The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, June 30, 1905, Image 1
-* __======,
City of Union and Suburbs Has. fB^ B~ T 3P"^ I T "flLT Hf TT1 "1 Ifl IW I *1 City of Union and Suburbs Has
Five Large Cotton Mills, pne Knitting I BJ flj I ft J ft I I ft /fl Bj Five Graded Schools, Waterworks,
and Spinning Mill with Dye Plant, Oil I B I ^L|. H ^ . t jLl B B ' ft/ I fl 1 l Sewerage System, Electric Lights, Three
Mill, Furniture Manufacturing and H B. B J fl fl * '^F*. " <ifl fl fl I wf fl fl 'i L / A ltanks with aggregate capital of $250,000,
Lumberyards, Female Seminary. -B.. _fl^,.fl_ *-fl?i^fl * >? w -fl? -fc; e -B- _fl_ w JL _flL_^d r^s?S % Electric Railway. Population 7,000.
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VOL. LY. NO. 26. UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, JUKE 30. 1905. #1.00 A YRARm
I Wm. A. Nicholses
J7 Union, Soul
J PAY INTE
B >\ 4"yL eGALLANT
CHARGE
THAT rup ATU7TM>C rv
i aina V~l lt-rt IIMII J DIVISION
MADE AT
PRANKLIN, TENN.
Col. Robert Gates Writes
of the Thrilling Movement
Which Made the
Day Historic ? Cheatham's
bulldog Grip.
'nfere will ever be an abiding
interest in narratives of confederate
valor.
They portray the trials under
which a brave people fought for
freedom, and the gallantry with
which they maintained their position.
Through the courtesy of Colr
Opel Robert L. Rodgers, historian
of the Fulton County Confederate
Veterans' Association, the
Constitution has been placed in
possession of a story of the battle
of Franklin, written by Colonel
Robert Gates. The article, 1
which was in possession of Colonel
Wallace J. Barnard, of Marietta,
is well worthy of perusal.
THE WORK OF CHEATHAM'S MEN.
Colonel Gates, after giving a
history of the many engage- j ]
ments the division participated,
during the four years service, i
goes direct to the great and un- j
precedented battle of Franklin,
where Cheatham's old division ;
of Tennessee sealed with blood
and stamped with glory forever,
its record of steadily, dashing,
heroic courage.
The battle of Franklin was
fought November 30, 1864. The
federals, under Gen. Schofield,
occupied a strong natural position,
which they made stronger
by first class earthworks. The
approaches were through open
fields from a mile to a mile and a
half in width. In front of the
position assaulted by Cheatham's
xjld division, groves of locust
?rees had been cut down, behind
1 V 1 1 _ />._! 1 * -1> 1 1 _
wnicn ine nrst line 01 ieaerais
received the assault, General
Cheatham was commanding the
corps, and Gen. John C. Brown,
the old division,
The division moved to the assault
with its left on the Columbia
pike. Moving parallel, with
its right on the Franklin pike,
was Cleburne's division. There
had long been a generous rivalry
between those two superb commands.
Owing to its splendid
achievements at Ringgold, Cleburne's
division "held the edge"
on the famous Tennesseeans.
Hence again at Franklin, as on
the 22nd of July before Atlanta,
these two divisions raced for first
jflk>rs. In splendid style, their
oBlers gallantly urging them
on, the crack divisions of the
western army moved through
shot and shell to the desperate
work before them. It was a
orvlnnrlirl oinrVif Tb n nnf ii?n
OpiUUUiU JLUC ^ 11 v 1 vi
was in full view, over which the
eighteen brigades of Hood's army
moved to the assault. From the
riflepits and the locust zerebas in
t the front of the main works of
the federal infantry poured a terrible
fire, while from the main
works and from the heights beyond
the river, more than a hundred
cannons volleyed ?nd thundered'
on the advancing host.
But there was no haltering or
^wavering, and over the fireTJfcwept
plain the assaulting column
advanced, closing up the
dreadful gaps of death like the
"Old Guard" at Waterloo. With
a yeU and a rush at the point of
the bayonet; the first line of
works was carried, but no halt
was made. On and on, with guns
at right shoulder-shift, dashed
[ ~~
& Son, Bankers,
\\x Carolina,
REST ON
the heroic lines. Yet a half
I mile of open ground remains to
be crossed. The firing from the
main works was now terrific.
