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From the Sunday Newe, Feb. 25. CONFEDERATE CHOCTAWS. Their Old Commander Tells of Tneir Services in Ala? bama. In Response to the Request cf his Comrades, Messrs Themas V Walsh and R J Brownfield, of Dick Anderson Camp of Sumter, 31ajor S. G Spanu Tells of the Organization and Services of the Eighteenth Battalion of Confeder ate Cavalry and the First Battalion of Choctaw Indians To tbe Editor of The Sunday News : Private information has reached me that inquiry appeared in a former issue of your paper asking who commanded the 18th battalion of Confederate cavalry and where was it organized ? Io addition to this several personal friends and Confed? erate comrades, knowing of the nerita of this command and believing that there are features of special interest thai should not be lost to tile history of the late civil war, insist that I should respond freely and give to the public some chief points of my war life and the work .f the 18th battalion, and also the 1st battalion of Choctaw Indians, commanded by myself in conjunction with my 18th battalion of Confeder ate cavalry. I therefore send to you au epitome of what I hope will suffice for the present, with the promise of a more elaborate detail later on, and io a more substantial form than a mere newspaper com mnnication. S G Spann. Samter, Jan 30, 1900 THE CALL TO WAR IN ALA? BAMA On the 11th day of Jauoary, 1851, Alabama, my adopted State, seceded from the Union Io the 6ame month and year I, then a planter, residing in Dallas county, near Selma, voiun teered as a private and joined Capt William Boyles' cavalry company, known as the Mobile Dragoons, on the Golf coast, near Mobiie Capt Boyles was a prominent lawyer of the Mobile bar at that time After serving 12 months the company reorganized with Ct.pt J H Marsbali, a noted wholesale merchant of Mo bile, as captain. He was wounded in the Shieldsboro, Miss, fight, with tue 9th Connecticut, and was so disabled that he never rejoined his command Capt Boyles was author ized by the war department to raise a regiment He succeeded io doing so This command was knowu as the 56th or 57th Alabama cavalry. After serving in Marshall's compa ny a part of the ensuing year, and being anxious to see more active service, the coast service consisting entirely of scout, reconnoitering and skirmish engagements, I pro cured a substitute to take my piace in the dragoons and accompanied ?ren J W Hardee through Bragg's memorable march into Tennessee and kentucky. Hardee was then moving ?ortbward, via Mobile, Meridian and Selma By way of digression I here 6ay that Geo Hardee's plantation and my plantation, io Dallas county, Ala, joined with only a dividing fence between ; hence onr personal inti? macy, and as a further digression I should say that my substitute made a gallant and faithful soldier to the end lo the meanwhile I was in active duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, as au evidence of which I refer to the Atlanta Constitution, the Selma Re porter, the Chattanooga Rebel and other newspapers of October, 18b2 date. ^>r a fuli account of the battle of Perryville, Ky. in which S G Spaun, of Alabama ; J Rochelle, of Louisana, and - Johnson of Georgia (Christian name not remem bereci), distinguished themselves for valiant conduct ; for which conduct Hardee and several other officers signed a wri?en commendation of S G Spann to the confidence of the secretary of war Oo the faith of, this paper I presented myeelf at the j office of the secretary of war, iu j Richmond, Va, to whom I was iutro- j duced by my old fried and ciaesmate . the Hon A ?I Garland, U S senator from Arkansas The following is a copy of the j document authorizing the enlarge J ment of my usefulness, and speaks ! for itself : the original I hold in my ? possession : Confederate States of America, ; War Department, Adjutant and In ? spector General's Office, Richmond, Va, ipril 21, 1-S63-Authority is hereby granted to S (j Spat::* to raisf; for the service cf the Confederate States a company from the inhabi? tants east of the Mississippi riv^r, aa scouts or such other service as they may be assigned to After the company is raised Mr Spann may proceed, i! be can io organize first a battalion and then enlarge that battalion to a regimen: The organization when raised will be mustered into service, and copies of the muster rolls forwarded for file in this office It will be subject to the rules and regulations govern ! imr the provisional army of the i j federate States ! By command of the Secretar i War Samuel W Melton, Major j A A G j S G Spann, present ? Por8uant