Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

WT AP CrPADl CC r.renth G? eor<_cia at Spottsyl vania. Col. A. J. Mr Hi'itlr, in Atlttutu .Jtntiital. After au all night march the Tenth j Georgia got to Spottsylvania Court j House May s, 18?4, just ahead of thc j Yankees. Thc hattie was on in a few ? minutes and was hot aud furious, but only for a short time. The tiring sud- J denly stopped and wc marched rapidly about half a mile, went into linc of battle and were ordered to build breastworks. Hy daylight of thc Sith wc were behind works that wc held during a!! that ?torin of lead and iron which raged with such fury till about the IJHh. On thc 10th I was ordered with eight companies to doublequick about half a mile to the left to help the Texans recapture their linc from which they had been forced, but with the help of Colonel .Jack Brown's 59th Georgia rcgimeut they had retaken their line. Colonel Brown was in his shirt sleeves, his arm in a sling, his shirt and pants bloody, his face pale, but grim and defiant as A trido. A boy, who trembled at the sound of a gun, and who could not bc kept at the front when a fight was on, dropped to thc ground just as wc started in a run to help thc Texans. The Yankees poured a heavy lire in his direction and gave him a bad wound-the only man hit in that affair. Thc Tenth went back to its works and remained comparatively quiet till the 11 th, when we again moved a short distance to the left. While wc were having some lively skirmishing with the coen./ Mr. Dan Rhodes, of ??awkiosvillc, whose courage bordered on recklessness, concluded he wanted some coffee, and while the regiment was lying in an old road blazing away at the Yankees, who were pouring a hot fire into us Dan built a fire and put his quart-cup coffee pot on to boil. Ile would jump up and go to his fire to test his coffee. About the third time he stood by his fire a bullet struck him with great noise and force, giving him a wound from which he suffers to-day. On the 12th the Yan kees broke through our lines about 200 yards to our right. The regiment next on our right held their lines, as did ours, but we suffered terribly. They began to enfilado our position, and many a poor fellow was killed by bullets coming from our right. They kept shooting all night. It was rain ing and dark. Captain Auvergne D'Antignac, Captain C. C. Kibbee, afterwards promoted to lieutenant colonel, for skill and valor on tho field, and I got a log about eight inches in diameter, laid it at right angles with our works, put our heads against it and went to Bleep. About 2 o'clock a man who had made a barri cade similar to ours was shot in the shoulder and shrieked so as to wake me. I felt for oar log and it was gone. I waked my comrade, but wo never found our log. Just after we were aroused word was brought to mo that the Yankees were between us and our pickets. I sent D'Antignao, Sto vall, Fuller and some others who just fairly reveled in such hazardous work, to investigate. They crawled through thc darkness to where they had posted our pickets and found all in their places. It rained all night and part of next day. General Goode Bryan, his adjutant, John II. Dobbs (now living in New York), and a courier were sleeping under a tent some dis tance in thc rear. Dobbs asked the courier to get up for some purpose As he did not rise Dobbs took hold to awake him and found him cold in death-a bullet had pierced his heart. Another boy, James Rivers, from Fayette County, was washing his handkerchief in a branch and Manse Dorsey and J. R. Griggs were just below him washing their hands when they heard a rifle shot. The waler became bloody and they looked up and saw Rivers lying in the branch dead. A man of the Eighteenth Georgia, attached to ordnance department, fired off his gun in that direction and thc ball struck Rivers. He was in great distress when told of River's death. In thc "Wilderness and at Spottsyl vania it looked as if every bush had been hit. Great big trees, some of them 18 inches i? diameter, were cut down by bullets. Y'ou could not see through the tangled undergrowth in many places more than 50 yards. Several times we were warned of thc approach of the enemy by the flight of frightened birds. About 8 o'clock on the morning of thc 13th a tall man in his shirt sleeves, bareheaded, was wandering aimlessly among the soldiers with a