Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. Consolidated Aug. 2, 1881.1 'Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou Aims't at. be thy Country's thy God's, and Trutn's. TflE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established June, 1866? SUMTER, S. C., TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1884. New Series-Vol. III. So. 48. " f|e Mafcjrotait at? jjrmt |]T Published every Tuesday, -BY THB : W??cAwi?t7i ajuZ Soutliron. Publishiih Company, j?;. SUMTER, S. C. ? TERMS: ft.Two Dollars pet anuum -io advance. W ADVKETISBMKNTS. ^??e Square, first insertion.$1 0 : :46*wy subsequent insertion. 5 Contracts for three mouths, or longer wi] ^Vbe made at reduced rates. Alt communications which subserve privat interests will be charged for as advertisements - - <W>?taaTies aod tributes of respect will b charged for. Sarrtage notices and notices of deaths pub ' Hshcdfree. For job work or contracts for advertisinj add ress -Walcliman and SoittJtrcn, or apply a the Office, to N. G. OSTEEN, . Business Manager. -mmmmawatea--mmm COMPANY E, ^HlfflTO SHABP SHOOM - -;-0 Address By Lient. H. T. Abbott, DEIJVKRED AT . Tk& Bennion of the Survivors of Co, J5. Palmetto Sharp Shooters, at Mayesc?le, May 16, 1884. CQVEBAOSS AND FRIENDS :-It is with feelings bf unfeigned pleasure, sincere gratitude, mingled with emotions ol pride, that we greet you upon this occasion. lu looking around on youi ""^familiar faces our * mind naturally ,*fe?erte to the reminiscences of the past ; and those hallowed memories and soul-inspiring associations which ; cluster around thc sacred shrine oi oar company's history are rapidly and vividly portrayed in memory's eye, and we again seem to be living in turbulent days of the eventful past ; a past, fruitful in ali the elements of moral, physical and heroic endurance; a past, whose escutcheon is as bright as the deeds it commemorates ; a past, which calls to mind the camp, the me*stent, the.joke, the merry laugh, the march, the bivouac, the picket post, the skirmish, the bloody battle and the desperate charge, where side by side, elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder you faced the . smoke of battle, the rattle of arms, the sickening whiz of thc minnie ball, the thunders of artillery and the crash of the bomb shell with a heroism and stoicism snrpassed by none, and equalled by few, as thc bones of your fallen comrades, bleaching on the bloody battlefields of Virginia and Tennessee, will abundantly testify. Of your company's history yon bare a, right to bc proud. A com? pany, which was among the very first to volunteer for State and then for. Confederate service ; a company, which was the color company during most of the war ; a company, which flinched from no dangers, nor evaded any hardships; a" company, which probably took more prisoners than .any other in the anny o? Northern *-. Virginia; a company, which fought from Fort Sumter to Appomattox; a company, which, besides being en l gaged in skirmishes and picket firing almost without number, was engaged in twenty-six regular battles, viz: Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines MIK, Fraziers Farm, Second Manas aaa, Boonsborough, Sharpsburg, Fred? ericksborg, Carsville, Siege of Suffolk, Wils Valley, Campbell's Station, Bean Station, Knoxville, Drainesville, Wilderness, Spottsylvania C. II , llanover Junction, Cold Harbor. Siege of Petersburg, Fort Harrison, Fort Gilmer. and thc last defence of of Richmond ; a company, which finally surrendered in the largest reg? iment of tbe largest brigade ; and wby as a company she did not surren? der the most guns, was from the sig? nificant fact, that she left the most dead opon the field of battle. Some nineteen years has elapsed since the Son of the "Lost Cause" set at Appomattox C. II ; but the sufferings, privations, joys and sor 'jBBw? .which as a company they en? dured for four long years, and which the mest graphic delineations in lan? guage writ?eu or spoken will fail lo convey an adequate conception of, JferSve formed bonds of union and ties of friendship which death alone can severr But one tiling detracts from the pleasures of this reunion, and that ' is, (bat some one more efficient had not been chosen to meet your reason? able expectations at this tim*?, and t?> deeeribe in more graphic language than I possibly can, the part taken in the late civil war by your gallant command. I make no pretensions, whatever, to oratorical attainments. The god Mercury, even with the most elab?rate study, has never endowed me with elegance of speech, the charms of eloquence or the flowers of rhetoric. Add to these imperfections an impaired articulation, caused by tbe casualties of war, and you will at once perceive that I possess none of those requisites which are the sine qua non of an orator. None are more cognizant of this fact than the mem? bers of Company "E." Tue? doubt tees could have easily obtained the services of some silver-tongued ora? tor, able statesman, or distinguished officer to entertain you at this time : but being the only surviving commis? sioned officer, they generously sacri? ficed their well merited privilege to honor me. And while the act itself is doubtless an error, the spirit that inspired it was noble. And in exten? uation of the mistake I made tu accepting the call, I bqye two j excuses : 1st, I have no oratorical j prestige to loose, none to make, j 2d, I knew it was done by friends, who had the intelligence and gener? osity to correct my mistakes, and the magnanimity to overlook them. Then without any farther prefatory remarks, allow me in plain and une? quivocal language to address myself to the task imposed upon me, of giv? ing a historical sketch of Company "E" Palmetto Sharp Shooters South Carolina Volunteers, during the late j * civil war. Of the right of Secession, we pro- j pose to say but little, nor enter into j any metaphysical speculations