to the foregoing autl I ty. I first organized a compan; j Mobile, with headquarters at St j Street Redoubts ; Lieut Ed Keitl j drill master ; John C Ransom. A j Gen Dabney H Maury, depart? j commander I then proceeded i raise other companies to form a i talion of mounted cavalry Th ! succeeded in perfecting, with J j Tindal as captain of Company A j A D Stoei as captain of Company M M Burke as captain of Comp C and John Harrison as cap??ir Company D In the outset this command gotten op with the expeetatior operating under orders of Gen I dee, as indicated above But ( Hardee -was transferred to the E ern division, which changed natnre of the service and opened t territory for future operations. 1 above named companies were orc e to Tuscaloosa, Ala, where, io S tember, 1863, the command was d organized, with S G Spann ma The mustern rolls were formally m out", copies of which were fowan to the secretary of war T?scalo was the gateway into Northw Alabama It was at Tuscaloosa that the C federate States Military A eade was established The chief cou wool and shoe and bet factories w located there The iron bric across the Black Warrior River c< nected the western and eastern s tiona of Alabama at this point. 1 enemy had made frequent raids that vicinity ?ind the city was several occasions under immim danger of bein? captured. Gen B. Forrest was stationed at Okolo: Miss, Geo G J Pillow was st&tior. at Montgomery, Ala, and I v stationed at Tuscaloosa, Ala,, w instructions from Gen Maury to port ready for duty to b( Gen Forre6i and Gen Pillo who were about equally distant fr< Tuscaloosa This was promp doue My command up to this tn was known as Spann'e battalion independent scouts. Gen Pillow c jected to the style aa calculated mislead and produce confusion. I therefore advised that the comma should take some numerical design tion No objection being interpose the command was called the IS Confederate cavalry, and forward? Gen Pillow's recommendations to Cooper, A and I General, Richmon that in future Spann's battalion independent scouts shculd be know as the 18th Confederate Cavalry, ai it 60 appears in my subsequei reports Now that the main forces i Confederate troops had been transfe red to Eastern fieid of action, a North Alabama was consequent! exposed to Federal raids and depn dations by deserters and .Unie sympathizers who had organized ini bandits and highway robbers gene a?y This battalion had hard'y gotte into fighting trim when a squad ( reconnoitering scouts dabbed int camp and reported two Federal raft! heading towards Tuscaloosa, on under command of Federal Cc Grierson, and the other under com mand of Federal Col Strait. Ge Forrest had received simuRaneou notice of their approach and at one intercepted them at Sand Mountain North Alabama, where be gained signal victory with only ??gh casualties, himself receiving a wcun; in the heel The 18th battalion, be ?og skillfully deployed along th? Watermelon Road, leading down t< I Tuscaloosa from the direction of thi fight rendered efficient service agaios detached squads of the enemy. Th? thanks of the city officials, and prc fessors of the State cadets, and tb? superintendents of the various fae tories were cordially tendered this J battalion Gen Forrest's command, I after this engagement, moved to the i front, but this battalion continued in ! Tuscaloosa and in the immediate I support of Gen G J. Piliow'e j orders j Fo J tho mere effectuai execution of j the duties devolved upon me I issued j several general orders, defining the ? n qu:reocoN of the law ot exemption ? and cor.scription. also an appeal to the 1 des: rters theo in hiding and who could nor bf reached by the ordinary process j These orders aod appeal were published io the Tuscaloosa Observer, asd also io hand bids for more effective distribu 'ion Just at this juncture another dark speck of turbulence showed i<s-elf io South Alabama aod East Mississippi About ooe hundred Ohnc:aw Indians had boco mustered into tho Coofederate servico under Capt J W Pierce, an px .. lient and bravo ( ffiser; but a camp feud 6-praog up and many of his Indians braves mutinied which threatened his destruc'ioo and ?h:-:r desertion to the enemy. To avert this impending rah* ru'rv u'\ his cornmisviooed : Mi -er-? (white) -.t';<l t... rJ comn)ts"-ior;ed r;rboers (indian?) petitioned Adj* \}< n C oper to have their commands transferred t" my command and :?? r-:>?<?:! charge as dismounted seouta This p "rion was granted ano i rstabiUbi d two eau p. f i Choctaw warriors, one M bile. Ala, and one in Newton County, Mississippi, on the Meridian and Jackson Railroad I bis command was ?