large hold in his head, from which hi cheeks and -birt bosom. No one knew him. He ^vcr spoke or moaned, but walked ; Tnv through the rain and wc never uaw >r heard of him again. At the bloody angle, whioh was about 2<)0 yards *.o bur right, I saw many dead who had been killed by bayc-ct-. The Texans had a fierce hand to hand struggle down on our left on thc 10th when the Y'ankces broke through their lines, and many were bayouetted. Thc Tenth Georgia only fought at such close quarters when I was with it once and that was at Crampton's Gap, in 1862, but the bloodiest baud to hand struggle they ever had was at Cedar Creek in 1804. Thc faces and mouths of thc wounded and dead were blackened by powder. Near thc bloody angle I looked upon wounded and dead men actuaiiy piled up on each other, and near thc hospi tal I saw a pile of human arms, legs, hands and feet three or four feet high. General Longstreet had a band of sharpshooters cjmposed of the best shots in thc corps, among others "Kansas Tom Johnson," of compauy J), Tenth Georgia. He killed General 5*cdgcwick, who I believe was one of the best generals and beat loved men in the Federal army. A few days after Johnson was shot and killed in a tree that he had climbed to sec move ments of the euemy; he "was called " Kansas Tom" because he had fought before thc war iu Kansas against John Bro.vn's forces. Thc Fifty-third Georgia had a band lcd by Professor Henslcr, a good man and musician. On thc L'.th he and his band had to move past thc Tenth; as they plodded along through the rain they woro jeered and hooted and plied with all sorts of questions such as: "Oh, Professor, please givo one toot, just one little toot for a sick man; oh, Professor, don't turu that end of your horn towards we'uns, please play 'When This Cruel War Is Over,' etc." When he got nearly by the regiment Henry Daniel in tones of sympathy told him not to pay any attention to thc boys of thc Tenth; they were always troubling some d-n fool, and asked him what they had been saying to him. The professor, although a pious, God-fearing man, had become so wrought up that he indignantly told Daniel that they had been trying to get him to play, "Ven Tis Got Dam War Is Over." Ry some means Dan iel got a small jackass on one of our marches and was riding along slowly when a musician with a big horn met him; ho fell off thc ass, pleading with the man with tho horn not to shoot, and for meroy's sake turn the big end of his horn the other way. Baffled and beaten, Grant again triod to slip around our right, but Mars Robert" was always too smart for him, and when he got to North Anna River we wore ahead of him. Wet, weary, hungry and mad as hor nets, the mon of tho Tenth were an ugly set to tackle at any time, but about fifteen days marching and fight ing willi scarcely an hour they were not unlcr fire had' made them reck lessly desperate. When Grant's men tried to approach the bridge over the North Anna they were met by such a obstructive fire that they rushed in wild disorder hack over the hill to escape it, and did not try it again till after dark, when they quietly placed their piokets on the north bank. About 12 o'clock that night an order came to mc from General Kershaw to burn thc bridge. The stream was narrow; thc north baak roso perpen dicular to a considerable height; the south bank was quite low, and tho bridge extended out forty or fifty yards over thc low ground on thc right side. The Yankee pickets lined the north bank closely: tho Confed erates wcro some distance hack from the stream on aooount of tho flat ground. To set fire to that bridgo was a dangerous job. I am. sorry that I cannot recall all thc names of thc men who on that night crawled out under thc bridge, shielding themselves like Malcolm at Dunsinane with husb and pinetops as they approached its cud. Lt. George Stovall, of Thomaston, (ia. ; Capt Auvergne D'Antignac, of Augusta; Lieutenant Sam Fuller, of Joncsboro, Ga. ; J. M. Dorsey, of Fayetteville, Ga. ; I*. L. Cochran, of Alabama; Wilson, of Thomson, Ga., and Brown, of Fayette County, were among those who in the very teeth of death set fire to thc bridge. Tho Y'ankces had placed a linc of 1 Orass cochorns" just aoross the river, and were dropping shells with frightful precision; our works gave us no protection; wo soampercd out and begged our artillery to blow up the infernal "cochorns," hut