The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, June 15, 1920, Page THREE, Image 3
THE SURRENDER OF
JOHNSTON'S ARMY
By M. M. Buford, Newberry, S. C.
By M. ML Buford, Newwberry, S. C.
With the annual recurrence of the
day marking the surrender of the
* most gallant army that ever battled
v.iriit and iustice, the old Con
ate soldier likes to recai his
eXp?riences in the great struggle; so
j*a,n moved to write of the surrender
the army under Gen. Joseph E.
j0>nston, in the preliminaries of
wjjch I was an actor.
1 was a member of the 5th South
Carolina Cavalry. Our last battle
was fought at Bentonville, N. C.,
where two of our company were
killed?D. C. Eison of Union county
and C. C. Casev of Laurens county,
S. C. On March 24, 1865, Gen. E.
v M. Law, now living in Florida, had
been put in command of that portion
of the cavalry including our regiment
near Smitfrfield, N. C. There were
^ Yankee marauders not far away.
General Law sent a portion of our
_regiment, including my company, to
- TI7 n.
stop their depredations. >?c
several hundred of them in a woody
place, and there was a little skirmish,
during which I noticed a Yankee
jump from his horse and take deliberate
aim at some one in my direction.
I heard the bullet strike with
a dull thud near me and turned to
see that Lieut. Berry Richards, my
nearest comrade, who was in command
of the company, had been hit.
He told me he h&d been mortally
wounded and asked me to take him
to his brother, John C. Richards, and
for his brother to carry his body
' ^>ack home for burial. I put my arm
around him and held him on his horse,
and we had gone but a short distance
when we met his brother. The
wounded man died three days later,
on March 27, and his brother carried
Hr*mp. as reauested.
-illO WVUJ ** W...?,
After leaving Raleigh my command
fell back toward (j^reensboro,
tired and hungry and depending on
their own exertions to get something
to eat. As an illustration of the
.straits to which we were put for
food, I will relate this little incident:
While out foraging a great big
husky fellow and I were chasing the
same chicken, and we caught it at
J " the same time. I weighed only
. about 120, but was holding on to
L * the chicken with all my might, when
I * he said, and he meant it too, "D?n
/. w T>11 kill
you, 11 you uun i ?,v/> ~..
you," and I let go and w?nt hungry.
' - It was about the middle of April,
1865, that the correspondence began
between Gen. Joseoh E. Johnston
and Gen. William T. Sherman in regard
to an armistice, Johnston sending
a communication to Sherman
t.imp. As Sherman's
> av/vub w*v*v v.
messengers?a lieutenant and some
petty officers with a flag of truce?j
were on their way to Johnston's
headquarters they came to the place
where Joe Hargrove and I had been
posted. One was to stay there, and
the other was to conduct Sherman's
messengers to Johnston's headquarters.
somewhere between Durham and
HillsboroC Joe had slipped away on
a foraging expedition, so I had to
. escort the messengers. I noticed
*' 1 ?* Vonl*c wos ri d i n c a
xnat Ullt? UJL tUC x axi.-w ?* mm ??v...0
very fine bay horse that he had captured
from Charles Barnett of our
company only a few days before. I
wanted very much to take the horse
from hini, but of course I wouldn't. ;
On the 17th of April, Generals
t Johnston and Sherman, with their
staffs, met in a? plain little farm
house known as the "Bennett
House," having only two or thre:.
r rooms, to discuss terms of the arm- '
listiee. This was just four miles west
of Durham. They did not complete
the negotiations that day and met at
the same place the next day, April
is Johnston's escort was
the 5th South Carolina Cavalry, and
with him were Gen. Wade Hampton!
of South Carolina, Gen. John C. j
Breckinridge of Kentucky and Gen. j
J. H. Reagan of Texas, as I rememWith
General Shefman were j
General Kilpatrick of ' the Yankee'
cavalry, and, I think, an escort ofi
Minnesotans. While the conference!
was going on the respective escorts'
on the outside fraternized and
cracked jokes. The Yanks were in
splendid and handsome uniforms of:
- blue, the "Johnny Rebs" in torn and'
sodden suits of gray. j
The terms were agreed upon that
day, but General Sherman had to
submit them to the government at:
Washington. President Lincoln had j
been assassinated by John Wilkes
Booth the tight-of the 14th of April,;
and Vice President Andrew Johnson j
had succeeded him. He refused to;
accept the terms and returned them;
to General Sherman. * j
On the morning of the 25th of
April General Sherman notified General
Johnston that the terms had.