-tyled 1st battalion j Gf Choctaw Indians. ID a short time over three hundre warriors were enrolled and ready fi service. Unfortunately, however, part of tbe'Iodiaos. while reconooite ing near Lake Ponchartrain, wei drawn into acrion before they wei thoroughly driiied in the manual ac skirmish tactics Now Orleans W3S then to the baric of the Federals and their gunboc plied the coast all along Mississippi, an the Federal soldiers penetrated tt inferior. During coe cf ?heir landing Company A, commanded by Capt '. Duckworth, First. L'eut Calvin Dooli tie. Second Lieut R H Welsh, Thir L our W Cunningham, First Ccrpl < Ainsworth : Company B C?p* Thc Pearse, First Li'ut Mobly, Seeon L:?ut Furlow, Third L*eut Joh Harrison, First Corp! Wm Robiosor. together with their non commissioue Indian officers and sixty three private! engaged the eDemy, who cad landed i superior forces near Lake Pcnchartrair Daring this conflict these Indian brav* fought nobly. Bat the skill of th enemy and their superior oambers an quality of arms were too muoh fe them. Mobly and Pearse, togetbt with seventeen warriors, were capture and placed aboard the Federal guoboi Maple Leaf and taken to New Orleam Pearse and several of the Iodiat escaped and returned to camp. Tb balance were carried to New York cit aod exhibited as curiosities. "Iodian Warriors io Conf?d?ral Uoiform I" This line famished a amusing headline to the great dailies < the North. This portion of tbe Choctaw batu lion beoame greatly demoralizec Several of their leaders went to Mobil and employed Peroy Walker, a proa: ioeot lawyer at the Mobile bar, t procure their release from service. To prevent complications aod conse? quent estrangement of the Indian agaiost tbe Confederacy I promptl advised their full payment an hoDorabie discbarge tbe service. Tbi was done at once. The other tw companies of Indians oontioued i service, engaged only io scout an reconnoitering duties ; piloting Confed erate scouts and giving notice ( Federal encroachments, which becam of frequent annoyance after the fall c Vicksburg. I have elaborate data an propoee to give the redskin braves ao their excellent commanders conspicuoo raeotioo ?D my forthcoming "Fou Years' Life io Camp.'7 The historia who presumes on plactog a history c the oivil war before the world with tb omission of Spaoo's battalioo of Cboc taw Indians will do himself au iojor aod a band of brave warriors a serioa wrong. The 18tb battalion of Confederat cavalry continued to do desultory ser vice io both offensive aod defensiv warfare io North Alabama. Whet Gen Pillow, with his brigade, wa ordered to take the field I applied fo admission into his brigade, bat thi officials of Tuscaloosa p ;oned th< war department to forbid this battalion': departure from their midst. Tbl request was aoceded to by the depart meot. All these matters, aod mud more, which constitute the part I took wil! be set forth more elaborately u ; dee course of time. As ao evidence of tho strong brother ly attachment that those brave, crude, j fail blood Iodiao3 cherished for Con j federate soldiers I here instance ooe j event that occurred near my Indian camp, in Newton County, Miss. A freshet was oo and the water io Chuck) i River was running above the railroad ! bridge, trains came with soldiers goiog ! towards Vicksburg Tbe traio plaoged ioto tbe river, precipitating maoy soldiers ioto the raging waters. ? was present at my Indian camp during this catastrophe and ordered my indians to hasten to the resoae Without an iostaot cf besitatioo over one hundred of these noble braves pluoged ioto that turbulent river and rescaed all the soldiers alive, except tweoty-ooe, whom they brought out upon tbe baok lifeless and placed them side by side After identification these unfortunate soldiers were crudely buried. The greatest interest was manifested by these In? dians io their voluorary act of humanity as wei? as their pride of courage and respect for their commander. This incident can be vouched for by living citoesses, who uow resides in tbe vicinity. We must remember that ih<i best history is tbat history which does not omit the raioor details of even the most nuable factor that helped to make up t?e grand whole The tiniest rill pours its liviog current into some other stream, which helps to make tbe great rivera that fill the mighty ocean ; so. when the best history of the war beiweto the States sbail have been published the humblest Confederate soldier whose readioess to do hi* duty at all times on the battlefield as a soldier, though lackiog often thc opportunity to pro*e it, bhall claim a conspicuous and honorable place to its pages \> it h this spirit, future pages ebal i embrace o ;t only the part I took, but particularly th?; heroio deeds of com? rades with whom I claim the honor of having :-!i*r<-ii the four years* perils oj soldier's iii;' By way t>i postcript. roy surrender was at Mobile, Ala, July 1?), 18?'