wo got little relief till Strickland's sharp shooters made it so hot for thc men manning thc mortars that they had to fall back over tho hill. On thc 2Gtu General Grast wrote that "Lee's army was whipped." He discovered his mistake in a day or two and called for help. On tho 27th of May thc Tenth had sharp skirmishing near 1 'Pole Green Church," and just before night it looked at one time as if we would ^certainly bo overrun. Our line was on] a ridge between To top totuoy and Beaver Dam crooks, with a clearing in our front extending 200 yards. The Yankees advanced from a thick wood, column after column, till thc clearing was filled with them. Our sharpshooters, under Captain Auvergne D'Antignac, poured a hot end deadly fire into them. Some ar tillery on our right threw a few shells into their midst and they fled in great confusion without driving D'Antignac and his brave men back on our main lines. Wc were ravenously hungry most of the time. Kaw bacon and crackers: some days a single cracker. There had been scarcely two hours' rest for the paBt six or seven days, nor was there much for many days to come. Our sharpshooters brought in that night coffee, sugar and other good things. Thc Tenth did not lie down on thc night of the 27th. Wc had slight skirmishing on the 28th. Sat urday, thc 20th, was quiet. That night wc again moved to thc right. At daybreak ?ring hngan on our left. In our front was a house and wc could see women and children about thc yard. Some of the Tnnt.h ?0 j tell them to come into our lines. Be fore reaching thc house they had a brisk skirmish, but being reinforced they drove the Yankees, but thc wo men declined to leave their dangerous position. They were not disturbed any more that day so far as wc knew. There was a similar occurrence on an other part of the line. The Yankees had a signal station at the house of a Colonel Shelton. Two brave Yankee signal officers stayed there all day watching and signalling our move ments. Thc ladies stayed in the cel lar. The house was riddled with shot, being hit more than 50 times with shells, and both the brave officers, Lieutenant W. II. Noel, of the Ninety fifth Pennsylvania, and Lieutenant Holland were struck by shells. Gen eral Hancock advised thc ladies to leave and offered them facilities for leaving, but they declined, trusting God to protect them. The Tenth had slight skirmishing on thc 31st. Late in the evening we moved a short distance to the right and while posting our pickets ran into the enemy and kept up a rapid firing for several minutes. Only one or two men of thc Tenth were slightly wound ed, but wo had a little rest. A desul tory firing was kept up nearly all night. With gun and sword in hand, hungry and without a wink of sleep, wc double-quicked just as day was breaking on the morning of June 1, 1804, down to thc bloody ground oi Cold Harbor and went into lino ol battle behind some earthworks buih by the Yankees in 1862: As the gray dawn began to break the bullets and shells came whistling and screaming over us. About sunrise long rolls ol musketry, roaring cannon and louc cheering of the enemy was heard oe our left, and we were ordored to don ble-quiok in thai direction. As w< went almost on- a run we were great!] exposed, being in an open field and ii full view of the enemy. The men ot the Tenth were falling: rapidly. -1 rai to the right and jumped up on som? earthworks in order to direct ou sharpshooters how to stop the mur denous fire that was being poured int? our ranks, when I was strusk and ear ried from the field by Mr. W. R. Tid weil, now living in MoDonough, Ga. and others to be buried. Seeing sign of life they turned me over to th surgeons and rejoined the regiment i time to help retake a portion of ou line which had been taken Ly th Yankees. The Tenth Georgia neve received two higher'compliments tba were paid to it that day by that gram old Virginia hero, Col. James M Goggin. While the Yankees wei oheering over thc capture of the work a courier dashed up to him and toi him to hurry forward reinforcement) the Tenth had given away. He sin ply said: "That is not true; it is son other, regiment," and on the 3rd, tv; days later, when told that the line < the Tenth Georgia had been brokei the lion-hearted general, J. B. Ive shaw, of South Carolina, said: "It false. Thc Tenth Georgia was tl first to stem the tide at the Wilde