Not a soldier of that gallant army
had ever experienced a fire so
dreadful. The hundred cannon,,
double shotted, swept the plain,
and the roll of 20,000 muskets
was incessant and appalling.
But on swept the determined
confederates?never firing a gun
never cheered by the boom of a
cannon of their own, never wavering,
eyes to the front, "victory
or death" ringing in every
heart - officers and men fell like
dead leaves when forests are
shaken.
The glorious Clebourne fell
and the dashing Granbu?t
(Jheatfeam'4*- Uid tnvisndh, Strahl,
Carter and Gist fell, and Brown
and Gordon were woundedj and
yet on swept that glorious line of
gray.' At last, the plain behind
them, strewn with the dead and
wounded until the dead and
wounded outnumbered the living
the assaulting column reeled
against the strong works, behind
which the federal army fought
in comparative security; ami
with the nerve and cool destructiveness
that became veterans.
The works reached, a ditch
must be crossed and an embankment
climbed. The federal fire
became now more terrific, all of
their reserves being brought into
action. Then it was that on the
right and left the confederates
recoiled and reeled back across
the fatal plain to the rifle pits
and locust zerebas just taken.
CHEATHAM'S BULL DOG GRIP.
Of all that assaulting column,
Cheatham's old division alone
held its ground. This division,
with every general and field officer
killed or wounded, except
Colonel Hurt, who commanded
the sixth and ninth, with half its
number strewn on the plains,
scrambled across the ditch and
climbed upon the works, driving
the federals out and taking possession.
Having repulsed the
confederates at all other points,
the federals rallied and charged
Cheatham's devoted division confident
of annihilating or capturing
it. The division quickly noting
its peril, placed the embankment
of works they had taken
between them and the federals !
and held their perilous position
with matchless heroism and unequaled
valor to the end. Ascnilprl
in tVio -frnnf anV?io/?f tn a
terrific cross-fire from angles in
the works to the right and to the
left, the old division stood firm
and poured a destructive fire into
their assailants in front. Alone
they stood, amid ten thousand
volleyed and thundered at from
three sides?stood and died, and
conquered. The federals gained
the opposite side of the earth
works, but could not cross or
dislodge their enemy. They
flared into each others eyes,
ought with clubbed guns, but
like gladiators, toe to toe, fought
and died, but never turned back
or wavered. It was a sublime
moment. The old division was
standing on the sacred soil of its
grand old mother, Tennessee. It
was making a last heroic effort
for home and c?^se. The eyes
of mother, wife sweetheart, in
hearing as it were of the battles
thunder, watched, and waiting,
wept. Its comrades after prodigies
of valor had reeled back
from the impossible.
!they stood and conquered.
| It stood alone of all the assaulting
host, using the enemy's works
i against himself?alone in the
J fiery red jaws of a hell of battle.
The Spartans, at Thermopylae,
'the "Light Brigade," at fealaklava,
the "Old Guards" at
Waterloo, do not overmatch it ii
situation or equal it in results
It stood there in the jaws ol
death?stood and conquered
The night was hideous with th?
red glare of battle, the dead and
wounded encumbered their movements,
exhaustion threatened,
and yet they stood and conquered.
It was the old division's last
supreme effort, while hope yet
remained, its last confident
struggle for .cause and home,and
it stood like the "Old Ironsides"
at ^J^^g^^^and^ sublimely
and left. The enemy gave way
and Franklin was taken. But
when the confederates poured in
there amidst the dead and dying
their visages blackened with
smoke out of recognition, stood
Cheatham's division, masters of
the works they had taken at the
first; masters of the field, the
unquestioned heroes of the battle,
the matchless division of the
| western army. There it stood
amid the wrecks of battle; amid
its aead that outnumbered its
living without a general officer
left; with but one field officer
able for duty; the division commanded
by colonels, regiments
by captains and lieutenants and
companies by seargents and corporals.
"A GEOftdlAN WHO WAS THBRB.
Colonel Wallace ,J. Barnard
was himself one of the gallant1
spldiers of Tennessee, 154th regiment,
in Cheatham's division.