?;") -I retaining '-??I equipage, - 11iarms, etc The Appetite o? a <io:tt I - envied by af! |.r dyspeptic:* who*? >t<>in ach 'J liver are out of order. All such fhoul i know tit >' ?>r. K:t;^''.< New LiTe Pills, the w n derful Stomach anti Liver Ueutedy, give? a ?p?en lid appetite, sound digestion and :i r.-^u l .r l><-d:?y habit that insures perfect health ..rid great energy. Ouly 'Jjc at J. F: VV. Do Lorine's ; drug store. j. j ? Lost Battalion. Statements From Leading Ex-Confederates in Sumter The Committee Appointed by Camp Die's Anderson, United Confederate j Veterans, After Careful Investiga? tion can Find no Trace of the Or? ganization Which Major S G Spaon Claims to Have Commanded-Messrs i Wa!=h asd Brownfield do not Re j member Ever to Have Asked Mejor I Spann to Pubiish His "Experience.*' To the Editor of The Saoday News : I In your iesue of 25"h February appears an acoouot of Major S G Spaon of a battalion of Chootaw Indians and a bat? talion of Confederate cavalry (18th) commanded by him We would not take any notice of this piece but for the faot that Major Spacn writes as if it ia sanctioned by oar camp, Dick Anderson, No 334, U C V, We therefore desire to make the ijoj&oiog statement : We are a committee appoioted by the camp to examine into the war record of its members and wrote Major Spauo asking where aod what time the l&b Confederate battalion was formed We could find no record of same in any of the histories which were accessible to as aod we received no reply. Wheo his piece appeared io your paper be was asked to appear before os, which be did oo this day, and still we are unable, even with his assistaoce to find aoy record of the above mentioned commands, aod we do not desire that oar camp or aoy part of it shall be considered as sanctioning this account We respectfully ask that you publish Major Spaoo's letter, (addressed to Col T V Walsh, clerk of committee; Capt R J Brownfield, historian, aod others of Dick Anderson Camp, Sum? ter, S. C ,) wbioh was sent you with the account of bis battalicos mentioned above. Also the eoclosed letters of Col T V Walsh, clerk of our oommittee, and R J Brownfield, historian of cor camp We, aa a committee of Dick Ander son Camp, do not endorse in aoy way the acoouot which appeared io your paper of the 25th of February nor.does our camp do so. When Major Spaon caa show to cur satisfaction that be commaoded these battalions during tbe war theo ie will be glad to cbaoge our present opinions. Respectfully, W D Scarborough, chairman; P P Gaillard, committee Diok Aoder9oo Camp, 334. Sumter, March 6, 1900. MAJ. SPANN'S LETTER TO THE SUNDAY NEWS. Col Tbos V Walsh, Clerk of Com? mittee ; Capt R J Browofield, Histo riao, aod others of Dick AodersoD Camp, Sumter, S C -Confederate Com rades and Friends : Thankiog you for courtesies, and yielding to your kind solicitations to contribute to the litera? ture aod history of "The Lost Cause'7 a report of the part I took io tbe war betweeo the States, I take pleasure io complying with year request io this manner aod to tbe extent that I pre? sume is sufficiently adequate for tbe preseot. The part I took was only tbe part taken by thousands of Confederate pa? triots, who, like myself, offered them? selves a willing sacrifice to principle aod conscientious duty. It is a pleasure rather than a task to have this oppor? tunity to laud.tho herioc deeds of oth? ers, the glory of which I have the honor to say I sometimes shared. Yet, as for myself persooally, so far short were my achievements wheo measured by my sacrifices and personal expectations, that I would really deem aoy effort OD my part ia this direotioo, if unsolici? ted, mere hollow egotism. Replying, therefore, to your esteem? ed favor, and thaokiog you for the "bianka" to which you call my per Rooal atteotioo, aod as a marrer of respect and esteem, both to yourselves and those whom vou reoreseot, a9 well ! as to those brave, uofaltericg comrades ; whose patriotic fidelity I cherish dearer ! than life itself, I herewith send you tbe { accompaoying fragment of a yet UD I published "Four Years' Life in Camp," ? Fraternally yours, S G Spann. CAPT. BROWNFIELD^ LETTER To the Editor of the Sunday News : I do not remember rcquestiog Major S G Spann to publish his "expert enees" with the 18th battalion, Confed? erate oavalry, as tbe headlines of bis communication in your last Sunday's issue would indicate R J Browofield. COL. WALSH'S LETTER To tho Editor of the Suoday News: I note i:: last Sunday's issue of The Suoday News you publish a communi? cation from Maj >r S G Spann as to the j I Sh hattah.:.'), Confederate cavalry The headlines say that I and another comrade r- quested the publication of said piece. i cm'' n eall ever makiog such n quest Tbos V. Walsh. ! Sumti r, March 1. 