ness, Spottsylvania, North. Anna, T topotomoy and Cold Harbor. It nev breaks." He kept the regiment the front. Ho depended on it. In the letter which I wroto on tl battlefield, May 20th, 18G4, to ono wi with loving caro has kept and tros urcd it through all these years, ai which I now have before mo, I sai "The great battle is not yet over; f twenty-five days I have boen in ooi mand of tho glorious Tenth Georgi Kvcry man has dono his duty. I ha witnessed deeds of valor done by m of this regiment, somo by the m you presented tho flag to, that ha never been surpassed; but there a lull; thc sui lc:? roar of artillery tv now reminds -us that the last aot thc bl Dody tragody is yet to bo ena cd. death is not satisfied, but ev now is dronohing tho fair fields a u'??tuiug valen ?f Virginia with frat na! blood and is ready to begin a c nival more cruel and more terril than any he has yet hold on ! bloody ground of tho old Domini* We all feel that anothor heeatomb human bodies must rise to satiato t bloody Molooh of tho North. Al yes, almost before tho shrieks of wounded who perished in the flames of the burning woods in the Wilder ness aud at Spottsylvania have died upon our ears; almost before their blood has dried upon the earth, he is ready with unparalleled cruelty to offer new victims. Oh, what fright ful dreams must fill his brain as the ghosts of his murdered victims whose blackened bodies now lie soattered by thousands through the Wilderness and on the heights of Spottsylvania risc before bim. There are many thrilling incidents which 1 would like to relate, but cannot now. Grant, after many desperate efforts, has been foiled, beaten and out-general led, and is, after losing as many mea as wc had in our army, at a place he should have reached without the loss of a man. Oh, how much I regret the false report about my being killed; I know if it had not reached you I would have had one or two precious, dearly treasured letters to cheer me in these hours of peril. Longstreet's corns has made a matchless record'of heroism. You may search the pages of history from the earliest times without find ing a parallel to the long-continued, fierce, fatal fighting that has been done by this corps the last twenty-five days. I actually believe the Tenth Georgia has placed hors du combat at least four times as many Yankees as wero in our regiment when wc started at the Wilderness. My men take deliberate aim, careful aim, as if they were shooting at squirrels or at a mark for a prize. The fine and thorough drilling given to this regi ment by MeLaws, Gumming, Semmes and Holt, the long hard service, the many bloody battles, and, above all, thc high character and matchless courage of the men make it simply unconquerable. What an honor it is to lead and bc loved and trusted by such men, but I do not lead them; every one of them is a leader. "This is Sunday: we have bad some rest; we arc behind Early's corps in reserve; they have had pretty hot skirmishing and it oow sounds as if s regular battle WAS on. They maj need us, so I1 must close. Good-bye, God bless and protect you; will write you again wheu the battle is over, if 1 am spared." Early on tho morning of June 1st Hagood's brigade of South Carolinians had a hot time and many of them fell among others Captain Julius J. West cott of company B, Eleventh South Carolina, was seriously wounded Our esteemed fellow-citizen, Captaii W. D: Ellis- (then a boy)> was render ing brave and devoted serviee a6i lieutenant. The gallant Captain Charles C Kibbee took command of the Tentl Georgia and from then through all thi bloody battles and suffering, in sun shine and in storm> oo the march, ii the bivouac, down to Appomattox through all the weary marches in th sleets and snows of winier, when th men were ragged and hungry, hi dauntless soul cheered and encourage his companions. 