Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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C. JEFFERIES,4- GREENVILLE, S. C. Atfcrn*y L\\\ t!' I " rd Counsellor at Law. Practices in he Courts. Collections a Specialty Will Be in Gaffney on Saturdays —- and Mondays. The Ledger To Reach Consumers in this Section Adver tise in The Ledger. A Newspaper in all that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People of Cherokee County. VOL. IV, NO. 19. GAFFNEY CITY, S. C., THURSDAY, JUNE !M, 1897. 81.00 A YE Alt. PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF 'KE BATTLE OF CHANCEL- LORSVILLE. Capt. H. P. Griffith of Company -‘E,” 14th S. C. V.. Writes cf the • Days that TneJ Men's Souls. The battle of ('hanctllorsville was one of the most remarkable battles of modern timed. The I nion army consisted cf one hundred and thirty eight thousand lighting men. It was superbly thoroughly equipped. The Northern newspapers th drilled and dubbed it “the finest army on the planet,” and this high-sounding epi thet was repeated all over the civil ized world. It was commanded, too, by “Fighting .Ice Hooker," whose soubriquet was supposed to embody the leading characteristics of the general. The Southern army lay stretched out along the Rappahannock in front of Fredericksburg, consisting of only two corps and numbering of all arms about forty thousand men. Vet this army of forty thousand hurled itself upon that army of a hundred and thirty eight thousand strongly in trenched on ground of its own choos ing, and but for what in our blind- ! ness we can only call an untoward accident, would have annihilated it in less than three hours. As it was. the “linest army on the planet” was badly beaten and driven in a demora lized mass back across the Rappahan nock, leaving thousands of killed and wounded and whole brigades of pris oners in the hands of the victors. AH this, too, when only one corps of the Confederate army numbering about twenty thousand, fought. The other corps, however, acted a part in the drama in holding the front, as necessary as that of fighting. Gen- Lee may be said to have held Hook er’s army with one hand and pounded /it with the other, as a strong mar. L holds and pounds a boy. \ It is not my purpose to attempt to describe the battle in detail nor in its entirety, but only to relate some in cidents that came under my own ob servation and impressed thcmsel resin- dellibly on my memory. And I may say here that an officer cf the line, or a private in the ranks, sees only an in- finit's n a’ part of a gr: t bi ttle He is busy with his own duties, and you might usually with a radius of a few feet or yards describe the circle of his observation. Uut within that narrow circle there is a raging, seeth ing world, in which j'ears are com pressed into hours and minutes, and the energies of a life time are con centrated for one supreme elfort. There are other such worlds all about him, but he has little more commu nication with them than the inhabi tants of this eartli have with the other worlds that revolve in space. The morning of the 1st of May, dawned calm and beautiful. The vast clover fields along the Rappa hannock were in full bloom notwith standing they had been grazed by multitudes of army horses; there were myriads of bees humming around the sweet-scented blossoms, the birds were singing sweetly up and down the river and all nature seemed to be awaking to joyous and glorious life. The springs in north ern Virginia of course are much later than they are in South Carolina, but when spring does come there, vegetation bursts forth with sudden vigor and grows with a rapidity that. I have never elsewhere seen equalled. It was May-day—a day associated in the memories ot many of us v.ith May festivals and May qneens. with crowns of flowers and scenes of beauty. It was a day for thoughts to turn fondly homeward and for the heart to bo softened with holy memo ries, for in the bright festive scenes which this day called up many a young soldier had his queen of hearts, to whom his soul bowed this morn ing in silent adoration. Hut alas' there were no May festi vals in any part of this broad South land that day. There was a festival of another kind in course of prepara tion in Northern Virginia—a festival of blood, a huevest of death. Mars was to be crowned with bloody laurel and the queen of hearts was to wear garlands of cypress and willow. Three days’ rat ions had been Issued the night before, and when the drum tapp-d about sunrise we were all ready to fall Into line. During the Hrst year of the war the “long roll” would have been sounded on such an occasion, but this practice had fallen into disuse as the war advanced and battles became more frequent. The idea seemed to be prevelant that, the ordinary