Major Barnard is well known i
here, and his own inmate persono
1 wn/^Aol-t? J ^?r 1
? ???vvicoi,y wuuiu iorDia any
mention of his name in this
matter, but as it has been made
public thrower** *??ahnrl
due antT proper to mention him
lhThis connection. The charge
of Cheatham's division stands
out as one of the grand acts of
cool courage and superb doing
in the martial history of the
world, and in future years it will
be pointed out by historians as
one of the grandest of all great
military achievements in war.
THE LAsTfLAG
or TRUCE
INTERESTING INCIDENT OP THE SURRENDER
IN *05.
The Plan was Borne by Col. R. M.
Sims of Columbia?The Story
told in a Letter to Colonel
Thomas.
Below will be found a most in
ici raising ui wcii newa.
Col. John P. Thomas, in securing
data for his history of the
city, having heard that Col. R.
M. Sims of Columbia, ex-Secretary
of State, was the bearer of
the final flag of truce of the war,
asked for his recollection of the
matter. In reply Col. Sims has
written the following account of
the incident;
Columbia, S. C., Dec. 6, 1892.
Col. J. P. Thomas,
Dear Sir?In reply to your request
that I make a statement of
the flag of truce at Appomattox,
I will give you succinctly as possible
the facts.
Sunday morning, the 8th day
of April (I think I am correct in
the dates) found us at day break
near Appomattox C. H., with
Gen. Gordon's division and the
cavalry a little in advance of the
village of Appomattox. Gen.
Longstreet's command comprising
the rest of the Army of Virginia,
thrown across our track
some two miles in rear of the village
and facing to the rear to
meet Grant's columns which
were pursuing us, with our headauarters
(Gen. Loncstreet's! at
an intermediate point three
quarters of a mile in rear of the
village.
Gen. Grant had pushed forward
Gen. Orr's corps and Sher
1 4-U
luctu ? aiiu iiuuwu uicin
across our front.
Gen. Gordon was to attack ir
front ac daylight to open anc
force a way through the enemy.
This attack was delayed a little,
but as soon as it made ap
peared to be successful. Gor
don soon found the force in his
front too heavy for him anc
asked for reinforcements o:
Gen. Longstreet, Gen. Lee rod<
down the road in the direction o:
. Grant's columns to meet Gen
; Grant. Another and directly an
i other messenger mme to Gen.
. Longstreet from Gen. Gordon,
t asking for help and saying he
, was very hardly pressed. Gen.
5 Longstreet then! directed me tc
I to nde over to Gen. Gordorn and
. say to him that if he thought
, proper he might send a flag oi
truce over to Geh. Sheridan, who
; was supposed to be in command
; in his iront, and ask for a sus,
pension of hostilities until he
could hear frtm Gen. Lee, who
had ridden down O rno rl 4-*-v
^ JL VttU tV
meet Geo.
I found' Gen. Gordon in the
.vni>egftt^Affpomirttox hardly
pressed m front and being Hanked
'.on his tOTk ^tfter delivering the
messageiMhe said it was proper
for hinl?^fitehd the flag, and as
he had no staff officer with him
begged m$to take it. We agreed
that the Best direction to take
the flag wrts to a heavy column
of cavalry "then pressing on his
left flank. I rode through Gen.
Gary's dismounted cavalry who
were hotly engaged with the
enemy. Upon reaching the
enemy I was met by Lieut. Col.,
now Gen., Whittaker, and a
major. Col. Whittaker advised
me to go to Gen. Custer, whose
column of mountain cavalry was
_ X. i.1 ? ~
j usi wien passing to the rear of
Gordon's left flank. We put
spurs and in..? moments
reached the fraad of the moving
column where I found Gen. Custer.
He asked me who I was
and what 1 wanted. I replied
that I was an officer on Gen.
Longstreet's staff and was the
bearer of a message from Gen.
Gordon who desired a suspension
of hostilities until Gen. Lee could
be heard from, who had gone
down the road to meet Gen.
Grant.