80 conspicuous, ir telligent and valorous was his servio that early in the year 1865 General Kershaw, Longstreet and Lee gav him the distinguished promotion froi captain to lieutenant colonel for "ski and valor on the field," skipping tb rank of major. Bis services to hi State since the war on the bench an in the halls-of legislation have been r lesa faithful or intelligent. Georg never had a better or more faithfi son. Think of it, Grant with moi than two hundred thousand men; h wagon train alone was said to be sixt; five miles long, with all the model appliances of war, and the world 1 draw from; Lee with less than six) thousand men had killed, wound* and captured over sixty-five thousan and thoa on Jone 3d, when Lee's mi were ia their trenches laughing, arno iag,. talking, and, by way of diversio repelling assault after assault by fi times their number, and with a loss about one tbonsand, thirteen thous a Federals killed and wounded, lay (their front; many aotually express sorrow at the bloody slaughter Grant's men; and then that strang? battle scene of history when Gpa marshalled his hosts for ono h grand, overpowering assault; a ht dred thousand men of undoubted coi age; veterans who had borne tho sti and stripes to the very forefront many a bloody field, passed sib judgment on the generalship of Gra and when ordered to advance, refus to move, stood silent in grim defin? of Ciders which lcd ko useless, ho less, cruel slaughter. - On a level pavement a pull of pounds will draw a ton, on macad it takes 46 pounds, and on rot gravel 147 pounds. The Best Remedy for Stomach am Bowel Troubles. "I have been in the drug busin for twonty years and have sold m all of the proprietary medicines of 1 note. Among the entire list I hi never found anything to equal Chi b?rl?in's Colic, Cholera and JJiarrh Remedy for all stomach and bo troubles," says O. W. Wakefield, Columbus, Ga. "This remedy on two severe cases of cholera morbnt my family, and I have recommend and sold hundreds of bottles of it my customers to their entiro satisi tion. It affords a quick and sure c in a pleasant form." For sale HiK-OrrDrugCo. '"uoctors" in Conference. ;'Traveliog on another fellow's pass is sometimes a dangerous thing," said a man well known in political circles yesterday. "Not long ago I had occasion to go to Pittsburg, and borrowed a pass from a friend of mine who is a physi cian in addition to being one of those favored by the railroad for political reasons. Thc conductor took up the pass, with the ethers, for over night, as is the custom, and I thought every thing was all right. But about 3 o'clock in the morning I was aroused from a sound slumber in my berth by someone shaking me. I looked up, startled. It was the conduetor. " 'Soi ry to disturb you, doctor,' he said, 'but there's a man in the car very sick. Won't you take a look at him?' '''Here's a pretty fix, thought I; 'but I'll have to make the bluff good r???f?:? ?u?-? c- T -?..~ v? v"v, |/iaao. wis x ?Vb ?*f>, onp ped on my clothes and looked at the patient. He was breathing heavily. I feit his pulse solemnly, measured it by my watch, as though I knew just what ailed him: 'Is there any one here who has a flask?' I had half a dozen offers in a minute. 'Give him tv? o tea8poonsfulof whiskey every ten minutes,' said I, 'and bathe his head with ice water.' I knew that pre scription wouldn't* hurt him anyway. After the first dose the patient rallied and I was just congratulating myself when the conductor oame up with another passenger. " 'Here's a fellow physician, doc tor,' he said. 'Perhaps a consultation will be in order.' "I shook hands with thc newcomer, trembling in my boots. 'What have you given him, doctor?' he asked rath er sharply. I told him. 'Excellent,' he said. The patient got better, and the next morning when we had alight ed at Pittsburg the joke being too good to keep, I made a clean breast of it to the physician. He laughed. 'So, you're not a doctor at all, eh?' he said. Then he laughed again and looked about him cautiously. "Say, old man,' he said in a whis per, 'that's a good one. Neither am I. ' "-I'h itadelph ia Tim cs. - A couductor who rubs into Ful ton, Kv., recently collected on his train a ticket from Cincinnati to Ful ton which had been sold on Decem ber 21, 1892. The old man who pre sented it for passage said that just after he bought it, he had heard of a wreck on the road, and ,was afraid to get on the train. He never summon ed up courage enough to use the tick et until last week. - The world gets sufficient heat from the sun in a year to melt a coat of iee 46 feet thick all over the globe. - A man is always more truthful in his opinion of his second baby than of his first. Women oall it more brutal. - Every man knows woree of him self than he knows of others. Recently there nave been several eas? of prominent men suddenly falling, in collapse just after eating a hearty