drumbeat for parade was more business like and less sensa tional than the “long roll”. # We had occupied out camp for about six tnoidhs, having spent the witter there, with little to break the monotony except^the battle of Fred- eiicksburg fought on the 13th of He- 1 cember. In this battle, the Federal army had been so terribly handled that it had not been able to molest us again until now, live months after its defeat. Une consequence of this long period of inaction was, that our j men had gathered about them a great many conveniences and com forts which in an active campaign would have been incumbrances rather than helps. It was astounding how quickly and how perfectly the Con federate soldier learned to take care of himself, how fastidious he became in his domestic tastes, and how re sourceful he was under circumstances that appeared to shut him out from all resources. With his bayonet for a pick and his tin cup for a shovel he would effectually intrench himself j against the enemy before one hardly | knew what he was doing, and then j when the enemy opened lire on him at long range he would l*o in his “hole” as he called it, and laugh at the whistling of bullets and the shrieking of shells above him. In camp, during a period of inac tivity, his instincts broadened beyond the domain of mere self preservation, and his thoughts turned to projects that promised conveniences, com forts. and even luxuries. He usually had as his own, when he went into winter quarters, a “fly-tent,” a rub ber clotfl. a blanket and a 1". S. over coat, all captured from the enemy during the previous campaign. He also owned a pocket knife and hud access to a battered pole ax and an army spade. With these imple ments he began a campaign offensive and defensive against the rigors of a Virginia winter, and usually came out victorious. He dug him out a neat and commodious basement in the ground, smoothed and polished the walls until there was neither pro tuberance, wrinkle, nor crease to be seen; cut out a handsome fireplace in one end and shaped it after the most fashionable models; built a wall two or three feet high around the top of the whole, perpendicularly to the walls of the basement, with logs split and hewn with aforementioned pole ax; extended his chimney from the top of the ground with the same material; erected a ridge pole over the center, stretched his “fly” over all. pinning the edges down securely on the side walls and closing the gable ends with whatsoever his good fortune had thrown in his way or his sharpened ingenuity could devise, j If he had not been on many long marches since his last battle and thus compelled to abandon a large portion of his captured stores, it was probable that he had oil doth enough to close the gable ends of his habita tion, if not there were many other things that would do. When this domicil, which combined the best qualities of both a cave and u house, had been completed and the owner was pretty well secured against the assaults of the winter weather, then in his leisure he turned his attention to conveniences and luxuries. He was minutely acquainted with the topography of the country for miles around, knew exactly where some haystack dood which the forage wagon had not yet found, and from this, or from an army wagon, or from some hay loft, he procured a soft, dry covering for his floor, and material for a bed that constantly wooed him to gentle and peaceful slumbers. Then us he had further leisure, he manufactured armed chairs and camp stools, fancy but tons for his sweetheart at home and various other articles, all out of huge poplars or other trees, which he hacked down and hewed into broad slabs with the indispensable pole ax. He fashioned these chairs according to his own fastidious tastes, bored round holes in them somehow, and furnished them with legs, arms and backs, that looked like they hud been I through a turning lathe. Rut per haps it was on briar root pipes that | he exemplified the perfection of his | tastes and reached the highest achievements of his art. Many of these pipes, fashioned and finished with a pocket knife, would have looked well in Von Hanten’s Hazuar I or done honor to a showcase on Kroad- way. If he did t ot smoke himself, some favorite officer would probably be complimented with this exquisite product of the pocket knife; other wise he enjoyed it himself, and, seated in his arm chair before a good fire in his quarters with plenty of to bacco, which the army usually had. he whiffed away the wintry hours with apparently nothing to disturb his equanimity or ruflle his serenity, except, perhaps, the dread of a call to guard or picket duty. Such was the typical Confederate soldier in camp as I knew him in 1SG3. What he was in battle the world has already heard and