Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WAR ST .A. -Hoy in 13vitternvit Service II la the spring of 1895 I made my ' appearance in Macon to enter upon the duties of United States district judge. Twenty-one years had elapsed since my last visit to tho beautiful Central City. This was about the 18th o&November, 1864, and I came ridiug bareback on a very diminutive mule, not larger than .Sancho I'auza's "Dap ple." I came as a member of that command, famous in its way as Crom well's Ironsides?I mean Wheeler's cavalry. My father was that year pastor of Mulberry Street. Methodist Church in Macon, but our home had been broken up about the time of the Stoncmau raid, and at the some what unmanageable age of 15 I had been directed by parental authority to repair to tho plantation in Monroe County of my uncle, the late Judge Alex. M. Speer, and to remain there until further orders. But the detonations of artillery from the direction of Atlanta, which reached our cars even at that distance and the spectacle of the roads alive with the marching columns, the bag gage trains and all the impediments of the Confederate army, overcame, in a yet unformed nature, the duty of obedience, and one day, unconscious ly adopting the maxim of Napoleon, I marohed towards the sound of the firing. It was not many miles before an athletic looking soldier, riding a beau t'Ful chestnut colored mare and lead l n the small mule above mentioned, caug?t up with me, and noting, I am Bure, my forlorn condition, hailed me with the salutation: "Bud, do you want to ride?" I have no recollection of a time when I did not want to ride, and ac cepting his invitation I twisted the rope halter through the mule's mouth for a bridle and throwing my worn little ov?rcoat across his back for a I saddle, I was soon trotting along by my well mounted friend, who at once proceeded to regale me with "moving incidents by field and flood." His namo was Jorry Spaulding, and a short time ago I had it from Senator Lind say, of Kentucky, that he was still alive. Long may he wave, for never was there a soul more gallant, and no deadlier aim than his ever glanced through the sights of an Eofield rifle. He is a teamster now in the heart of the Blue Grass. I soon told Jerry that my purpose was to assume the profession of arms, and that I was solicitous to join a oraok command, some corps whose re putation was like that of the Imperial Guard in the armies of France. Jerry had this corps 'elite ready made. He promptly assured mo that the flower of the Confederate army was Company K, Fifth Kentuoky regiment, Lewis' brigade of mounted infantry, and when Jerry and I reached oamp that night I am sure that hope elevated and joy brightened my oountenanoe as I was mustered in as a member of the fa mous "Orphan Brigade." My transports were a little modera ted when I learned that Jerry made application for a furlough on che ground that he had secured a recruit. It was not long before the detach ment of the brigade which had thus beeu reinforced was detailed as guard to a wagon train, and iu a short time we marched down the Forsyth road towards Macon. I remember just af ter we passed what is now the beauti- j ful stock farm of Mr. 11. II. Plant and i rode up Singer's hill, we saw the red breastworks which crowned it, filled with the Georgia militia, noticeable for their white haversacks und clean brown jeans suits. As we rode through the line Jerry, with all tho pride of a veteran who came out of the "dark and bloody ground" with Breckinridge and Helm four years before, evoked mush profanity from the State troops by - shouting coutumeliously, "Lie down, Melisb, I'm going to pop a cap," and by subsequently assuring a grave-looking militiamen, who was, I ; am satisfied, an ordinary, or at least ( a justice of the peace in his home him up to keep him from falling into the hands of the enemy." In those days we were destroying many muni tions of war with that purpose. Pursued by the objurgations of the militia wo rodo on towards Macon, passing tho Vineville school, where in the spring I had been a pupil of the now Hon. A. S. Florence, ordinary of Jasper County, who had lost his arm while gallantly fighting two years be fore ut the Second Manassas, and by my present home. We crossed the Vineville branch and entered the city, marshed down Cotton avenue, turning into Mulberry street where the Con f?d?ral > monument now stands. At t..is point I was deeply humilia ted by th? irreverent conduct of .