cr ab- j struse theories on the subject. Suf-! u fice it to ney, that very soon after the j confederation of the thirteen original j colonies, there has always existed a j party, under one uame or another, that | advocated the doctrine of state rights ; j and led bv such men as Madison, ! Jefferson, Hayne, Davis, and more j especially by that great political j scholar and consummate statesman, j John C. Calhoun, and a host of other j bright and burning lights. Besides, j the doctrine was no new thing at the j North. The right of it had been j reserved by the State of New York j on her adoption of the Federal Con- j stitution, and the exercise of it had ; been threatened on four separate, and ! distinct occasions, by the state of Mas-1 sachusetts. Not only was this doc- j trine taught by men who had given | more than their share of luster to the j military history of America, and the council of its senate, but the provoca? tions given by the North to the South, were enough "To s?r a fever in the blood of age, Or make the infants sinew strong as steel." The representative power of the North was enormously in excess of the South, and, whenever it chose to act unanimously, was capable of any j amount of oppression, which in all i fiscal matters it did not fail to do. The consequence was, under this sec? tional domination grew up a system of protection and bounties of the North without parallel in the history of class legislation and of uuequal laws in a common country ; the South scarcely being treated as a party to common measures of legislation. By tariffs, pensions, fishing bounties, tonage duties and appropriations in a thousaud tonas, by every measure that the ingenuity of avarice could devise, the North exacted from the South a tribute, which it could only pay at the expense, and in the char- j acter of an inferior in the Union. Protection was the cry on every hand, j Massachusetts, although unwilling to l?e taxed on the importation of mo? lasses, wanted protection for the rum she made from it ; Connecticut on her j woollen manufactories ; Pennsylvania j Fought protection on ber steel and paper mills, while New York denian- j ded that every article her people j could produce should be protected. By this unequal taxation and the j course of trade caused thereby*, the South paid a tribute estimated by a Northern man at two hundred million dollars a year; besides constantly enduring insults, treated as an "inferi? or, and designated as the spotted and ; degraded part of the Union". Again, although speaking the same language and united by a federal j bond of union, the civilization of the ! North was entirely different from the I civilization of the South. That of the j North materialistic, ostentasious and j conceited ; that o? the South senti- ? mental, refined and chivalrous ; op? posed to each other in principle and interes?, besides being jealous rivals in political power, naturally caused j an alienation of feelings, which ail attempts at reconciliation seemed only calculated to exasperate their reciprocal animosities But with all j this acrimony and bitterness existing | between the rival'seetions, the Union ! might have lasted longer, had not the i Black Republicans cf the North in ? 1860 nominated and elected by a j strictly geographical line [every state j north of Mason's and Dixon's line, \ except New Jersey, voting for, and every one south against] a sectional j president, whose avowed principles !1 and policy was to destroy {hat peen- j liar institution of the South, which J j was not only our chief eource of p?os- ? : perky, but the very basis of our social j order, civilization and slate polity, j1 And to crown the climax of insult, | this president not only endorsed the j; platform of his party, but promised j; in his zealous support of its princi- i ? pies to disregard the judgment of j ' the courts and the obligations of the j 1 constitution, by approving any bill 1 prohibiting slavery in the territories of the United States. ? The South determined to endure these wrongs no longer, and to essay ' a new political destin}7. South Carolina did not wait for < an overt act, or even an official report, but as soon as she heard by telegraph I that Abe Lincoln was elected, her ? legislature called a convention which 1 deliberately and unanimously passed I the Ordinance of Secession, and South ! Carolina resumed the exercise of her rights as a sovereign, and independent 1 Stale. ' This was done on the 20th, of H December, 18?0, and on tito 8th, of J i January, 1861, only eighteen days j afterwards, this company organized at j : Wells' Cross Hoads, by electing that estimable citizen, S. D. M. LaCoste, captain, thus placing herself upon record, as one of the first to burnish her arms, buckle on her armor, and 1 respond to the call of the Stale, when \ ; the tocsin of war first resounded throughout our borders and South Carolina called for lier sons to defend her rights, and drive the foot of the invader from her soil. On the 8th, of April she was called j into active service, ordered to Charleston, joined thc second Regi- ' mont of S. C. Vs., commanded by ? that gallant and brave officer, Her.. (nov; Judge) Kershaw, and known as | the Chfcora Guards or company iv On the morning of the 12th, she took part in the ever memorable siege of : Fort Sumter, and on the I3th? alter a gallant defence, witnessed its surren- | der. saw the stripes and stars lower- j : ed in the dust, and the Palmetto (lag j waving proudly over its dark ram- ? ? parts. j ; The fall of Sumte: convinced the North that the South was in earnest, j i and that there was no further chance j of regaining the Southern Stales by the cheap po'iey of compromises, ' ' flattering speeches and hypocricy. j ? This aroused their anger, and there ?. 1 ensued a sort of crusade against thc | South in which all parties, sects, and ] ' races were mingled, and the passion, j fury and blasphemy of which it would ? * be almost impossible to describe, lt j * was preached alike from thc hustings ! 