will continue to hoar through the ages to come. His camp life, as well as his exploits on the field, is a worthy subject of study for this generation. Of course there were departures from the type. There are some men who are shiftless everywhere, in peace and in war. Such men in the army, to a great extent, suffered the consequences of their shiftlcssness. They were usually without all com forts and many necessities. I have known them to cook and eat two days’ rations at one meal and take their chances for the rest of the two days. As the war advanced and the Confed eracy became poorer and battles be came almost incessant, there was ab solutely no time nor place for anj body to enjoy comfort or ease, and the shifty and the shiftless in a great ! measure suffered alike. When we broke up camp on the-j morning of May 1st, it was not goner- ; ally known what was the object of the movement. The soldiers had learned the futility of asking questions and of paying much attention to rumors. Rut every one know that the winter was over, that the time for active operations had come, and that wo should never occupy that camp again. The consequence of this knowledge was a wholesale destruction of such articles as could not be carried on the back. The household furni ture, the object of so much toil and care, was devoted to the fire over which the three days’ rations were cooked; extra blankets and oil cloths were divided out among those who iiad not a full supply; and the sol dier quickly stripped himself of ail unnecessary incumbrances, “as a strong man to run a race.” There were no regrets over these sacrifices. The articles cast aside or destroyed had served their day and were now no longer needed or desired. McGowan’s Brigade moved out in to the road which intersects with the railroad at Hamilton’s Crossing, ar.d took the northwestern prong leading up the river. Wc soon became aware tliat the whole army was in motion, not that we saw any great portion of it nor that we asked questions, nor tliat wo were imformed of the fact in words. There is something about an army which I can only call u mysterious magnetism, that dif fuses itself through every part of it and unites it into one living, compact, sensitive c ganistn. An army is like an octopus with tentacles radiating from a common center, each tentacle obedient to the impulses tliat flow out from tliat center and hold it in sympathy by the subtle fluid of life,or perhaps I could better express the idea by saying an army is like a huge geometrical spider that constructs a network of radiating web, and, as the poet aptly expresses it “feels at each thread and lives along the line.” lie tliis us it may, I believe that every old soldier of today will tell you that the quick instincts of the trained veteran will recognize the difference between a general and a partial movement of an army, and that, too, when neither his eyes nor his ears have aided him. Somehow, he knows not how, lie finds himself marching with a firmer tread and he realizes by intuition tliat bo is a part of a vast power that is moving us with the re sistless sweep of destiny, and ho feels in his inner being that it is not a few companies or regiments only that are on the march but that the whole army is in motion. I do not remember any unusual incidents of the inarch, neither doji remember the distance marched, if I ever knew. I measure the di ance from Fredericksburg to Chancellors- ville by the time it took our brigade to pass over it, and judging by that measurement if is somewhere be tween twelve and fifteen miles. The boys were in high life, and there were the usual jokes passing along the lines, the usual sallies of wit when ever a citizen showed his head from his door or window, the usual struggling and the usual work for the guard notwithstanding preemptory orders to keep the lines closed and tin' men in ranks. About tlie middle of the afternoon tiie booming of cannon was heard in our front apparently several miles ahead of us. and as we advanced, the rattle of musk* try soon became audi ble. The enemy hud sent down the rood heavy reconnoitering forces and as the troops ahead of us were com pelled to halt frequently and form line of buttle and drive them twek. this necessitated frequent nalts along our entire line." As the advance forces of the enemy fell hack they were reinforced from the main body, so the lighting gradually increased in extent and intensity as more troops on both sides were brought into action, and our progress became corresponpingly slower. It was, how ever, only a reconnuisance in force on lite part of thu entmy. and it was not his purpose to bring on a general butt! outside of his breastworks, which were already completed and manned by ids powerful army in the vicinity of the