* k been rejected and demanded a surrender.
That night General Johnston
sent a dispatch under flag of truce
.to General Sherman. This dispatch
an^s intrusted to Col. Rawlins
t ^nn'rk of General Hampton's staff.
ft ? li\ivw
AY lien aske'd if iie wanted an escort 01
cavalry. Colonel'Lowndes ?aid: "Xo.
Onie good man will do. 111 take Bufoi^d."
On our way to Sherman's
headquarters we came to the Yanke.e
picket line at 1 o'clock at night.
The vidette on the post could not
speak English and seemed at a loss
what to do. The vidette on the next
post called out to him: "D?n it,
make them dismount." We dismounted
and awaited the appearance
of the officer who had been called to
? escort us, when we remounted and
accompanied him to headquarters.
(As indicating the discipline in the
federal army, I afterwards learned
the vidette was arrested and punished
for permitting us to get so
close before he halted us.)
When we reached General Sherman's
headquarters we were treated
very nicely. Soldiers were sent out
to hold our horses. Colonel Lowndes
~w$nt in, but I stayed out and held
zny own horse. When Colonel
' Lowndes had delivered his message
and we had started back to our headW
quarters, he said to me: "BufoH.
.why didn't you let that soldier hold
i
i
your horse? ' My reply was: "i
don't let no Yankee hold my horse.'
I We had come now t? j end oi
things. The war was rv-, and the
Confederate soldiers, c ..^aered b.v
overwhelming numbers. u. ned theii
thoughts homeward, and many alsc
turned their faces thither. On the
26th of April I left the almost de%
P - 1. ^ ,x /lir? /? wi \? O XT_
sorted camp lor riuuitr, nwuif; m.>
airy horse, which was a very good
one. With me were Witherspoon of
Sumter and,Sanford Welborn of
Union; perhaps others whom I can
not now recall. As we rode out of
Charlotte, N. C., we met Gen. Wade
Hampton, who was going in the
same direction, and we rode three or
four .miles together, when he turned
off into another road, saying he was
going to cross the Catawba river in
a bateau, and his horse would swim
Wo nrnmiqpfl him We WOlrfd
anuoo.
meet fym at Due West, S. C., five
weeks from that day and go with
him/to join Gen. Kirby Smith's army
beyond the Mississippi, the la^t remnant
of the Confederate armies that
had not surrendered. But before the
time appointed rolled around everything
had gone to pieces, Kirby
Smith's army included, and of course
we did not meet at Due West. General
Hampton had not surrendered,
ami neither had I; but sometime in
the summer of 1865 I went to Columbia
and took the oath of allegiance.
General Hampton also must
1 " 1 ^" f aviia C\V
nave IctKtll Lilt" Vixin Hi. aunvt biuiv.)
he could not have taken his seat in
the United States senate, to which
he was elected by the South Carolina
legislature and which he held many
years, nor the offijce of national railroad
commissioner, to which he was
later appointed by President Grover
Cleveland.
When we reached the Catawba
river the ferryman informed us that
the change for ferrying a man on
horseback was $25 or a plug of tobacco.
I had a plug or so of tobacco,
because I had drawn my share along
with the others, though I did not
chew; so I gave him a plug of tobacco,
and my comrades, Witherspoon
and Welborn, gave him $25
apiece. My plug of tobacco was
worth more than the $50 in Confederate
money.
I reached home on.the 5th of May,
1865. Forty-five years after that
I was going out of Raleigh, N. C..
on the train, and as we approached
Durham I asked, so all in the coach
could hear, if there A'as any one on
board who could point out the Bennett
House. An old man stood up
and replied that he co-jH. and he
? J All CA +f\ mo Q C
J'VJ'ULCU uui mc uuucv v" 111*.
were passing. It looked just about
as it did forty-five years before, except
that the well sweep in the frpnt
yr.x d was gone.