^Hsfen s^!d' "We wil1
unconditional?!8 ^.1!^ that ?* an
Feople are nim' behirni 5untftlir
replied, "I don't think we will
submit to that, but will take
your message back to Gen. Gordon,
and if you wish to send an
officer with me you can do so.''
He directed Col. Whittaker and
i the major, whose name I forget,
I to accompany me. On our way
back to our lines Col. Whittaker
bearcred me to erive him the towel.
which I had used on this occasion
as a flag of truce. This I peremptorily
and emphatically declined,
telling him that I would
not allow him for any consideration
to preserve it as a memento
of our humiliation. Upon reaching
Gen. Gordon he was being
hardly pressed in front and on
his right, and he begged me to
take the flag to another part of
the field. I told him that I could
not do so, as I must go to Gen.
Longstreet, who would probably
need me very soon, as Gen. Cusr
ter said he would proceed to attack;
besides, I said, MYou have
a member of your staff, Maj.
Brown, with you."
Maj. Brown asked me to loan
him the towel. I told him I
would do so on condition that he
would not allow the Federal
officer to get possession of it.
When I returned imthe afternoon
to get the towel, Maj. Brown
told me that Col. Whittaker asked
for the towel to display as a flag
of truce as they rode into the
Federal lines (together), fearing
he said that they would be fired
upon by the Federals. As soon
as he reached the Federal lines
he rode off, mixed up with other
officers and men and he could
not be identified. The towel
afterwards was given to Gen.
Custer and is now in possession
of Mrs. Custer at Monroe, Michi1
gan. It frequently bobs up at
the different national fairs and
demonstrations of the Grand
' Army as a curiosity and relic.
! I rode from Gen. Gordon to
1 Gen. Longstreet directly and
hurriedly. I found Gen. Long"
street and Gen. Custer talking
together at a little distance from
1 the staff. I heard some allusion
made by Gen. Custer to the mes!
j sage I delivered. I walked over
I tu uicui auu ucj^^cu tu tuuctt
| Gen. Custer, that I did not tell
him that I was the bearer of a
" | message from Gen. Longstreet,
" but emphatically that I came
J from Gen. Gordon. They each
' said that they understood that.
^ As I walked off, I heard Custer
j; say, "I will proceed to attack at
r once," and Longstreet replied,
| "as soon as you please."
" | The attack was not made and
IF. M. FARR, President.
??-?*
i Merchants and Pla
StEcessfully Doing Bus
i
[ mmmt Is the OLDEST Hank I
S E has u capital and surp
3 la the onlv NATION A
has paid dividends ?
H E Pays FOUR per cent
i is the only Rank in Ui
E & lias Burglar-Proof vai
pay8 more taxes than .
p WE EARNESTLY SOL
there was no more firing or
fighting.
R. M. Sims.
WAR REMINISCENCES.
Some Recollections of the
Great Conflict Between
the States?U n i o n
County Men Were
I Faithful and Gallant
Soldiers.
j Mr. Editor: As your paper has
from time to time, for several
' years, been giving reminiscences1
of the civil war from various
writers, I wish to add a few
recollections to show what kind
of men Union county had in that
great conflict and how faithfully
they discharged their duties.
In talking lately with my old
comrade H. S. Porter, of Kelton,
wiiu was a memoer ot McKissick's
cavalry, he refreshed my
memory with some incidents
which may be of ihtetfesfevcn ai
In the winter of 1862 and '63
the Holcombe Region cavalry (of
which our company was a part)
had to guard a long line of defences
reaching from York to
James river through New Keub
and Charles City counties. Ours
was the only cavalry in that part
of the field except a detachment
of Robinson's battalion which
belonged to the Legion and was
then part of our br.gade. This
command was made up of a remnant
of Wheat's old battalion
and other light duty men who
had been discharged from the
infantry service and mounted, i
They were a rough set of fellows
?not much men?for many of
them deserted. It was the orders
from headquarters not to
put any of them on guard unless
a nupiber of the Holcombe Legion
were on duty too at the same
point. The line ran from the
confluence of the Pawunky and
Mattaphone rivers where they
form the York river to the
mouth of Chickahominy where
it empties into the James river.
Thus it remained throughout that
winter except as it was advanced
or drawn in as emergencies demanded.