Chat/cel lorsville house, some three miles from the point at which the advance forces met. As w« advanced, the evidences of the fight ahead of us thickened and freshened, and during the last mile’the debris was to be seen on thu right bund and the left, us if a small tornado had swept up the road. 1 noticed several tall trees with seats of planks near the tops on which the enemy’s scouts and sharpshooters hud sat, and from which with their glasses they had probably seen the advance of our army a long distance away. It was after sundown when our bri gade reached a road crossing the one we were on at right angles and run ning parallel with Hooker’s line of breastw’Orks not more than three hundred yards from them. In the right hand angle made by the cross roads there was a sunken place in the ground, just such as I have often seen in the vicinity of Gaffney, made no doubt in the past by miners digging for irots ore. In deed the whole country about Chan- cellorsville at that time was very much like the section of country be low Gaffney, which wc now cr.il “the coal grounds;” and to perfect .the resemblance, there were the remains of some old iron works about a mile to the west of the cross roads, to which I have now conducted the reader. In this site of an old mine in the angle of the roads Gen. A. P. Hill, then the commander of our di vision, was standing with several officers around him. He was hold ing the reins of his horse's bridle in liis left hand, was talking rapidly, and at the same gesticulating vigor ously with his right hand. We passed near enough to him to hear the sound of his voice and to note his earnest manner, but were not able to catch any of his words. I re member thatjhis appearance anu man ner inspired me with confidence, for he impressed me with the conviction that he was a man wltose spirit was rising as dangers gathered and thick ened, tliat lie meant business, and THE SAGE OF ETTA JANE. HE TALKS ABOUT Hlg NEAR NEIGHBORS. that he was goiiq in to win. The South never brought forth ar.d nur tured a truer son than A. P. Hill. She had men of greater intellect and soldiers and statesmen of wid«*r re nown. but for constant courage, faithful service, and bull dog tenac ity A. P. if ill had few equals. The fact that both Lee andJackson in the struggle with the last enemy, and in the last inomenfs of that struggle, called upon A. P. Hill, is a grand and eloquent tribute to ids character. 1 remember him as a little dark- skined man, weighing not more than 12.'» or 130 pounds, with black hair and whiskers, keen dancing black efts, quick and agile in his move ments and always at ids post when marching, working, or lighting was to be done. From the time he first commanded a regiment to the time when he was shot from ambush in a brutal and cowardly manner in the woods near Petersburg, when he was at the head of a corps, I doubt if there was ever a gun fired in any part of his command which lie did not hear, or a movement of any im portance made, which he did not see. Our brigade filed rapidly uiound him as he stood in the old mine, tak ing the right hand road and marching parallel with the t-nemy’s breast works. The woods between us and tiie works were full of skirndshers and their fire was rapid and constant. The balls struck about the road and whistled over our heads and just be fore we readied tiie position assigned us In Hie line of battle now rapidly forming—a point some half a mile from the cross roads—the firing be came so rapid and tiie balls flew so thickly, tliat we thought the main line of the enemy had opened on us from the breast works, and for a few moments there was some little con fusion in our ranks. Rut this was quickly rectified and we took our po sition in the line of battle, occupying as I remember it, the extreme right. It was now, however, dark and it was plain that nothing more would bo done till morning, unless tiie enemy should attack us, which was not ex pected. We were on tiie edge of an old field that skirted a belt of scrubby forest not more than two hundred yards wide between us and the enemy’s main works. Our men lay down in line on tiie ground with guns loaded and capped, to await the coming of tiie morning and to get some needed rest after a toilsome march and a rather exciting day For hours the picket lines kept up a desultory fire in our front, there was the sound of artillery wagons rolling up in our rear, and of the steady tramping of men as column after column of our troops arrived from Fredericksburg and took positions behind us. It was evident that Gen. Lee was massing troops at this point for the purpose of assault ing the works in triple or quadruple columns, and that our brigade was now in position to lead the assault. Hut by and by the picket firing gradually