere, and we are going to close them out at Factory prices. We also have leaders in Men's and Ladies' High Cut Shoes?the best that can be bought for cash. Call and see us at once and get a bargain. The lates Shoe Co. Under Masonic Temple, Anderson, 8. C.