meal. These men have all been under treat ment for gastric "trouble,"1 and yet the result shows that the treatment they had received had smothered the symptom?, but had not retarded the progress of the disease. There is a real danger in the- ase of palliatives when there is disease of the stomach and its allied organs of diges tion and nutrition. The disease is such cases goes on, while the distressing symptoms alone are stopped. Presently? like a smothered tire, the ' disease breaks out in new places, in volving heart, lungs, liver, kid neys, or some other organ. Th'? use of Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discov ery results in a radical cure of diseases of the stomach and oth er organs of di gestion and nutrition*. It cores diseases of heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, etc., when the disease of these organs has its origin ia t?.c diseased condition of the stomach arni digestive and; ?atadtive system. "I will tell you V7h;?t m y Bel f and family think of your medicine," -writes Mr. M. M. Wardwell, of linwood, Leavenworth Co., Kansas, ?lt win do all you Bay, and mote. X waa taken sick nine years ego; I got so weak I couldn't lie down, nor hardly itt up; was that way two or three months. I picked up one of Dr. Pierre's Memorandum Dooks one day and saw your de scription of catarrh of the stomach. I thought it hit my case. We had a bottle of Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery In the house 4hat was got for my mother. Yon recommend it for catarrh of'the stomach, BO I went to taking it. The one bottle nearly cured rae. X got two boUIes next time ana took one and one-half * .d was well. Your medicine cost me three lollara and the doctor cost me fourteen dollars.1" Dr. Pierce's Common Sense Medical Adviser, in paper covers, is setit free on receipt of ai one-cent stamps, to pay ev. ?nse of mailing only. Address Dr. R. V. Pierce, Buffalo, N. Y. ' ' ? Si WATCHES, CLOCKS & JEWEL RY. MUT* All Repair work done promptly and at low rates. JOHN S. CAMPBELL, - AT DEAN & RATX.II'F K'S The Kind You Have Always Boagut? aa'd which bas been, in use for over 30 years, has horne the Signatare of and hos been : Made under' his per? j^yjfc \ sepal supervision since its infancy, f'CtfcA4&i Allow no one to deceive you in this. All Counterfeits, Imitations and " Just-os-good?? aro but Bxperfments that trifie with and endanger the health of Infants and Children-Experience against Experiments What is CASTOR SA ?astoria is a harmless substitute for- Castor Oil? Paro* goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups/. It ls Pleasant*. If contains neither Opium? Morphine nor other Narcotic substance. Its age is its g*!??i*ntee- rt dna troys "Worm? and allays Feverishness. It cures IMarrhcea and Wind? Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles? cures Constipation - anti Flatulency. Ic oasinuiaT:.* che Food? regulates the Stomach and Bowels? giving healthy and natural sleep.. The Children's Panacea-The Mother's Friend. GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS Hears the Signature of The Kind You Haye Always Bought In Use For Over 3? Years. TM! OSHTiUn COMPANY. TT MURRAY STREIT, MSW VOM CM TY. AcmePaint andCementCure Specially used on Tin Bo o?s and Iron Work of any kind. For sale by ACME PAINT & CEMENT CO. Reference : F. B. GRAYTON & CO., - Druggists, Anderson. S. C. Riding on Air! Is what you feel like when you roll along with such an easy,, delightful motion in a Ball Bearing Pneumatic Runabout, Such as we aro showing in such rich and handsome designs. You don't koo? what a speedy drive is unless you have one of these gems- ofi speeders. Look at onr FINE STOCK OF CARRIAGES. -JOS. J. FRETWELL. 33 Car Loads Corn} Ear and Shelled. 10 Car Loads Oats. 10 Car Loads Molasses. 1 Car Load Oreen Coffee. 300 Barre? i Silgar. Come along and see for yourself. LIGON & LSDBET TEE, WHOLESALE DEALERS. A LONG LOOK AHEAD A man thinks it is when the watter of life insurance suggests itself-but circumstan ced of late have shown how life hangs by a thread when war, Hood, hurricane and fire suddenly overtakes you, and the only way to he sure that your family is protected io .case of calamity overtaking you is to in sure bk a solid Company like The Mutual Benefit iLife Ins. Go. Drop io and see us about it M. MU MATTIMO^, STATE AGEIST, ?aople?*BAOk Building, ANDERSON. ?. C.