ceased in front; the tramp ing of men ami the rattle of artillery wagons gradually died away in the rear and all was still. Myriads of glittering stars kept watch over the slumbering hosts and the night dews silently bathed the cheeks of the Southern boys, and the night breezes gently played with their locks as they lay dreaming of homo and kindred and friends, and gathering strength for deeds on the morrow, which should be worthy of a mother’s love a sister’s pride, and “some dearer one's" brightest dreams. (To ju; CoM iNcro.) “For three years we have never been without Chamberlaiu’sColic, Cholera ami Diarrhoea Remedy in the house,” says A. il. Rutter, with E. C. Atkins At Co.. Indianapolis, Ind., arid my wife would us soon think of being without flour as u bottle of this Rem edy in the summer season. We have Used irwith all three of our children and it has never failed to cure—not simply stop pain, but cure absolutely. It is all right, and anyone who tries it will find it so.” For sale by Dui’rc Drug Co. He Tells the News of His Neighbor- hcoJ in His Usual Entertain ing Style, Treating All With Respect. (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Eita Jake, June 21.—Rev. Mr. Thomasson preached at Abingdon creek yesterday. One thing to be noticed in some of our country con gregations is that the young people have got«to occupying the front seats during divine worship. This is cer tainly u great improvement on the old style of sitting back and talking and laughing. The Abingdon creek Sunday school selected J. C. Jefferies, Frank Me- Cluney and Misses Ronnie McCluney and Mattie McKown as delegates to represent it at tiie Interdenomina tional Sunday School Convention at Mespotamia on the 27th inst, and Salem selected Sum Strain, Noble Blackwell, Mrs. Amanda Lee and Miss Mattie Estes to represent it. ( t >uite a storm of wind passed over this section yesterday, blowing clown trees and breaking down corn. Mr. and Mrs. William Fowler have a very sick child. Dr. Wood, of Kel- ton, is its physician. John A. M. Estes was attacked with a nervous spell Thursday from which he is still suffering some. ►Several days last week the ther mometer registered 100 degrees in the shade. W. T. Osment went to the county seat on business last Thursday. The oat crop is generally good. That is it is well filled and generally high enough to cut. The flat at Howell’s has sunk and for the time being travel is sus pended except crossing in the small bateau. One day last week Sam Lee, tiie ferryman, came near having a difli- culty with two young men who crossed there and tried to avoid the payment of the ferriage fee. After some skirmishing they agreed to set tle it according to Sam’s theory of business and were allow to go on their way. One day last week J. A. M. Estes had a fine milch cow # badiy damaged by a barbed wire fence. She t/ied to get over it and was caught and badly cut. Her udder was so badly torn that the milk ran out of it. A. Orr gave us a pleasant call last Friday. He is one of The Ledger s most ardent supporters in this sec tion. .Mrs. W. C. Blackwell gave Mrs. Mary Estes a call last Thursday. Air. and Mrs. S. F. Estes paid us a pleasant visit one day last week. if some of our brother correspond ents arc correct in their statements (and we know they are) we must have a great deal day. Jell George is quite unwell. Felix Spencer. There will be plenty of cotton blooms by the 1th of July, although the crops are late apparently. One of our Texas correspondents asks for the best method of getting rid of fleas. Skin pine poles and pul them about where the fleas stay, and when they hop on the pole they will stick there; or scatter pulverized sulpher under the house or wherever they stay and they will leave, I am told. I am sorry that 1 cannot attend the Nashville reunion of Vnited Con federate Veterans this week. My long cherished hope that 1 could get there lias failed to materialize. On account of ill health I was un able to get out on the 12th inst. to take part in the election of colonel to command the Cherokee regiment of l nitedConfederate Veterans. Camp Jefferies was solid in favor of Cupt. H. 1*. Griffith as commander. Not a dissenting voice among the forty members. * It’s bettor to be a fool in doing right than a wise man in doing wrong. If we were all as good as we want our neighbors to be there would be a great improvement, in fact the mil lennium would begin. When an ungodly .man comes to die lie will find no comfort in count ing the hypocrits in the church. Our country is flooded with liter ature from the north and everywhere and a general bruin wrecking cam paign is being carried on to win some of the multitudinous word contests for which large prizes are offered. Should the weather still increase in iieat