1 and the pulpit. Lincoln, at once, ! ? called for seventy-five thousand men to coerce the South. The guns of i < Sumter also gave new animation to ! | the Confederate Government which 1J well responded to the fury of I North. President Davis called for v uuteers for the common cause. T reply to the call, throughout the win country, was enthusiastic, and t most patriotic devotion was manif ted on every hand. Company "I on the first call promptly respond? reorganized and elected that bra and honest man Alexander Colcloug Captain., and entered the Confedera service in thc Regiment command by our well known fellow citizen, C J. D. Blanding, and was known Company D. 9th, Regt. S. C. V Arriving in Richmond Va. two da after the first battle of Manassas, t Regiment was in no regular engag ment, but endured the privativ and hardships of camp life, the bui ing heat on the plains of Germantow and the snow, sleet and wind on t! bleak hills of Centem'lle with the st icism of the Grecian, and heroism the Roman soldier, losing one four of the members by disease and deat But it was not until the reorganiz lion of the army, early in 1862, th the history of Company "E" Palmet Sharp Shooters properly commence The Confederate Government calle for troops for the war and a reorgar. zation of the army. Company "D with her usual alacrity and patriotis was again among the first lo respom Getting numerous and valuable r cruits from several other companie she reorganized by re-electing Ale: ander Colclough, Captain, Dosier Le< J. M. Wilderand D. W. Harringtoi Lieutenants, and attached itself ? Company "E" to tho Regiment know as the Palmetto Sharp Shooters, thc commanded by that brilliant and dh tinguished officer, Gen. Micah Jei kins. Its first service was on th Peninsula and in Gen. Joseph I Johnson's famous retreat from Yorl town ; took part on the 5th of May i the battle of Williamsburg. Ou Regiment was put in defence of Foi Magruder, and almost during the er tire day the enemies' sharp shooter and artillery poured a constant stroan of shot and shell iu the fort: yet be ing protected by its wails our casual ties were comparatively light Ed ward S. Armes, the first of our nu in ber to fall, was mortally wounded On tlie 30th of May the battle of Sev? en Pines took place and company "E' acted quite a conspicuous part Capt. Colclough was sent out by Gen Anderson to reconnoitre the enemiei right. A mile or more from tho mail army he encountered and caplurc( one hundred and forty two prisoners and brought Iheai safely into camj with thirty four men. Perhaps dur ing the whole war no other company ever performed such a feat. Beside; capturing the Yankees the company took part in the regular battle, am! had R. M. Footman killed, and ? number wounded. On the 26th of June commenc?e those series of engagements known as "The Seven Days Battle Around Richmond." On the 27th, the battle of Gaines' Mill, the most obstinate ol the whole war was fought. Gen. McClellan evidently intended it to be decisive. The enemy occupied a range of hills which rose abruptly from a deep ravine. This ravine was filled with sharpshooters to whom its banks gave protection. A second line of infantry was stationed behind breast-works of trees above the first. A third occcupied the crest strength? en! with rifle trenches, and crowned with artillery. The approach Ko this position was over an open plain, abort a quarter of a mile wide com? manded by this triple line of fire and swept by heavy batteries south of thc Chickahominy river. At the foot of Li ese hills and in his immediate front and center, and on the side of our approach, was a wood with dense and tangled undergrowth, arid traversed by a sluggish stream which converted the soil into a deep morass. Thc Confederate soldiers were ordered to charge these works, and the P. S. S. were among the number. It was a time to try men's souls, but not one wavered. With fierce grandeur the charge swept on, and the dead and wounded marked the way of the in? trepid advance. But finally7 the ter? rible fire fi*>m the triple line of infan? try on the hill, and the cannon on both sides of the river, which burst upon them as they emerged on the plain, caused our men to recoil, but only for a while ; they would rally and char-jre again. At this critical jmic Luic Stonewall Jackson arrived ; and the air was rent with shouts as the combined commands prepared for the final charge. The scene was now terrible. The discharge of artillery . from both sides of thc river, and in front, the bursting of caisons, the roar of ten thousand muskets, the crashing of shells, soldiers shouting, yelling, reeling, bleeding, powder blackened and fainting from thc fa? tigue and the smoke and Oust of bat? tle, formed a scene that was at once "soul-stirring, sublime and horrible." But we routed tin; enemy from his stronghold, put him to iJight, night closing tile scene over a grand Confederate victory, but at a terrible sacrifice, of lite-Company '*?" los? ing her orderly sergeant, W. S Mayes, Zimmerman Dixon, C. II. Hatfield, W. W. Johnson and a num? ber wounded -some, whom I now sec before me, so severely that they never "nave, nor ever will recover. But three days afterwards, on tin.1 '{Otb of June, was fought tho battle ol' Frazier's Farm, which was. by far, more disastrous to Company "K" than any other engagement during tiie wholewar ; every member of the- com? mand being either killed or wounded, with the exception of two. (Jen. McClellan was retreating to [..over of his gun boats on thc Janies, md with consummate skill ami judg? ment had chosen a position at. Frazier's Kami, an open, high land bordered with woods on both sides and rear. Plie ascending gradi; of the road was swept by cannon, while any attempt. \u flank the enemy would have met iv i th broadsides from his gunboats \t Curl's Neck in James River. Huger not coming to time, and ? Jackson not being able to force his passage through White Oak Swamp, Longstreet and Hill were leit with out the expected support. Thus, ii the face of superiority of numbers an< advantage of position, Gen. Lung street was forced to attack tin enemy. The woods on either sid? swarmed with infantry, whili sixteen pieces of artillery belebet forth shot, shell, canister and grap? in front. Into this vortex our brigadt was ordered, and gallantly pressen forward into a storm of lead am iron pouring into ns from both flank.' and front, driving the enemy fron: his position, and capturing his artil lery. During this bloody strife, com pany "E" had thirty men killed and wounded out of thirty two. The dead left upon the field of battle were Lieut, Dozier Lee, Lieut. Dwight W. Har? ington, B. E. Wells, James G Wells H. Barklcr, II. A. Barkley, T. M. Dick, JVW. McCoy, VV White, YV. S. Thames and Jesse Smith. Here might be a fitting place to eulogize our noble dead, who actuated by that spirit of pride, gallantry, chivalry and devotion that ever characterize the sons of freedom, and which the lays of minstrels and the songs of the Troubadour have rendered immortal in verse, and who so nobly offered up there lives living sacrifices on the altar of their country, but feeling my inability to do justice to their memo? ries, besides, fearing that it might prove invidious to discriminate I will not attempt it. Neither will time allow me to go into the details of every battle in which our company was engaged, and we must enter more into generalities. When Gen. Lee moved on Pope and fought the great and magnificent battle of the Second Manassas, on tho 30th of August, the enemy again sustaining a disastrous defeat on those classic plains, and the boastful Pope made to seek the shelter of his entrenchments around Washington, Company "E'7 shared in its dangers and its glories, crossed the, Potomac endured the privations and hardships of the Maryland cam? paign, was in the battle of Boons borough and in the bloody and desper? ate battle of Sbarspburg on the 17th of September, when a minnie ball gene? rously relieved your speaker of three of his teeth. Gen. Lee falling back into Virginia, and Gen. Burnside assuming com? mand of the Northern army made bis "on to Richmond*' by way of Preder icksburg, and on the loth of Decem? ber, thc battle ofthat name took place. It was the grandest bailie of tho war, and perhaps one of the most sublime spectacles ever witnessed ou a battle field. On Stafford Heights the enemy had au array of military force-the most brilliant and magnificent of modern times. His total force was one hun? dred and fifty thousand men, with one hundred and forty pieces of artillery overlooking the town. Gen. Lee had eighty thousand men drawn up along the heights in rear of Fred crieksburg, which formed a semicircle from the river, and embraced a plain six miles long and from two to three in depth. It seemed as if nature had formed here au arena for one of the grandest conflicts of arms that had yet been witnessed in the war. The landscape stretching from .the bills to the river was like a vast amphitheatre, thc Confederates hold? ing tho upper tiers of scats, and the stage the valley in which to be acted a bloody drama. As far as thc eye could range, thc lino of battle exten? ded with its bayonets glittering in tlie sun, while sheets of artillery fire blaz ed through clouds of smoke along the linc, lt was a beautiful, clear day, and about ten o'clock the enemy made a general advance through this vast and open plain. Thc scene was sublime. Thc enemy were repulsed | at every point, but they would rally and advance again. In the afternoon he massed his forces on Alaric's Height, towering immediately in his front. The Confederates had three lines of breastworks, one above the other. As thc masses of the enemy came forward, three linos deep, our artillery poured into them a destruct? ive fire. But notwithstanding the havoc caused by our batteries his lines staggered within one hundred yards o? the hill. At this time our infantry suddenly rose, and poured such a volley into them, that the advance was impeded by their own tlead. Six different attacks were directed j against our almost impregnable posi-1 tion, and the enemy exhibited a cour- | agc worthy of a better cause ; but I all in vain. lt was a wholesale | slaughter of human beings ; the dead were actually piled upon each other. Night put an end to thc scene. Thc Confederates won a great victory with comparatively little loss ; Com? pany "E77 losing one man, thc gallant F. C. McKcwu. In thc spring of 1863 Gen. Long street, our corps communier, was j ordered on to Blackwater to guard j the south and ca?t approach lo Rich- j mond. Our command was stationed j at Franklin, and was in the battles of j Carsville and tho Siege of Suffolk, i besides several skirmishes with thc I enemy's cavalry. But upon the whole, tiiis period was the most j pleasant episode in our history, wc I being, part of lite time, in and around j Petersburg and Richmond, forming j pleasant acquaintances with tho ladies j and citizens generally and besides ; missing the Pennsylvania campaign, j and the bloody battle ol' Gettysburg, j thc grand climacteric of the Southern ! Confederacy. In September our corps was sent to j Tennessee in view of the great con- j diet which was about to ensue, to j save Georgia. The battle ol' Chica-1 manga, tin; Areola of lin; war, was fought, our command, however, arriv- j in^ .oo late to take a part in thc con- ! Uict, but was in (he night attack at j Wills Valley, when the enemy were so completely surprised by our men, and added new lustre to ibo laurels ahead}' won. In November Gen Longstreet was dispatched by Jen. Bragg up thc valley toward Knoxville, where Burn- ; i side was opera!iug. He first struck1 him at Loudon, ?md at Lenoir and j Bean