^num ber of Macon boys who knew me well und who ran along 1$ my side shout Atlan?.a . county, that we would soon "burn DRIES. Gray and IT is First Recounted. Journal. ing, "Hey, will you look at till* sol dier!" aod other irreverent and de preciatory remarks calculated, as I thought, to lower me in tho esteem of my newly acquired comrades. My friend Jerry and the other Kentuckians came to my relief, how ever, und consoled me aod told me uot to u;ind the boys, assuring me that a? soon as I could get & suit of Confederate gray I would he a fine soldier. Our wagons were parked exactly where the power-house of the Consol idated Street railway now stands, awl we went into camp in that beautiful grove on the river bank, now the Cen tra! City park. My father happened to be out of the city, but his brother in-law, the late Dr. Dudley W. Ham mond, hearing of my unexpected pres ence with the troops, and aware that my father had secured my discharge from military service, came to the camp and endeavored to induce me to leave. I declined, my officers would not interfere and the good man went away much disappointed. I was now equipped with a now rifle and my mule with new saddle and a bridle. That afternoon the other regiments of the brigade came in. A strong force of Union cavalry was then threatening East Maoon. Yfo were mounted and crossed the Ocmul gee on a pontoon bridge, passed through the culvert under the Central railroad and went into line very near the present locality of Anderson's brickyard. A few random shells from federal batteries fell among us, and while the sound was terrifying, as it did not seem to disturb the older soldiers around me, I soon assumed an air of iudinerence myself. It is, however, true that while the fire of infantry is much more deadly, in my judgment it is not so demoralizing as tho fiendish scream of the shell and the ferocious and murderous sound of its explos ion. The night came on. One could hear the crackling rifle fire of the skirmishers out toward Walnut creek. Presently the hoarse command of "Fall in!' rang through our bivouac We formed a column of fours' dis mounted, and marched up the hill and out toward Croas Keys. When we reaohed the summit of the hill be yond Cutter's Green I remember look ing back across the oity, and on the hill of what is now South Maoon, then nothing but open fields, I oould see what scorned ten thousand camp fires. I said to a Kentuokian who' stood near me in the rank, that Hood's army must have reaohed Maoon. Tak ing a good look, and oalling my atten tion to the fact that the spaces be tween the fireB were all of the same length, he said: "Tho!'e are not oamp fires. They are built thero by our people to fool the Yankees and make them think we have got a large force in Maoon, when in fact we have got only a few cavalry and the militia." We soon marched back across the river, and that night I slept with the lieutenant commanding my company, now Captain John T. Gaines, of Cres ent Hill, Ky. How true it is that the "bravest are the tenderest, the loving are the dariug.'' This noble Kentuckian shared his blankets with aie and treated me, an inexperienced, Forlorn lad as I was, without any knowledge of the dangers aod hard ships of the months to come, as if I had been his own brother. In freezing uights if the terrible ffin;er of 18G4 5 when my tour of picket, dnty came, it was Captain Gaines as we called him, who gave me heedful instructions, and as I would mount to ride to my post, with a horseshoe nail would pin his own blanket around my neck. At the time of which I write this brave offi cer had a record of cool, heroic cour age in many deadly, puched battles, unsurpassed by that of any member of the great army who followed Napoleon from the banks of the Seine to the towers of the Kremlin. It rained heavily that night, and be fore day next morning, drenched to the skin as we were with the oold November rain, we mounted and rc orossed the river and joined the col umn with which Wheeler attempted to turn the left wing of the Federal attack. I had y fir*t view of Gen eral Wheeler and his staff as in the early dawn we turned to the tight of the Indian mound, forded Walnut creek and struck out on a forced inarch toward the enemy. Ho was a small man. apparently about 25 years old, very alert in movement and ex pression, and boy as I was, I instant ly formed a high opinion of his manly and soldierly conduct, which time and long personal acquaintance have but strengthened. The enemy somehow got wind of our movement and fell nun, and tho tearinc: sound of tho raj?* back rapidly and we pressed ou after then:. It was a terrible day. When I think of it, it recalls the lines in Tarn O'Shanter: "The wind blew as 'twould blow its last, The rattling showers rode on the blast.'' Thinly clad, I was soon chilled to the bone and my teeth were chatter ing as with ague. My company com mander eaw this and sent for the sur geon. I remember the gallant figure of the doctor, whose name was Mann, as he rode up, mounted on a large pac ing ohestout sorrel. He had a can teen of whiskey and offered me some, but because doubtless of my Metho dist training, I had never tasted ar dent spirits. All the admonitions I had heard at home, and from the pul pit wore fresh in my memory, and much to the surprise of my comrades, I declined it. Several at once proffer ed to take the doctor's prescription in my stead. lie made no reply to them and put the stopper back in his can teen. Sometime in the forenoon, as I re call, wc reached the neighborhood of Griswoldvillc, which was then in the possession of the enemy in strong force. Geueral Wheeler determined to attaok. My brigade was to go in dismounted. We couqtcd on four horseholdor? and ? was number four, but I bad no mind to remain with the horses. T.t will be recalled that this was the duty of number four. I heard afterwards a