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To the Editor of The Sunday News: Believing that the readers of The Sunday News will feel an interest in the events'that led up to the battle of Manassas, I write this: In July 1861, four regiments of South Carolina troops were camped at Fairfax--the 2nd, Col. J. B. Ker shaw; the 3rd, Col. - -Williams; the 7th, Col. T. G. Bacon; the 8th Col. Cash. These constituted 'Gen. M. L. Bonham's brigade, the first brigade formed in Virginia. We spent most of our time drill Ing. We hardly had time to cook our ratlons. In the morning afluad drill, Cimpany dr-illI, skirmishi dri, bat talion drill, regi ment (rill, brigade drill. in the evening brigade dril, regi men t drill, batalion drill, ski rm isIa ll. coimny dil. If there were any other kinds of drills we had 'Cm. On the morning of the 16t]h, the long roll beat ; the enemy were ad vancing, our plikets were being driv en in. Part of my company were picket, they came runnling in, out of brehh. They had been doing the double qiuick for two miles. We fell back on Centerville, then to Bull Run. Here we formed line of battle on the south side of the Run, at 'Mitchell's Ford, about three miles north of Ma nassas junction. At once we began digging trenches along the bank of the creek. We worked (lay and night; the ground was hard and tools were searce. The enemy hu11rrie( us up by throwing shells in our line for four days from a battery they had up the read towards Centerville. Col. Bacon climbed a high tree an(d from it lie could see the smoke of the cannon be fore we could hear the sound, then lie would call "Look out!" and into the trench everybody jumiped. On the 18th, at Blackburn's Ford, on our right, (en. T.ongstreet had quite a little fight with a force of ederals about equal in number to his own brigade. Tic enemy seem ed to be feeling their way across the Rupi, yet they never tested Mitchell's Ford which was on the main road from Centerville to Manassas, about halfway between the two. On Saturday, the 20th, between sundown and dark, Col. Bacon or dered Capt. John S. Hard to take his company (F) to the north side of the Run, to do picket duty. Fording the creek we marched about half a mile in the direction of the enemy and filed left into a field of clover. Here we halted, and half the com pany was detailed for videt duty, foir men to a post. The other half was held in reserve, in the real', un der the hill. The first group of four was taken from the left of the company, these being the smallest men, mere boys in fact, and posted nearest to the main road to Centerville. This group of four were Benjamin Sharpton, Jas. Cadle, Smithfield Radford, and Callo way K. Hender'son. Orders were giv en us that two should stand wvatch w"hile twvo slep~t in the clover, and a fine soft bed it wvas. We had relieved each other a fewv times, and it was perhap~s after mid night, when an officer i'ode up from the irear, who proved to be Capt. Samuel AlcGowan, a special aid on Glen. Bonhiam's staff. I was awake whlen lie came up and lie asked if anything was going on. "Nothing," I replied, "except that the enemy are moving up the cireek to our' left." "liowv do you knt.y that ?" lie ask ed1. "We hear thie wheels of waogons atid ar'til lery rolling over thle rocks in the road. Wait a little and you At this moment lhe dismounted, aind, leaving his horse with us, lhe went for'war'd a little wvay, and~ lis tenedl. We could see lhm lut his hands to his ears. Present lie came black in a hiurty. "'H as this bieen repor'tedi to (Gen. hlonhami or Ghen. Bleauregard ?" ''No, sir; we were forbiiiddenl to leave our' 1pos, and no offleer or other person hias visited us till now."' "I ae not110 your i'companiy ofileirs gone the toutnds of the pi('ke(ts?"' '"'heiy have not beeni 'eret' Country bofys only flve wee'ks fro:n: thle iplow, we wete too new and too areen to know the( imiportancee of w"hat we dlidi know. A little later' in the wvar any one of w"ould have gone oni thle run withi the niews, orders o! '"it is v'ery imupor'tant that Glen. Beauregar'd should know this at once." Saying this, Capt. .Mc~owan hastily mounted and rode away. WVe continued to relieve each othi er till day. and just at sunrise (lie complany deployed as skirmishers and moved forward through the woods. Arriving at the north side of the woods . we beheld the columns of theenemny in full view still march lng up the Run. A wonderful sight to us g.reen boys, fresh from the cotton filds of Carolna, ....r. L[ Of MNASSAS these ranks of men In blue flowing like a river, their thousands of bayo nets flashing back the sunlight like silvered mirrors. A company coming to relieve us, we marched back and took our Iliac es in the trenches, and in a little while the battle of Alanassas began, and what followed the world