In talking with Gen. Julian . S.
Carr of Durham, N. G.. at the Confederate
Reunion in Tais&, Okia., in
1^18, he told me he 'owned land
around the Bennett House and that
I was the only person he had ever
seen who was present at tfce meeting
there between Generals Johnston and
n 1 TTa f V. o "f if
^n^rniciii* xic iuimcx ot4xu v <v
became necessary to cover the house
completely with corrugated iron in
order to keep it from beins* carried
ofT piecemeal as souvenirs. General
Carr urged me to write ouc my rerollei'tions
of the Johnston surrender. I
might add that General Carr appointed
me on his staff as assistant quartermaster
general, with the rank of
lieutenant colonel, when he was first
elected commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia Department* U. C.
V., and his successor, General Brown
of Virginia, honored me with the
same appointment, as did General
Carr again when he defeated General
Brown at the Washington reunion in
1917. So I am entitled to be called
"Colonel." The title of "Captain,"
with which my friends have honored
me for several years, grew on me
gradually. I was not "a captain in
the army;" the highest-position I
ever, reached there was "hifjh private."
I appreciate these honors,
but I am proudest of having been se
letted by Col. Bnwlivts Lowndes as
his courier and escort on his visit to
the headquarters cf Gen. WiDiam T.
Sherman the night of the 25th of
April, 1865, when I was hardly more
than a lad.
After that historic ride together
to Sherman's headquarters I never
saw Colonel Lowndes again until we
met in Columbia 37 years iater at
General Hampton's funeral, the 13th
of Aoril. 1902. Colonel Lowndes
died at his home, in Charleston, S.
C., December 31, 1919, in the 85th
year of his age.
Memorandum, or basis of agreement,
made this 18th day of April,
A. D. 1865, near Durham's Station,
in the State of North Carolina, by
and between Gen. Joseph E. Johnston,
commanding the Confederate
army, and Maj. Gen. William T.
Sherman, commanding the army of
the United States in North Carolina
?both present.
1. The contending armies now in
the field to maintain the status quo
until notice is given by the commanding
general, of rlny one to its
opponent and reasonable time?say
forty-eight (48) hours?allowed.
2. The Confederate armies now
in existence to be disbanded and conducted
to their several State capitals,
there to deposit their arms and public
property in the State arsenal, and
each officer and man to execute and
file an agreement to cease from acts
of war and to abide the action of
~ " i mi _
the State and federal autnomy. ine
number of arms and munitions oi
war to be reported to the chief oi
ordnance at Washington City, subject
to the future action of the congress
of the United States and in the
meantime to be used solely to maintain
peace and order within the borders
of the States respectively.
3. The recognition by the execu
tive of the United States of the sev
oral State governments on their officers
and legislatures taking the oath;
proscribed by the constitution of trn
United States, and where conflicting
State governments have resultet
from the war the legitimacy of al
shall be submitted to the suorem<
. f
L I
:!
We have just
I which was parti.
will now find at
i meal, also huggi<
?ower on these g
We appreciate y
THI
I ' ?*
i
court of the United States I
4. The resestablishment of all I
the federal courts in the several j
States with powers as defined by the,
constitution ^nd laws of congress.
5. The people and inhabitants of;
all the States to be guaranteed, so i
far as the executive can, their politi-1
cal rights and franchises, as we:i as
their rights of person and property, j
as defined by the constitution of the j
; United States and of the Stages re-j
spectively. I
6. The executive authority of the J
government of the United States not;
to disturb any of the people by rea-'
son of the late war so long.as they!
live in peace and quiet, abstain from i
acts of armed hostility, and obey the (
laws in existence at the place of their,
residence. ' ,
7. In general terms, the war to i
cease, a general amnesty, so far as
the executive of the United States j
can command, on condition of the |
disbandment of the Confederate j
armies, the distribution of the arms, [
and the resumption of peaceful pur- j
suits by the officers and men hitherto ;
composing said armies. Not being;
fully empowered by our respective |
principals to fulfill these terms, we !
individually and officially pledge our- J
selves to promptly obtain the neces-!
sary authority and to carry out the i
above program. "> I
W. T. Sherman, i
Major General Commanding Army of j
United States in North Carolina, j
J. E. Johnston,
General Commanding Confederate j
States Army in North Carolina.