story of General Forrest, when once his command was counted off for the same purpose as the names were called they would an swer one, two, three, bully! and that great fighter said, "Let number one hold horses and number two, three and bully go into the fight." The truth is I was so chilled that ? relish ed the opportunity of the tramp afoot, and a man of inore exp?rience, amid the jeers of the company, ohanged numbers with me. While we were waiting for the command to go for ward, some of the boys began to build a fire. General Wheeler was sitting on his horse near us, and just as the smoke rose above the tops of the trees it must have been seen by the enemy, for instantly came the shriek of a shell and the misstle itself ripped through a dead pine near the fire. General Wheeler said quietly, "Put out that fire," and his order was obeyed with great promptitude. Be fore we could attack, the enemy re treated from Griswoldvillc and we marched through the town, and went into camp. By this time it was about sunset and it had blown off clear and cold. I cannot tell where we camped, but I know it was in a wood of pines and blaokjaoks. We now oooked the only meal we had that day. Our meat was fresh pork, and one frying pan was made to serve the whole company of twelve or fifteen men. A little flour had been issued to us in Macon. This j was already wet, and we made it into hoe oakesof sise suitable to the pan, and after frying the pork we stewed or boiled these flour hoe cakes in the grease or gravy which had exuded therefrom. Bill Robb was unwilling to wait his turn at the frying pan. He skewered his ration of meat on the ramrod of his rifle and turned it before the fire until it was sufficiently barbecued, all the time deploring the faot that he was losing his gravy. Our culinary arrangements, it will be seen, were simple. The bread thus cooked was almost as heavy as the bullets in our cartridge boxes, but to mc never was food more delicious nor do I ever re call a sensation of greater comfort than as reclining by the fire that night on the blanket of my kindly lieutenant I sought to make him tell mo about the foes we were to meet the nest day, and he sought to make me recount the books I had been reading and thus recall for him those literary delights of which his long life in the camps had deprived him. He had al ready discovered that I belonged to reading people. My father would toler ate in his homo none but tho works of fine authors. My memory was then retentive and many weary miles in the months to come were beguiled for both of us, as I would ride by the side of my captain, and at his request spin interminable narratives from the nov els of Scott, Thackery and Dickens. Occasionally we would tako voyages with the heroes of Captain Marryat, and more frequently still we would fight from the panoramic pages of Alison the battles of Austeritz, of Jena, of Gagram and Waterloo, and many others. The next day was fought the battle of Griswoldvillc. The enemy appear ed early, in strong force, and stampe ded some of our cavalry. I remember my consternation and dismay as I saw our men, not of our brigade, however, running from this advance at full speed, and some of them whipping their horses with their wool hats, as I had seen country boys do on tho race track in th<! old fair grounds at Ath ens. We were not in the hard fight ing of that bloody day so tragic in its memories, for many Georgia families, but we heard it all.. It was a useless sacrifice of noble lives. I shall never forget the rapid thudding of the can ) ' - id fire from the repeating guns of the enemy. To my inexperienced ears it was as if giauts were engaged in rip ping miles of cloth. Tho enemy were entrenched. They had ample artillery and were armed with Spencer repeat* ing rifles. They wanted no fight. In deed Sherman had given orders to his troops tu avoid fighting whenever they could, on his maroh to the sea, because he did not wish to be encum bered with the wounded. If the offi cer to command of the militia had waited, the strong force of Federal cavalry in front of him would have withdrawn from their entrenchments and retreated. Although they held their lines, they did retreat immediate ly after the fight was over. But the order to charge was given, and the Georgia militia with all the fierce val or of their heroio line swept to the attack. This force was largely recruited from our best families. It was com posed of county officials, of men over forty-five and boys under eighteen, and they laoked nothing of the soldier ly qualities of the famous armies of Lee and Johnson, save the exp?rience which comeB to the veteran alone. It is true also that because they were raw troops they had been guyed by the veteran commands. 