stations, captured his wagon j traiti with valuable stores, and over? took him at Campbell's statiou on the ! i 16tli of November, where a desperate little fight took place, our company having M. Floyd and J. M. Rus! killed, and a number severely wound ed. Longstreet invested Knoxville and at daylight on the morning of iiic 29th of .?November, assaulted Fort Sanders. The -weather was bitterly cold, the ground frozen, and icicles springing up. Sonic of our men without shoes, jret not a mumtir es? caped their lips, and with unflinching valor they performed their desperate duty. The shameful defeat of Bragg at Missionary Eridge, and the reinforce? ment of Burnside by Sherman, made it necessary For Longstreet to raise the siege, and he fell back at Rogers ville. Here he found his rail road communications with Virginia cut off, compelling him to rely on his own resources, and completely insolating him in a wild and difficult country. The weather was excessively cold, the mountians covered with snow, one fourth of the men barefooted and ragged, while skirmishes with the enemy were of almost daily occur? rence. Thus did Longstreet's veter? ans endure the rigors of a Tennessee winter under these trying circum? stances, doubtless with less croaking than many of thc gentlemen of ele? gant leisure at home. Early tu tue spring 18G4, much to the delight of all, our corps joined Lee on their old ground near Gordonaville, Va. Those who are at all familiar with the war, and the stirring incidents o? those times, wilt remember the active campaigns in Virginia during this year. We were not long idle. On the Clh of May the battle of the Wilderness was fought, and on thc 11th, Spottsylvania C. II. In tiic6e brilliant victories, which added new glory to illuminate the arms of Lee, Company "E" had many wounded, but only one killed, X. B. McKinsie. On June the 3rd, at Cold Harbor, J P. Thames, and Leonard A. White were killed ; and in the entrenchments around Petersburg Joseph Long, Sanford D. Jennings and T. J. Robin? son lost their lives. September 30th, William E. Brimson was mortally wounded in a charge on F>nt Harri? son ; and on October 7th, Thomas A Moore and John J. Jennings were killed on* the Darby Town Road. Thus you perceive from May till No? vember Gen. Lee was engaged in a series of battles, and which, in ?he military genius displayed and the signal victories gained over over- j whelming numbers, rivaled in bril? liancy Napoleon's celebrated Italian j campaign, but which cost Company ! "E" some of her most valuable mem? bers. The winter was spent in the en- j Irenchmeuts around Richmond and ! Petersburg. The suffering of the | army, poorly clad, with short rations, ? and scarcity of fuel, exposed to the j rigors of a Virginia winier, need not j be told. Desertions were frequent, j but not one from Company "E" On theevacution of Richmond, Gen. | Lee retreated toward Lynchburg;; and as is well known, sun ende: ed at Appomattox 0. II., on flic 9iii of April, 18G5. 1 will not attempt to picture the horrors ot the retreat ; only suffice it to say, after enduring sleep? less nights, restless days, inarching, i skirmishing, fighting and famishing, j with all its demoralizing effects, Com- j pauy "E'' surrendered seventeen men rank and file ; having fought from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, the Alpha and Omega of the war; her members being inspired only by the purest patriotic motives and their) devotion lo the common cause, with no hope or expectation of having their deeds emblazoned upon the pages of history, or their names inscribed, in fadeless characters, upon "the eternal tablets of fame." And here it might be in place io mention a striking coincidence of the surrender so far as our regiment is concerned. At the battle of Gaines Mill the Palmetto Sharpshooters met in an open field thc lGth Michigan ! Regiment. 11 was dusk, and so dink as j not to be able to distinguish friend from foe. The two regiments marched parallel to each other for some little distance. Col. Jenkins, suspecting something wrong, ordered the regi? ment to display its colors. The regi? ment answered by coming to tlie front face. Jenkins by his prompt and decid? ed action, got the first fire, and almost 1 annihilated thc regiment, their line of ' battle being marked by their dead. 1 At Appomattox when the P. S. S. were j i marched out to stack arms, company j 1 "E'; halted in thc immediate front of j the 16th Michigan. The "boys" j recognized each other and be it said j to their honor, not a taunt or sneer < i was heard. Such are thc vicissitudes :1 of war. j i With the surrender of Gen. Lee thc s war virtually ended, and a few months I afterwards, from the Potomac to thc ! < Rio Grande, there was not an armed j > soldier to resist the authority of thc j ? United States. j < And my friends, will not the stu- \ 1 dent of history inquire why the cause ? ? of thc Southern Confederacy was a j < failure; even acknowledging thc j 1 superiority of the North in numbers ' <. and materials ol" war, considering thc j J great compos?t nm which i he South ; l had in superior animation, superior 1 <? oflicers, lighting on the defensive, and ; ' above all in the great extent of her i ( territory, and that made d illicit lt to ? i traverse with annies, because of riv- c ors, mountains and swamps, which j I were so many nal ural barriers. They ! i will doubtless discover a number of j i causes, but in ali probability lind tue j * lack of discipline and the-lack of mon- , c L'V the most potent, both of which . I could have been averted. In organ- ! v izing our army, companies and regi- j ti incuts were allowed to elect their ! g juicers, instead of being appointed j u for el'lien-ncy ; tue natural couse-! g juence was, very often good men. ? hut poor officers were elected, and j ti they being mere or less under obliga- t lions to thc men who elected them, ! li and often inferior in