1900. - Maj S G Spann's rrply to the Dick Anderson Cuup committee in yester-? day'si Item was banded in fer publica tion this morning, bul owing to its length, we are compelled to let it lie j OV*T until next is3ue Maj. Spann says that at no time die j he ever say that he was requested I ? I "publish" bis war record, but gays b j was requested to put in writing tbe time and place of the orgatrzitioo of his command, by the committee, and that he preferred printer's ink to writing i ink, und- r the circumstaocr-s. liv says ho had nothing whoever to do with those headliner, they were rh*- pro j dueiion of thc printer ?nd not hims**!; i He says net even in those headS'.ncr j does it appear tba: he was rr quested to publish his communication Democratic Organization. Columbia, March 9.-Secretary Gunter, of the State executive com mittee, has beeo receiving a great many letters of inquiry about the Democratic organization and so tbat there may be general information upon the matter the following state ment has been prepared : The township or ward clubB, says Secretary Gunter, shall meet on the fourth Saturday in April These local clubs elect a president a recording and a corresponding secretary and a treasurer, and shall have three working committees and not less than three members each, viz : A committee on registration, an executive committee and such other committees as may be deemed expedient. These clubs shall operate under the control of a county executive com? mittee, which shall consist of one member from each club, to be elected by the respective clubs. The executive committee shall appoint its .officers, except the chairman, who shall be elected by the county con vention. The local clubs shall elect one delegate to the county conven tion for every tweDty five members and one delegate for each majority fraction of twenty five The county convention shall be called by the county executive committee to meet on the first Monday in May and when assembled shali be called to order by the chairman of the execu five committee, and the convention shall proceed to nominate and elect from amoDg its members a pr?sident, one or more vice presidents.a secretary and a treasury, a member of the State executive committee and delegates to the State convention, each county being entitled to double the number of delegates in the State convention as it has members in the general assembly. The State convention shall be called by the State executive committee to meet on the third Wed nesday in May The State conven tion elects delegates to the national Democratic convention and a mern ber of the national Democratic " exe. cutive committee. London Yi'ortl nt oh ers. Time is required by an American ear to accustom itself to English "tts she is spoke" in London. The cockney who had no difficulty of corrupting: the Nor? man French, making Route de Roy "Rotten row" and Marie lo Bon .'Ma? rylebone" and Beauchamp, who was one of the principal lieutenants of the Conqueror ano was rewarded with the lands at Warwick, into ..Beecham*' would readily call Ililli Ilolborne **'ighobon" and Ludgate Hill "Lu gut'ill." Imteed the English of .the cab and bus driver, bright as they are in their own employments, is not readily understood. One has to ask a bus con? ductor more than once as to the identi? ty of tue place to which he is bound, for in calling out the names there isn't the faintest resemblance to what he considers the proper pronunciation.' Thc Way Out. "So yon refuse to give me the mon? ey?*' said the prodigal son. ..Not another cent do you get." re- j plied the stern parent. '.Then here goes," said the youth as j he seized a silver mounted pistol from I his father's desk. "Unhappy boy!" cried the old man. j "would you take your life?*' "Nu." replied the son. 'Tm going to loan this to my .uncle." "-Chicago j News. : _ j Vp to the TVCTV Standard. "I understand you are looking for a j servant." said the girl. "Oh. ?lear, no." answered the lady cf ! the house. "When I was first married ! I was foolish enough to occasionally | look for a servant, but 1 got over that, j I'm looking for a general supervisor of t the household uow."