farmers will have to do much suffering before they get through with their crops. The North I'acolet Sunday Hchool Convention meets at Meesophtamia next Habhath, June 27th ul 10 a. in. The Cherokee County rtunduy of visiting on Sun- So is hog School Convention should be in read iness to hold its meeting early in August. Churches or Subbath schools desiring to meet with them should write Rev. B. P. Robertson, chairman of executive committee Gaffney, S. 0., at an ?arly day. The Hopewell colored band treated us with some Choice music last Sat- ureay right. They play well for tiie time they have been practicing. There is a young man in this neigh borhood who wont sleep under a sheet or white counterpane. He says it looks to much like dead folks. The children are preparing their pieces for Children’s Day at Salem 2!)th prox. Hon. 0. W. Whisonant was seen plowing a few days ago. This gives room for some one to say “no wonder the weather lias turned so hot.” That’s nothing. He was raised on the farm and learned to do ail kinds of farm work when a boy. Rut like your humble servant and many others lie} never knew how to like it ,1 don't suppose. Last week was a splendid time for killing grass and people made good use of it. Only those who expect nothing get nothing out of the prayer meeting or other church work. Some industrious hoy or girl in each section of tiie county can make money by working for “The Ram’s Horn,” a religious paper published in Chicago, 111. Everybody likes to read it and its worthy of being read. If our faults were written in our faces wearing veils would be fashion able. The man who is cruel to dumb brutes is unkind to his wife and children if lie lias any. For a man to whip his wife is the highest evidence of a coward and a brute. Some folks think I never see any faults in tiie women and girls of our country. That is a mistake. I only fail to make mention of them. Gur better half is puzzled to know’ why she can’t get the usual amount of butter from the same quality of milk. 1 tell her perhaps tiie cow has been conjured by some professional in that line. Most farmers say their crops are from ten days to two weeks behind this year. Aleck Darker went toSantuc week before last to attend the funeral of his mother, Nancy Darker. IL M. May nor says he has corn tassels in ins cornfield—its no patch either. We are having plenty of beans and other garden vegetables now. Some children are recognized as good improvements on the old folks and generally some of them are more ready to acknowledged than the old people themselves. We congratulate parents when such is truly the case. Rut we must understand the merit of the case. It is said tliat at one time the elder Drof. Silliman, of Yale College, was sitting in an audience in New York while his son, also a professor, was lecturing, and he heard some one in tiie audience whisper and say, “Why, lie beats the old gentleman.” Turn ing around, he said, “He ought to; he stands on my shoulders.” When a bey stands upon tiie shoulders of ids lather in the estimation of good people, and those capable of judging that parent has something to be proud of. Drof. Davis Jefferies, of the L’nion graded school, and Miss Ronnie Mc- Ciuney. of Winthrop, were at Abing don creek yesterday. The rule for solving our plank problem published some time ago is: Square the ends of the piank and ex tract tin- square root of half their sum, and tiie result will be the width of tiie plunk where it mq^ be sawed to divide tiie plunk into equal parts. We hope next week to furnish The Ledger with some cotton blooms. The old veterans are having a nice time in Nashville, Tenn., now. We think the reunion will be in Charles ton next year. Our arithmetical school meets every .Saturday night at the school house. J. L. s. A NOTED ATLANTA CASE. For four years I have been afflicted with a very troublesome nasal catarrh. So terrible has its nature been that when I blew my nose small pieces of bone would frequently come out of my mouth and nose. The discharge was copious, and at times very offen sive. ?Iy blood became so impure tliat my general health was greatly impaired, with poor appetite and worse digestion. Numerous medi cines were used without relief, until 1 began the use of HoLunic Riood Balm—B. B. B.—and three bottles acted almost like magic. Since its use, over a year, not a svmpton ha* returned, and I feel In every way quite restored to health. 1 am an old citizen of Atlanta, and refer to almost any one living on Butler street, and more particularly to Dr. 1.. M. Gillum, who knows my case. Mus. Elizabth Kxorr, Atlanta, Ga. Don’t buy substiutes, said to be “just us good” but buy the old relia ble and standard Blood Durifier of the age. II. R. B. fl.UO per large bot tle. For sale by Cherokee Drug Co.