The citizens, especially the
ladies, of that country through
which our line of defences ran
were Confederate to the core
and would do everything they
could for the Confederate cause
and Confederate soldiers. Thus
duty on the lines became a delight
to the soldiers, even though
they were in danger of being
shot down by federal scouts at
r> t t A n 4 ?/ !??? v*
aujr Limu. time auvaiieeu
and the citizens and soldiers became
more and more acquainted
a stronger attachment for each
other became more and more
apparent. The old men and
larger boys had mostly been
paroled by the federal authorities
who had traversed that section
the summer before and they
could not take the interest in the
Confederate soldiers the ladies
did for fear of bringing themselves
into trouble in case they
should be reported to the federal
authorities. We were generally
as well acquainted with the people
and families of that section
as we are with those among
t whom we now live,
i As the movements of the army
demanded more or less secrecy
from time to -time orders were
; sent the pickets not to allow'any
, passing through the line ever
though we knew the parties
I well. These orders the soldiers
>s
J. D. ARTHUR, Cashier.
H E
inters National Bank,
liness at the "Old Stand."
in Union.
Iur of $101,000,
I. Uanlc in Union,
mounting to $3)00,400.
. interest on deposits,
jion inspected by nn oltieer.
nt, ana Mafo with Time-Lock. 8
ALL tho Hanks in Union combined. B
JCIT YOUR BUSINESS. I
must obey or take the consequences.
Gen. Lee with the
main body of his army was on
the Rappahannock in front of
Burnside's and the most, if not
all, of Longstreet's corps was
south of the James and extending
his lines to Blackwater and
towards Newburn, N. C., while
ours was the only command directly
in front at Richmond
where it was thought the main
attempt to take the capitol of
the confederacy would be made
which was subsequently proven
to be the case.
Thus it is to be seen that the
advance lines of the Confederates
extended from high up on the
Rappahannock to Newburn, N.
C., a distance of more than one
?i
uunureu mues. livery road of
any importance going toward
Richmond and Petersburg was
guarded by Confederate pickets
and scouting parties. Burnsides
was still suffering from the blow
he received at Fredericksburg
and he was afraid to recross the
Rappahannock in his march "on
to Richmond." Dix with his
crack army corps lay at Fortress
guarding Richmond "wRfle^ffie '
other federal troops to the south
wouldn't advance on that thunderbolt
of war, James Longstreet,
who lay in wait for them. This
was practically the status of
both armies during the winter of
1862 and '63.
When strict orders were given
to let no one pass through the
lines the soldiers would sometimes
assume responsibilities , \
which might have been fatal to
them or their cause. But fortunately
they were never betrayed.
On one occasion while Vaney
Porter with some others were
on guard some ladies in the
neighborhood wanted to pass
to visit other friends on the inside
of our line. It was just
after they had received orders to
let no one pass. They were told
that their orders were strict and
that they must be obeyed. The
ladies affirmed their loyalty to
the southern cause in such plaintive
appeals that Vaney and his
comrades could stand it no longer
and they finally told them that
if they would pass round and
through a certain ravine they
wouldn't interfere with them.
This they agreed to do, and thus
they got on the inside of our
lines and went on their way rejoicing.
But they had to pass
by picket headquarters where
Lieut. Jim Blackburn of the
Newberry company was in command.
He made some inquiry
of them how they got through
the lines and they told him that
Mr. Porter had permitted them
to pass. Blackburn felt just as
Vaney did about the matter but
gave his consent for them to go
on, as he knew them. When
they returned it was snowing,
Ann nf tbnCA
v/nv ui muoc v 11 ? una. anwws
which the soldiers so much
dreaded. Vaney was on post
again. This time he told them
positively they couldn't pass as
they had given him away on the
other occasion. They were in
sight of their home; they cried
and told him how badiy they
[ wanted to get home, but it was
. no use, for his orders were
I strictly not to let anyone pass.
r Finally he told them that he just
. couldn't pass them, but if the
, next relief, which would come
. on duty in a short time, would
' pass them he would have no ob,
jection to their doing so. This
r they did, but one of these girls
, Vanev said never liked him after
r I that, but he bound them never
, I to betray the confidence placed
j. in them. More anon.
i1 J. L. S.
3#T