1 ' Joe Brown's Pets" they were called. They had determined if the opportunity offered to show the fearless manhood of which they were conscious, and when tbe reckless order to make a frontal attack on the breast works of the ene my was given, they attempted the impossible, and the result was a mas sacre of our bravest and best. My nearest neighbor now, aod dear friend Colonel Dan Hughes, the court ly father of the courtly president of our State Agricultural Sooiety, was in this fight, and is ? fine type of the material of those gallant State troops. If I mistake not the late Judge Kent MoCoy was there. Dupont Guerry, whom I had known as a boy in Ameri eus, aod his father were both, there. Nearly every man in their company except those two were either killed or wounded. A dear friend of my boy hood, Anbury Grandberry, was shot through the neok and instantly killed. I have often heard my father speak of the piteous Bight made by the green corpses of theso splendid Georgians as they were piled up in the depot at Maoon a day or two after the battle. The vast majority of our manhood who took part in those "days that tried men's souls" are now quietly sleeping in the bivouac of the dead. Boys in their teens who proudly wore the jacket of gray are .grandfathers now, and perhaps one of them maybe indulged if in the quietude of his li brary, surrounded by the blessings of home, and guarded by the laws of our reunited and happy land, he should recall and perohanoe recount some of the memories of that heroie past. Emory Speer. "In Darkest United States." Berlin, June 14.?A pamphlet by Felix Baumann is having an extraor dinary circulation. It is entitled "In Darkest United States," and contains extravagant descriptions of the im morality alleged to exist in American cities. There are long ohapters on New York, Chioago, New Orleans and San Francisco. The writer has raked together accounts of cruel lynohings, police briberies and the sale of jus tice in cities. He contends that the United States is more deeply immoral than any other country in tho world, and warns Germans, especially women, against emigrating to such an evil at mosphere. The blaok cover of the pamphlet is conspicuous on every news stand. The Stars aud Stripes are emblazoned ou it. QiRL WOMEN. The general standard of measurement for womanhood is "grown-up-nesa." When a girl is emancipated from school and arrives at the dignity of trailing skirts and elaborate hair dressing she is looked upon as a young woman. But nature knows nothing of such stand : ards. When the womanly func tion is establish ed womanhood is attained ac cording to her Btandards, and there is need of womanly care] and caution. It is girlish ignor ance or neglect at this critical time which often results in long years of after misery. Mothers who Serceive the evi ences of func tional derange ment in young girls should promptly have them begin the use of Dr. Pierce'c Favorite Prescription. It establishes reg ularity, tranquihzes the nerves and tones up the whole system. "My troubles started during my girlhood." writes Miss Flora I. Greer, of 107 Howe Street, Akron, O.. "but did not prove serious until 1893. From that time I did not see a well day. I suffered ut every monthly period with terrible headache, irritation of the opine and pains la my heels. I had soreness through ray hips and ovaries all the time "aud constant backache. One doctor would tell me one thing ailed me, another would say something altogether differ ent, but they only relieved me. I then wrote you nu l followed your advice. I took five bottles of Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription, four of Golden Medical Discovery' and five vials of Pellets." Have not had a single symptom of my old trouble so far. Can sleep good, work hard, and eat solid and substantial food with out distress.n Dr. Pierce'a Pleasant Pellets cleanse the bowels and stimulate the sluggish liver. In Slavery Days. The Southern Farm Magaziue is at some pains to show that a story cur rent in the press, illustrative of the fact that Gen. Hampton did not know some of his slaves at sight, wa j appli cable to several thousand men who owned slaves to the number of a hun dred and more. The partioular inci dent of the stOfv, that Gen. Hampton once met ooe of his farm laborers on the road and asked him "who he be longed to" is familiar to everybody in the South, as it is looslized in every county with a different owner in eaoh case. Some of the facts which the Magazine mentions in its artiole are interesting, however, in a widely dif ferent application. The total white population of the South in 1860, according to the cen sus, it is noted, was 8,099,760, of whioh 384,864 owned the 3,953,696 slaves in the country, excluding 2 owuu? in Kansas, 15 in Nebraska, 29 in Utah and 18 in New Jersey. One man alone owned more than 1,000 slaves and he was a South Carolinian. Eighty-eight owners, in nine States, had more than 3U? each, and thirty of the eighty were South Carolinians. One-fifth of all the slave-holders?or, 77,322?owned but one slave eaoh, and the greatest number of these small holders in one State was in Virginia, which had also the largest proportion of slaves, 590,865. The figures juBt given show that all the slaves were owned by less than & per cent of the white population, and were themselves but half as numerous as the white population. In these conditions, seeing that the slave worked only for his owner, it is evident that the Northern idea that all the white people in the South en joyed an indolent existence, lying up in the shade all day and never work ing, but