-Chicago Tost. An Awful Mishap. Two passengers on an Atlantic liner, one an American rind the other an Eng? lishman, did not exchange the farewell courtesies when tho steamer reached her pier usual between voyagers who have occupied adjoining staterooms and hobnobbed during an ocean voy? age- A plausible explanation was vouchsafed by the American. During th<' voyage the Englishman persisted in fraternizing with the American in a most obtrusive and an? noying manner. Within two days of Boston the Englishman on<% morning hunted up tho American and found him in apparent despondency, gazing sea? ward from the hurricane deck. "Confounded blue this morning, old chap. What's the matter?" And the Britisher slapped his companion on the back. "Matter enough." growled the Amer? ican. "Ship's lost; captain don't know which way to steer. Forgot to wind the compass last night." The Englishman listened with mouth agape, then rushed off to tell bis friends of the consequential mishap. Evident? ly the gullible Britisher was "pushed along" for some time until he found everybody guying bim.-Boston Post. ' Chesterfield's Wit. Lord Chesterfield was never at a loss for a polite retort. Once bc proposed a person as proper to fill a place of great trust, but which the king himself was determined should be filled by another. The council, however, resolved not to indulge the king, for fear of a danger? ous precedent, and it was Lord Ches? terfield's business to present the grant of office for the king's signature. Not to incense his majesty by asking him abruptly, he, with accents of great hu? mility, begged to know with whose name his majesty would be pleased to have the blanks filled up. "With the devil's !" replied the king in a paroxysm of rage.,. "And shall the instrument;" said the earl coolly, "run as usual, 'Our trusty and well beloved cousin and coun? selor?' " At this repartee the king laughed and with great good humor signed the grant. At an auction sale of the effects of the late Herrmann, the magician, two pairs of iilk stockings, said to have be? longed once to the Empress Carlotta of Mexico, were sold for $9. An expert who was present at the sale sai? the stockings probably cost $30 a pair. In 1SG1 the population of England and Wales was about 20,000,000. In that year 25$ divorce snits were en? tered. Ten years later there were 410 suits among 23,000,000 population. In ISSI there were GIS out of 20,000,000. and last year there were S22 out of 31,000,000. The storage of bicycles in Paris dur ng the winter months is expensive. So a great many Parisians pawn their naekiiies in the Mont-de-Piete, or state pawnshop. The interest paid on tbe advance of money is very small and is a great saving on what would be paid for storage. Rev. S. L. Sloggett of Boulton. Me., has a copy of the London Times issued in 1790. As compared with the news? papers of today it is a very peculiar looking sheet. It contains an able edi? torial on the work of General George Washington and gives uls address of re.s:gua:;o7i. A Genies. "Whew!" remarked the head of the firm after he had listened to the report of the chief collector. "Who can the rascal be? And all these people say that they have paid and hold a leceipt?" "Precisely. Some fellow has been go? ing the rounds, and wherever my men are sent they find that at least 75 per cent of the bills bave been paid. He has eveii collected a lot of bills that we considered bad. H?3 certainly must be a villain of the deepest dye, sir, and I have taken the liberty of notifying the best private detective in tbe city. " "Perfectly right. Send the detective to me as soon as he puts in an appear? ance. We must find this villain." Half an hour later the head of the firm an?! the detective were closeted to? gether. "Can yon find him?" asked the for? mer. s "Sure ! I'm satisfied now that I know , who he is, and I'll have him inside the bars before morning. " "Who's hiring you and who's going to pay for your services?-" "You, of course." "Then I'll do my own planning, if that follow won't take si ou ;i month to work for me, cfier him $'200. Ile has the kind of talent Tm looking for." Detroit Free Press. Thc Finn! Toot-h. "Brushley was a good hearted fel? low; no one over appealed to him for a' loan in vain." "No. and wasn't his death charac? teristic? lie was struck by lightning, you know."-Philadelphia North Ameri? can. Columbia Business College, COLUMBIA, S. C. Most thorough Business and Shorthand Courses. Better inducements; and more graduates placed in good posi? tions than all other Business und Shorthand Schools in South Carolina combined. Write at once for f? catalogue and full information. W. H. Newberry, President.