The second agreement, Made April j
i
26, 1865: i
Terms of a military convention en-.!
tered into this twenty-sixth (26) day!
of Apri\ 1865, at Bennett's House, i
near Durham's Station, N. C., be- j
tween Gen. Joseph E. Johnston', j
commanding the Confederate army, \
and Maj. Gen. W. T. Sherman, com- j
manding the United States army in !
North Carolina: <
1. All acts of war'on the part of J
the troops under General Johnston's i
"* ' /lofo |
command to cease num tmo
2. A1 arms and public property
to be deposited at Greensboro and
delivered to an ordnance officer of
the United States army.
3.. Rolls of all officers and men to j
be made in duplicate, one copy to be j
retained by the commander of the
troops and the other to be given to
an officer to be designated by General
Sherman, each officer and man
to give his individual obligation in
writing not to take up arms against
the United States :
'.-ue
until properly released from this obligation.
4. The side arms of officers and
their private horses and baggage to
be retained by them.
5. < This being done, all the officers
and men will be permitted to return
to their homes, not to be disturbed
by' the United States authorities so
long as they observe their obligation
and the laws in force where they j
may reside.
W. T. Sherman,
Major General Commanding United
States Forces in North Carolina, j
J. E. Johnston, J
General Commanding Confederate j
States Forces in North Carolina, j
Supplemental Terms of Military
Convention of April 26, 1865:
1. The field transportation to be
loanefd to the troops for their "march
- - ' -.4
to their homes and for suosequem
; use in their industrial pursuits. Artillery
horses may be used in field
1 transportation, if necessary.
2. Each brigade or separate body
to retain a number of arms equal to
j one-seventh of its effective strength,
I which when the troops reach the
capitals of their States will be dis>
posed of as the general commanding
- the department may direct.
3. Private horses and other pri"
' onH
vate property ot doui omtcto
1 men to be retained by them.
; 4. The commanding general of j
the-military division of West Missis- j
sippi, Major General Canbv, will be j
requested to give transportation by]
water from Mobile or New Orleans j
1 to troops from Arkansas and Texas'.;
i>. The obligations of officers and
? soldiers to be signed by their immediate
commanders.
(5. Naval forces within the limits
of General Johnston's command to
A be included in the terms of this con-;
? vention.
J. M. Schofield, !
' Major General Commanding United;
' States Forces in North Carolina.
I J. E. Johnston,
; General Commanding Confederate
| States Forces in North Carolina. J
; Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Farewell
Address to His Soldiers.
General Orders No. 22. I
?
Comrades: In terminating our ox'
ficial relations I earnestly exhort you
to observe faithfully the terms of
pacification agreed upon and to discharge
the obligations of good and
- peaceful citizens as well as you have
- performed the duties of thorough
soldiers in the field. By such a
3 course you will best secure the com
fort of your families and kindred
X and restore tranquility to our coun1
try.
1 You will return to your homes
? with the admiration of our people,
within the last few
illy destroyed by fii
/Mif r*lnr?n o lorrra t
uui piav^t a laigv ?
ss and wagons; and
oods than can be b<
our business.
i PURCE1
ii
V
V. . f
, ? * O '
*:W V \ * * ' .
/"
* * %*
V
[
! Roads
| Wonde
|
THE wond
Springs of
J feet such a ch
comfort that t
seem to ride li
-
Uvei-iana nas
of larger cars
base, with the
'
I
BASE!
We have secure
official league b
Y. M. C. A. stoc
[ values, at $1.50
|
! Gilder &
won by the courage and noble dev
I tion you have displayed in this lor
; war. I shall always remember wi1
j pride the loyal support and ger.eroi
j confidence you have given me.
I now part with you with deep r
gret and bid you farewell with fee
i ings of cordial friendship and wit
[ earnest wishes that you may ha\
hereafter all the prosperity and ha]
piness to be found in the world.