depending on the blacks to support them, rests on rather a slim foundation.?News and Courier. Bead It In bis Paper. George Sobaub, a well known Ger man citizen of Now Lebanon, Ohio, is a constant reader of the Dayton Volkszeitung. He knows that this paper aims to advertise only the best in its columns, and when he saw ! Chamberlain's Pain Balm advertised therein for lame baok, he did not hesi tate in buying a bottle of it for his wife, who for eight weeks had suffered with the most terrible pains in her back and could get no relief. He says: "After using the Paij Balm for a* few days my wife said to me, 'I feel as though born anew, and before UBing the entire contents of the bottle the unbearable pains had entirely vanish ed and she could again take up her household dutiea." He is very thank ful and hopes that all suffering like wise will hear of her wonderful re covery. This valuable liniment is for sale by Orr-Gray & Co. A Breeze From the Plains. Mr. G. G. Conner, a resident of South Dakota and* a member of the Speorfish club, while in New York, visited the Sportsman's show-.at Madi son Square garden, and (hat fellow ship whioh exists between the breth ren of the west w&a recognised atones, and Mr. Conner's password grip or sign opened to us all any information that those from the west possessed. Among many things we heard was the following story told by a noted guide, and wo think it was the only story he told in the whole two weeks of the exposition. "Thar's no use," he said, "in try ing to speak a good word for an In jun; thar's nothing good about 'em; never was or never will be. Why, they'll just sell thar lives for whisky, and I jess reo'lect very, very strongly a circumstance that happened to me one day, an' it'll tell you what kind of a hog an InjtUt is. 1 was out on the plains on as pretty piece of horse flesh as you over seed, a lookin' for sumfin to kill, when all of suttin' I saw a red-skin. We how'd a parleyed for awhile, when he spied a quart bot tle sticking out of my pooket, whioh I had taken from the cabin when I left for safekeeping. As my pardener, was monstrous fond of good whisky, and I thought it was a heap safer wid me than wid him, so I took it along, as I said, and the Injun spied it. " 'Ugh! what you got?' he asked. " 'Whisky,' I said. " 'Good?' " 'Yes! bully.' "'Sell?' " 'No.' " 'Give blanket; give pony; give rifle.* '* 'No, I tell vor; no sell.' "Give all/ "'Now, jess think of that, thar, will yer, that thar low-down, pesky red-skin willing to give two hundred dollars for a dollar bottle of redeye. I tell yer they are hogs for whisky every time." "Well!" said one of his auditors, "no one could attach any blame to you for accepting his offer. If ho placed that value on the whisky, it was immaterial what you paid for it; but I must say it was a good deal on* your part." "Huh!" said the* guide; "who said anything about a deal. I wouldn't take his trade. It was the only quart of whisky I had." ? Wheu a wise man buries animos ity be forgets where he has planted it. Di 8. VANDIVER. J. J. MAJOR. X. P. VANDIVE^I Vandiver Bros. & Major., -DEALERS IN - BUGGIES, SUBRIES, PHYTONS, WAGON?f Harness, Lap Bobes, Whips, Etc. ANDER80N, S. C, April 9, 1902. 19* WE have a large and beautiful line to select from and our PRICE?! ARE RIGHT. COME TO SEE US. VANDIVER BROS. & MAJOR. JUST A WORD About Something that should Interest Ton ! ! ! ! ! ! ! WE HAVE A FEW SECOND-HAND UPRIGHT PIANOS ! Some you would readily buy for new. BARGAINS THESE. A big you will find they fill the bill ?s well ?? ? iiai| ne?! of ?auarea for nractiee work one. At from &19vOO up. Om ORGAN DEPARTMENT is running over with good things. Yet should see them and get pri?es. A few special bargains if you come at once. Ollft SEWING MACHINE DEPARTMENT is by far the largest in tb 8t?te, aad more Standard varieties are here to select from. Here are bar gains in- second-hand Machines that you ought to piok up. ? Come in when in town, and we will take pleasure in showing you througk j THE C. A. HEED MUSIC HOUSE. A Well furnished Home Is not necessarily an expensive}}] furnished one, as at TOLLY'S hand some, even sumptuous, FURNITUR! is procurable without great outlay not that we deal in knocked-together, raade-to-sell sort, but because we an content with a reasonable profit of really good .articles of . Furnitur? Our beat witness is the Goods then* Youn truly G. P. TOLLY & SON, The Old Reliable Furniture Dealers, Depot St., Anderson, S. C. A. 0. STBIOBIimi BEMT8ST? OFFICE?Front Rooms over Farn j era and Merchants Bank. ' The opposite out illustrates Con tinuous Gum Teeth. . The low Plate?more eleanly than the nit? ral teeth. No bad taste or rrean from Plaf of this kind* A LONG LOOK AHEAD ?5 A man thinks it is when the matter of lift l/* insurance suggests itself?but cwcurnstaB'. cea of late have shown how life hangs by * th -^ad when war, flood, hurricane and w* suddenly overtakes you, and thetmly to be sure that your family is protected* case of calamity overtaking you is to n>J iure in a solid Company like? The Mutual Benefit Life Ins. Co. Drop in and see us about it. M. M. MATTISON, STATE .?.GEST? j Peoples' Rank Rnlldlng, ANDERSON S- C. ]