intellect and | h social status to the men they com- : ? inanded, it was almost a moral im- j a possibility to enforce the discipline so i y necessary for I he successful prosccu- j e lion of a war. Hence while the i d courage and esprit de corps vi the ' ? Southern soldiers were unequalled in modern times, our brilliant victories were often barren of results, owing to the pillaging and demoralization after every battle, which prevented the pursuit of the enemy. Money is said to be the sinews of war, and oar fiscal affairs were badly managed. Our money, like that of the North, should have been made a legal tender, and means taken to re- j duce the volume. As it was, one year after the commencement of hostilities, our currency rapidly depreciated in value. Sharpers speculated in the necessities of life, and provisions brought fabulous prices. Mr. Sed? don the secretary of war charged forty dollars a bushel for wheat. The con? sequence was, the commissariat of the army v as in a deplorable condi? tion, disaffection and desertion took place, with all its train of concomi? tant evils. In one of those campaigns in which Frederick the Great dazzled and elec? trified Europe with the brilliancy of :iis arms, and astounded the world with his wonderful intrepidity and Jie magnitude and success of his un? dertakings, he issued an order that at i certain hour every light should be jut out. Ile went in person to see if t was executed. Observing a light in a tent he approached it and saw a nan writing. He asked if he had jot heard the orders. "Yes" ho paid, 'but I just lacked a little of finishing i letter to my sick wife." Add a )ostscript which I will dictate/' said he Emperor. "To-morrow at ten >'ciock I will be shot for disobedience >f orders." The sentence was exe? cuted. Bonaparte, whoso military deeds lave placed him on the highest pin? nicle of fame, stands with lut a rival, the greatest general of he nineteenth century7. His mighty >!ows shook the nations of Europe .0 their centers, while at his very jame their crowned heads trembled >n their thrones. This mighty genius vhen crossing a desert in his Egyp ian campaign overheard a subordinate ifficer criticising in a derogatory nanner the march. Turning to him ie said, "One more word, and I he )lood from your severed head will lelp to lay the dust of which you somplaiu." The reader of English history will .emember how Janies in his wars vith William and .Mary attempted to ,'xtricate himself from his financial lifficulties by simply calling a forth ng a shilling. The right of coinage vas a prerogative of the crown, and 0 replenish Iiis exchequer had bi ass jetties, door knobs, and old ordi lance, <&c, made into money, and a oyal edict declared these pieces legal ender. But they7 did not pass be rond the limits of his camps. Frederick and Napoleon saw ihe iccessity of discipline and exercised t. James' money was a failure, and io was his Cau^e. And Gen. Lee vliose military genius was second to tone, whose cause was just, whose ioldiers were valorous, and who was oved as never a commander was lev id, ami whose banner had waved vic oriously over so many battle fields vithout money and without discip ine had finally to trail in the dust. But my friends, do not seeming iisasters often prove the greatest dessings, and in^^not an all wisc Vovidenee have ?ff dud this tor our jood ? Will luW, has not the mancipation of negro slavery proved . blessing to the Som h ? Has it not uosed the shackles of indolence, of nertness, of lethargy and self indul? gence that fettered the energies of our >eople, and given new life, enterprise .nd perseverance to the South ? Will lot our copper mines, silver mines, .nd gold mines bc developed? Will tot iron mills, machine shops and onndries be built? Will not thc cot? on mills of bleak New England be nought to their natural place, the tinny South, and worked by the un imilcd water power of this congenial lime ? May wc not hope ? ls it any Jtopian dream to suppose, as the louth grows stronger, thc wealth, the ultu re and power of the country will ie centered herc, until she will not ?.ily become the mistress of America mt "the central empire of the /oild?" One of her statesmen proclaimed n thc floors of Congress that "South Jarolina had thc intelligence to un? derstand lier rights, and the spirit to maintain them," and as she verified his assertion by so gallantly leading icr sister States in thc War of Seces? i?n, so may she lead in the grand ace of the new South in all the ele ?ents of material prosperity. And is he not already doing this ? Do not ecentstatistical reports, conclusively how that South Carolina in propor ion to area and population, is not nly one of the most progressive >tates of the South, but of the Union ? i las nie not in the last three years ; utstripped iu agriculture and manu ?etnring interests tho tn itch lauded : > itatc of Georgia ? lias not the value j ? f her farm i nu: lauds increased from : ; >rty-five, to sixty-seven million ollars ? Was not her prosperity so ! . reat that thc IJ. S. census was taken ! ; vvice to confirm her remarkable in- i rease in population and wealth '! i ly friends, let us help to make South ?aroliua w hat nat ire intended Inn- to i e, one of the most desirable spots on ! 1 art'u. To do so we must have popu- j ! ition, intelligence and wealth. Fop- ' i 1 al ion is our great desideratum, with | l : money and refinement wi!!, under;; rd ina ry ciivunistaiics, naturally v onie. If we <u tile South had had j ? opuiatiou lhere wtmid nave been no I < ..;ir. no unjust legislation, no sec?i?*n-j < 1 domination. Population, ??iloUi- j ; ei.ee ?md wealth, and not square ; ?iles, is national strength, and make ! ! real nations. Indeed some ol the!' realest nations of antiquity ;?"d oi'j ? i?.deru times wens and aro, oj 'hni yd extent. 