knows. The enemy gave way near sun down, and we pursued them into the night. Near Uenterville we were ordered back to the trenches at AlIt-' che's Ford, where we got a full night's sleep. But OUr spleidfid op portunity for taking Washington was lost forever. I had often wondered whether Gen. Deauregard knew of this move of the 01enmy before Capt. McGowan learned of it from us boys, and after waiting 30 years I wrote to Gen. Me (owan and asked him. As a reply he published lmy letter in tle Abbe viile Press and Banner, and said: "The story is true in every palrtic u!ar, except that it is not the whole truth. Capt. McGowan did report the facts to Gen Bonham, Who then sa-nt Capt. .lc(;owan to report to headquarters, at .lanassas, three mile Y distant. Capt. NlcGowan arous 0(1 Gen. Beauregard about 2 or 3 ec*oclk in the morning, (July 21,) and gave him the news. Gen. Beauregardl then sent Capt. McGowan to Gen. Jackson, at M.\cean's Ford, and (en. Jackson sent him on to arouse Col. Walker, of the New Orleans artillery. When Capt. McGowan. on his return, reached Mitchell's Ford, the sun was just rising and the fIrst gun of the bat tie of Alanassas was fire(." Gen. .lcGowan ad(led that he had often reflected how much the work o'. these faithful young videttes, far in front of the battle line, cont ribIt cd to o4r first great success on the plains of Manassas. It may be well to sate here that Capt. McGowan, a'fterwards colondl of the i. th S. C. Voluiiteers, caie into command of his brigade at the death of Gen. M1axcy Gregg, who was killed in the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. 'McGowan's bri gade was one of the finest brigades that South Carolina ever sent to bat t!e. After the war Gen. McGowan was honored by his state In many ways, he was many years a member of the State Supreme 'Court, and he was con sidered one of the best judges that ev ci served the State. It may be of interest to know what became of my boy comrades, the videttes. James Cadle was killed at Gettysburg; Benjamin Sharpton was killed at Second Cold Harbor; Smith fleld Radford died soon after the war or sickness contracted In the army; Calloway Kirksey Ienderson lives toe write this letter on his 71st birthday, with best wishes for The Sunday News. C. K. Henderson. Alken, S. C. e ee..e e eeee . *e . e * Honor Roll of Watts MfIll School * 00****.ee ee *****ee ee..* First Grade: Gladys Afoore, Nora Landers, Howard Landers, Louise Mlontjoy, Owens B~obo, Ethel Brownhee, Mforris Page, Lofton Holsbrook, Mlay Pucket, Lilly Jones, Nora Spoon, Mla bel Snoddy, Paul Gosnell, Furman Kelly, M\ary Tinsley. Second Grade: Jay Clarke, Kirk Taylor, Edwiln Thomas, Paul Thomas, Roy Page, Samuel C'ollIer, Roy Alc D~owell, .larion Pulley, Earl Camp bell, Roy Gwiln, TJhad PrIce, Sam iSnoddy, Mlaud lirownlec, Chlora Flhem Ing, Idla PrIce, OlIe Pilce, LilliIan Stroud. ThlirdI Gradle: Roy Mlimmns, (hrace Ox ner. Fouthl Grde: Marie Gosnell, Clyde Golight ly, Andrella lc'ee, Gladys Tumlin, Emmet JTessie, H er-man TPay lor-, Charlie Weeks. FIfth Grade: Bulb Oxnier. SI. ixth Orade : Na nn I Lee Snlodd~y, Lorle Taylor, Seven thi irad(I: Ilorace (Ioligh tly, Elthel CVolIIi-. Pa 11110Cn a ik., CASH CA'SH S, C, (.0* -NF, 'jI Dvi - o e o.,"r t: "Aftt 44 N o E h t wtn B a Whertiau, col etions oigned by-aolegae Was Skrs Pal Be ac Sknmbrfthe luiled Shectoriss andSaeofouh(rln, free-h older rd Da in .k Cola isrolia akngr aneeto.n .. Coutding te n West unsn frst las an \ swayso DAVS-R PE Co.H Nowsowin aot cletin said new up-aito-date as., Skres, Palmed Beach Skits, "S lk Shirtosof Waits andit a rbe f wth thmente onty Coarsd Davlic-Rdpo rein Iher c o.- Cun ,f , dels ta in held Lo th 1frt la oune, the I lwaovystate eas, I lela C Only asi lecors asl eturn r n e keal Estate Bargains ~ ~theeea eletions shage' alowed :iS F OMO on, west Main Stre at a* bargiaainskin for oe antctan n h o~"e"i DtH Couo t aee a balo of voting a 3 mll tax up- t. S. alley & Soa s and kailey aros., S. R. od urens .e l g, lo at t o r tv nil "ibe ,""fo Schoo l i str Plaiffs. n e1samt barid andstiontofouses,,athe5abovefotate;;;case, I'will-sell at 200 he ome placeofusteese sha i eprt rlisna an mani upr ngeent o f edca- re acres ofialef s well improve d od, o peroal rrt3' fodaainad~ sc adrn thleahor nea reeneiptsasoabeapics ad ne foloin (esr, w dwelig a d uth uss e~llic~iinc p ure, e to t:s ntr Hos ems.to M s n a C.V~s t oe Al thath trchar lnt ate ine aunwerein rusIopay KEND iBROS. s oe rlss ooddb Iatd J. S. Machen Sec'y.-Trea. *iUndertaers and Embamerma. Hid quicksale.l thsere any mills ax r a dight *In .Adir I. .1 . ir an MaeRs reoi ++e4+<.ttractieLARN,.C.ad, ayr , M The 2 in I Shine Brings the Smile of Satisfactioni Quick. Brilliant,1 Lasting. In the 'ai LOpening" Box. AM.NA THR F. P. DALLgY'0O@.,Li*,,# NUFFALO, N.Y., HAMILTON, CAN. IO eGA