J. E. Johnston,
General.
Official:
Kinloch Falconer, A. A. G.
NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEMENT
I will make a final settlement c
the estate of Willie H. Leaphart i
the Probate Court for Newberr
County, S. C., on Wednesday th
25th day of June, 1920, at 10 o'cloc
in the forenoon and will immediatel
j thereafter ask for my discharge i
i Guardian of said estate.
I W. P. Leaphart,
: Guardian.
STOCKHOLDERS MEETING.
The annual meeting of the stocl
holders of the Farmers Oil Mill wi
be held in the court house at Newbe
rv, S. C., on Saturday, June 26, 192
at 11 o'clock, for the election of c
rectors for the ensuing year, and f<
che transaction of other busine=
Please attend in person or bv proxy
J. H. WICKER,
6-11 -:">t Manager.
i
days, been able to re]
re and 'water some tin
?tock of corn, oats,
- m a ?
1 you will also find o
ought today at wholes
LL COMP^
^ /Am
Seem Pressed
i
rfiil New Triplex
Lerful Triplex ease of contr
Overland 4 ef- and tire expe
ange in riding wheelbaSe.
>ad roads now - Equipment> i
ke good roads. ^ start}ng.
! the steadiness three-speed * 1
of long wheel- high class, in
light weight, general chara
OVERLAND NEWBERRY CO.
Phone 333 Newberry, S. C.
BALLS
????1???????
[
d a good supply of
alls from the Army
:k. Regular $2.25 i
^ T
and $1.75 each.
i
Weeks Co. |
0
rj
!? { CITATION OF FLETTERS OF AD"
MINISTRATION.
[6 The State of South Carolina,
l. County of Newberry.
v By W. F. Ewart, Probate Judge:
Whereas, Bertha Gary has made
| suit to me to grant her Letters of
| Administration of the estate and efj
fects of George Gary
_ I These are, therefore, to cite and
; admonish all and singular the kink-1
dred and creditors of the said George
ill j Gary, deceased, that they be and apr-j
pear before me, in the Court of Pro-|
0,1 bate, to be held at Newberry on Wed-1
li-jnesday, June 30th next, after publi-i
or; cation hereof, at 11 o'clock in the
is. j forenoon, to show cause, if any they
. ! have, why the said administration
! should not be granted.
Given under my hand this 7th day
plenish our stock
1
le ago, ana you
hay, flour and
ur prices to be
sole.
iNY
. / - " ' I
M ' ?-w -V ,
t ' A?y " '
T , . ... ' * '
' (
^ /
-V\-' j *
Flat By
Springs j
ol and low fuel
nse of 100-inch
including Autoand
lighting and
transmission, is
keeping with the
cter of the caiv 1
i
* t
t
1
i #
MHn
,4? v
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I
REMOVALSALE
*
15 Per Cent Discount
f
July the first we will move to
our new display rooms next
door to The People's National
Bank. ,
Due to limited storage space
we are offering a 15 per cent.
discount on TIRES, TUBES an^
ALL other accessories. We
carry only Standard stuff such
as Kelly-Springfield, and Good
rich Casings and Tubes.
Accessories, such as Hand
and Electric Horns, Top and
Seat Re-Covers, Top and Seat
Dressing, Motometers, Spot
Lights, Gabriel Snubbers, Hassler
Shock Absorbers, Auto Soap
snrl Polish, etc. Remember
this 15 per cent, discount applies
only till JUNE 30th, 1920,
Central Garage
Prosperity, S. C.
of June Anno Domini, 1920.
W. F. EWART,
J. P. N. C.
NOTICE OF JURY DRAWING
Notice is hereby given that the
undersigned jury commissioners for
Newberry county will, in the clerk of
courts office on Friday, June 18th, at
9 o'clock a. m., openly and publicly
draw the names of 36 men to serve as
i petit jurors at the court of general
sessions which will convene on July
5th, 1920. We will also, at the same
time and place, draw the names of
18 men to serve as grand jurors.
f n S<*hriTrmert.
\_f. w. .
John C Goggans,
J. B. Halfacre,
Jury Commissioners for Newberry
County.
June 7th. 1920. _J
\