12 ?y pt willi her learning, ! \ er arts, her pyramids, her sphinx-, i . er labyrinths, and her populous j it ?es only extended along the Nile ! - jew hundred miles. Fa lest s ne, ! > .'here transpired tili those great vents in which thc whole world is \ . eeply interested, winne reigned j ; ?.domen the wisest king, and richest , lilian that ever lived, who built the: ' most magnificent temple 1 hat the ; world has overseen, or ever will see, ? whose kingdom was the most noted, j and whoa*; court exceeded all others I in magnificence, grandeur and royal j splendor, was uot larger than thc lit- i tie ?State of New Jersey. Italy, where ? was located Rome, that "sat upon j her seven li ills/' and claimed to be i the "Niobe of nations and mistress! of the world/' whose emperor a hun? dred and 5fly millions of people obeyed, whom Kings and princes delighted to honor, where flourished Pompey, Brutus and Julius Caesar, and to become a Hornau senator was at once the height of man's ambition, the consummation of human aspira? tion, was no larger than Pennsylvania. Greece, .'.That land of the brave and free whose fame sublime Still beams resplendent through the clouds of time ;" ''Where burning Sapho loved and sung. Where grew the arts of war and peace, Where Delos rose, and Phoebus sprung;" That soi! sanctified by the brightest intellectual genius, where was wrought forth the powers of eloquence, the source of that ethereal fire, which quickens all those who boast of refin? ed and elevated minds, and from whose brilliant genius you have de? rived your brightest ornaments ; it was her orators who have perfected to the present moment of time, the power and soul of eloquence ; it was her genius wliich.produced thc sweet? est concord of music and budded forth forms of woman's angelic beau? ty ; the warrior only brings to mind the military genius displayed on the plains of Marathon and Thermopylae to know that he must learn lessons from thc Grecian soldier in the science ol war. The land which boasts of Socrates, iEschines, Demosthenes, Miltiades, Plato and Homer, names which will stand as monuments to lier fame, "High as the mountains, firm as the earth, and lasting as the heavens " Tin's land which, "From plains to mountain's cave, Was freedom's home, or glory's grave," Greece, in whose veiy name there is magic, did not exceed in extent the State of South Carolina. And look at England of to-day, an island not larger than Virginia, bur? ned in fogs and mist, a cold and un? congenial clime, and naturally a ster? ile soil, yet by the genius of lier statesmen, 1 fte valor ol' her soldiers and the enterprise cf her citizens she has overcome all obstacles, and Great Britain stands to-day tho most power? ful and influential nation on earth. London, her capital, is the largest and richest city in the world, without any exception ; and her territory so ex? tensive, it. is said the reveille of her drums never cease, as the king of day is ever rising on some portion of her vast domain ; while her commerce whitens every sea, a"J her ships en? ter every port. ?> Now has not South Carolina a les? son to !ca;n from all this ? Here we have a mild climate, fertile soil, navi? gable streams, eligible location, Port Royal the finest harbor on the Atlantic coast, and the gulf stream in our favor, yet we allow New York city alone to have more population than our whole State, and one street in that city to reposent more wealth than the whole State of South Caroli? na. My friends, we must not allow this state ol'thing's. We must change our tactics, and shake off our leih- ( argy. We must encourage commerce and manufactories, invite capitalist, , artisans and mechanics to our Com- , monwcalih, build up our waste places, and make South Carolina what she ought to be, one of thc weallhi- , est, and most flourishing States in the ; Union. 1 know we have been pros- . trat ed by the war, and labored tinder ( peculiar political disabilities since, ? and that the difficulties in the way ? are Herculean, but let us as Cauca- ( sians prove ourselves equal to the ? task. Show to the world that we , stand undaunted amid the dangers t that surround us, that we are per- ( severing in enterprise and firm in j misfortune Lot us imitate the noble , eagle of Caledonia, which, winni the storm arises, does not seek t\ place of safety, but amidst the flashing of lightnings, and the roar of thunders, boldly faces the gale until she passes ( through the clouds, and then trium? phantly shrieks her clarion notes ol ( victor}', while she sails proudly and 1 majestically aloft in tin; serene air * above, while all is wild commotion beneath her feet. If we do, and . prove ourselves true to our race, our 1 rights and our God, South Carolina 1 will yet be made to blossom as the * rose, her valleys and her hills will j teem with millions of happy people, und the sun of our prosperity will arise in all of its Grandeur and Orien- y lal splendor, and wc will rise ami ride on her chariot throne lo the noon- c day glory of our national prosperity . ?ind greatness. Bul my friends, if I have not said 1 enough te interest you, 1 have at least said enough to weary vour ?aiiencc, i hence 1 wi i I close. Before doing so, j however, allow me to add one more | word, it may bc oat of place, but 1 j c ami constrained to do so. li is not i1 only possible, but very probable, that j :; we will never all meet again, and c when 1 look upon you, and know per- j <. soiiailv so well, the dangers through * which each and every ono of you j j have passed, it seems almost like a j ? miracle that one of you are present i ' Lo-day. God has mercifully spared ! * vour lives. Let me beg and beseech j ^: cou to enlist once more in a noble ? t .ause. To become soldiers of the j J' L-ross, and veterans in the army of j * U-hr ist. So when death shall summon ? c voil tc join Lee, Jackson, Jenkins j iud Colclough un thc other side of j lite river. j 1 Thou go not like thc quarry slave at night. ? :1 Scourged to his dungeon, bul sustained and ( strengthened ! 1 r.y an mi lal tc ring trust, approach thy grave | j hike orie who wraps ll?e drapery of hhs couch ? About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams, j ' Oh! may each and every one of j I you obtain the "pear! of great, price," j * which will not only add all the happi- j ness which a sana mensa el sai>a eur- : nora eau give, but realities ot immortal j ? bliss will be yours, when the "silver 1 cord is loosed and the golden bowl ? I is broken." That religion, which will enable you to enjoy the glories of a renovated world, in which there will be no drought, no frost, KO blight, no heat, no decay, no night, no tem? pest, no deluge, no conflagration, no wars, no pestilence, no desolation, no famine, no discord, no enmity, no pain nor death ; but in that Elysium that awaits the righteous, eternal spring abides, and amidst bowers of bliss and Sabbath scenes of peace, lhere will be beauties to delight the eye, and the vaults of heaven will reverberate with music to legale the ear, that the most wrapt imaginations of the poet has never conceived, neither indeed v can conceive, for it is written, "Eye bath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for those that love him." Oh ! may each and every one of you so live, that when the span of life is run, your regenerated spirits maj' wing their way to their home "far beyond the stars,'7 that you may enter the golden portals of the prate of heaven, and there with robes of spot? less white, the crown of life, and the palm of victory, with legions of angels and archangels, in one grand, trium? phant procession shall march tip thc golden streets of the New Jerusalem^ and there with seraphic bands around the eternal throne of Almighty God; enjoy celestial felicity through the everlasting ages of eternity. Enjoy a heaven, thc glories, the ccstacies the beatifications of which language cannot express. A heaven which, "If we could wing our flight from star to Star, From world to world as f;u* as universe spreads her flaming walls, Take all the pleasures of all the spheres And multiply each through endless years, Une moment of heaven is worth them all." What Our Editors Say; The Kormal Institute: Hampton Guardian. Every teacher who can possibly spare the time and money should attend the Normal Institute in Spartanburg. Board may be obtained in private fami? lies at four dollars a week for the ses? sion. It will be a little higher at the hotels. The railroads generally give reduced rates to teachers. The Iusti tute will hegiu thc 15th of July and continue four weeks. A Secretary will he appointed, who will make ail arrangements as to the securing of board. Thc following are some of thc reasons why teachers should at? tend : 1. Teachers who are not perfect cari learn sotnethiug. 2. They will be thc better prepared to work after old plans or to make new" ones. 3. Thc teacher's work tends to iso? late him from his fellows and the com? munity. One session at the Institue' will draw him out and bring him into sympathy aud harmony with others en? gaged in the same work. 4. They will have more exalted opin? ions of their profession and work. 5. Spartanburg is a delightful plac? to spend a month or two in summer. Good water, mineral spiings, fine drives, pleasaut uights and a bracing air make the place attractive. 6. Au excursion to the mountains will bc made during the session. This is a revelation of wonderful scenery, especially to persons who have never beeu in the mouutains. Special rates are given to those who wish to run up DD the Asheville road on Saturdays and return Mondays. 7. In a few words, it may be said that the teachers' meeting in Spartan? burg this year will be furnished with imple means for improvement, recrea? tion and social enjoyment. The daily lectures hy the regular faculty, thc' ipeciai lectures by distinguished cdu-] ;ators, and thc teacher' meetings will Furnish au amount, of valuable informa iou that will compensare one. for the imo and money spent in going to Spar? enburg. Let there be a grand rally ug of thc teachers of the State, lt mil do them good. Spartanburg Herald. Everything points to the nomination >f Grover Cicaveland for President of he United States. The New York ?onvention of last week, while it did5 tot endorse bim openly, for fear of cre iting unnecessary division stood tb reo o one in his favor. Cleveland is the mau. Kiyard is universally admired but it s believed that thc fearless and inde? pendent stand he took on thc war ques ion iu 1861. would defeat bim in the STorth. As to thc chances of Gleave aud, if nominated, the outlook is vcr/ >right. Everybody North and South, rho is uot thoroughly partisan believes hat he cnn beat Blaine. The South tasts 153 votes, New York 36, and it' viii only need Connecticut and New Jer ey or Indiana to give him a clear nnjority. Thc Abuse of Law. Chronicle and Cokttitutionalist. Somctituc ago, the Chronicle took iceasion, more than once, to point ont bc monstrous inequalities of the law tad its pcrvision by juries. No man hired deny these statements; but we loubt i:' a ivmed}' Le near at hand, in his region at least. In portions of the Cast and West, there is au awakening ease of justice and reform. Ia one >r.i;o of tho Wost murderers arc having o hard a time that it is feared thc pen ! uium which had hitherto'swung so far eward license might go to thc extreme >f harshness. What thc public desires s fairness, impartiality and exact quity. .-ap ?????. -pi Last Thursday a negro woman was tilled by lightning, near Kock BU!/ nd a white boy severely shocked. In Charlotte ?rn Saturday, a man standing ?v a telephone post had a hole burnt in ?is hat hy electricity. Ile felt no shock limself, but. he got away from that dace when he found his hat burning. 'Jarolina Spartan. The editor who does not occasionally ?ppose predominating influences and uako political enemies is very likely to' je a fraud.-Orecuoillc Neics.