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diff --git a/41616-0.txt b/41616-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cebb14f --- /dev/null +++ b/41616-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2880 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41616 *** + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 41616-h.htm or 41616-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41616/41616-h/41616-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41616/41616-h.zip) + + + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive. See + http://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofp00mixs + + + + + +[Illustration: PRIVATE F. M. MIXSON, Forty-five years after the war.] + + +REMINISCENCES OF A PRIVATE + +by + +FRANK M. MIXSON + +Company "E" 1st S. C. Vols. (Hagood's) + +Jenkins' Brigade Lee's Army + 1861 1865 + + + + + + + +1910 +The State Company +Columbia, S. C. + +Copyright, 1910 +By +The State Company + + + + +DEDICATION. + + +Dedicated to the Sons and Daughters of "the Lost Cause," who should know +of the valor, trials, suffering and privations of the noblest people and +the grandest army that God ever put on this earth, so that _they too_ +can pass down to their children and their children's children a true +history of the great deeds of this glorious Southland, for the cause and +principles they loved so well and for which they suffered, bled and +died. + + THE AUTHOR. + + + + +PREFACE + + +In the summer of 1865 I first met Frank M. Mixson, the writer of these +reminiscences. He was then a boy of eighteen summers, with four years of +continuous service in the army of the Confederate States to his credit. + +In that depressing time, when the old civilization of the South had been +prostrated by the cyclone of war, when every hope seemed forever gone +from the sky of the darkened future, he was full of the steady, +unflinching courage of the Confederate Veteran, looking with unwavering +faith to the resurrection that loyalty to principle, trust in the right +and confidence in the destiny of the Anglo-Saxon would assure in the +peace of the patient coming years. + +Heroes of the Lost Cause were not then so scarce as now, and from time +to time many of the older comrades of the boy soldier told me of his +deeds of cool daring on the battle line, of mischievous life in the +winter bound camps or on the weary march. + +And so the years passed, but they did not dim the memories of those who +had touched elbows with him from Charleston to Appomattox. + +At my insistent request, he, now graying with years, wrote for +publication in my paper these reminiscences, as told by the winter +fireside to the grandchildren gathered under his roof tree in the +holiday time. As I read them, feeling their pathos, realizing their +value as giving pictures of the great conflict that no other actor in +that red drama had penned or voiced, the thought mastered me that these +memories were worthy of a larger audience than I could reach and that +from the Lakes to the Gulf, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, they +should find as equal welcome, rouse as equal interest in homes of the +victors by the stars and stripes as among the conquered ones whose flag +had been forever furled. So these reminiscences are given to the broader +world just as he wrote them with the hand that knew better the handling +of the musket than the holding of the pen. + +Not a word or a syllable have I changed, not a thought have I suggested. + +To those who read his plain, unvarnished story there will come a fuller +understanding of the spirit of the old South than the cultured +historians have written. The heart and hope of Dixie are laid bare to +sight and feeling, the courage and endurance of the legions of Lee and +Jackson, the patient, uncomplaining consecration of the women who kept +the homes and fed and clothed the thin lines that so long held back such +invincible odds. All in all, it is the best book of the many that I have +read touching the War Between the States. It gives an insight into the +life and character of the Southern soldier that must appeal to every +human heart not dead to chivalry and must win from those who were the +bitterest foes of the South and its peculiar institutions a higher +respect for and admiration of those once their enemies, but who have +cast all hate from their hearts. It is a true history. I have verified +by the testimony of as good men as breathe the air of South Carolina the +truth and accuracy of the events described. + +Faithful as a soldier in the brave young morning of his life, Private +Mixson has in the afternoon of his years rendered a noble service to the +South he loved so well and the cause he served as becomes a modern +knight. + + JOHN W. HOLMES, + Editor of _The People_. + + Barnwell, S. C., March 5, 1910. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + + +The author of these Reminiscences (F. M. Mixson) was born at Barnwell +Court House, South Carolina, on the 5th day of December, 1846. I was the +nineteenth and youngest child of Wm. J. and Sarah Ann Mixson. My father +died when I was about six years old, leaving my mother a large family to +see after. My father, Wm. J. Mixson, was recognized as one of the best +men of Barnwell District and had the reputation of being one of the most +truthful and honest and best men of the State. He was familiarly known +in the District as "Uncle Billy," and his word was always taken without +dispute. My mother, before her marriage, was Sarah Ann Johnston, from +the lower part of Barnwell District, now Hampton County. She was highly +connected with the best people of the lower section of the State. She +was a woman of great business capacity, being very energetic, fine +business ability and quite industrious. They married quite young and +raised a large family. + +Of my parents' families I know very little. My father had four +brothers--Joyce, Charles, Archie and Miles--all of whom lived in the +lower part of Barnwell District, between Johnston's Landing and +Matthews' Bluff, on the Savannah River. They all had good sized +families. Early in the 1850's they all moved to Florida with their +families and that State is now thickly populated with Mixsons and +Mixson descendants. Father also had four sisters. Aunt Experience +married Ben Brown and afterwards Fogler. Aunt Susan also married a Brown +(Josiah). Aunt Levisy married Robert Kirkland, of Buford's Bridge, and +Aunt Hanson married James Darlington, of the Cypress Chapel section. All +of these had families and were well to do in this world's goods. + +My mother had, so far as I am informed, two brothers--Uncle Joe Johnston +being the eldest. He remained in the State, his home being in the upper +part of Beaufort District, now Hampton County. He, too, was well off in +this world's goods. He at one time represented his District in the +Legislature. In those times travel was not like now. When Uncle Joe +would leave home for Columbia, the capital, he would mount one horse, +his negro boy another with the hand-bag of wearing apparel. It would +take them some three days to make the trip. Then was the time when the +State House was a small wooden building situated on the same grounds as +now. The only place the members and public had to stop and put up was at +Granby's--a high bluff on the Congaree River, about two and a half miles +from the present State House, where there was a boarding house. Uncle +Ben Johnston moved to Shreveport, La., before the war and amassed quite +a fortune. Mother had three sisters--Aunt Charlotte married Amos Smart, +Aunt Jerusha married Henry Best--both of the Allendale section--and +Aunt Elizabeth married ---- Worton, of Bainbridge, Ga. At the death of +my father, mother immediately administered on the estate and she decided +it best to take her share and have the children's portion put in the +hands of guardians; consequently, she had everything sold, including +about sixty-five negroes. This being converted into money, the guardians +of those under age were placed in charge of it for their respective +charges. + +It happened to my fortunate lot to have as my guardian the Hon. James J. +Wilson, then State Senator, and at that time a practicing attorney at +the Barnwell Bar. He, however, did not remain long in Barnwell after +taking me in charge, but returned to his plantation on the Four Mile +section of Barnwell District, near the Savannah River, which is now the +Ellenton section. I went with him and regarded that my home and was +treated as a child by both Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, they having no children +of their own except a grown son of Mr. Wilson's by a former marriage. I +would occasionally go down to Barnwell to visit my mother and family, +sometimes remaining for several weeks. I was truly fortunate in falling +into the hands of these good people. Mr. Wilson was one of the best +Christian gentlemen I have ever known, and during the many years I +remained with him I never saw nor heard any word or act but that bespoke +the true Christian, honest and lovable man; and Mrs. Wilson, too, was as +kind as a mother to me, a good woman in every sense, but who spoiled me +with kindness. I cannot, even now at sixty-four years of age, forget +their parental care and kindness to me. They have long ago gone to their +reward, a place of peace and rest prepared for such as they were and so +richly deserved by them. + +The first year of Mr. Wilson's guardianship of me we spent in Barnwell. +I was then quite young, but to keep me out of mischief, I suppose, I was +sent to school in the village. This school was presided over by a Mr. H. +Melville Myers, who taught in Barnwell for many years and died there at +an advanced age. + +On going up to the plantation on the Four Mile I did nothing for some +time, but finally a new school house was built by the neighborhood--the +Bushes, Dunbars, Williams, Newmans, Wilsons, and perhaps one or two +others, and a Mr. R. H. Alfred, a Campbellite preacher, was engaged to +take us in charge. Mr. Alfred was a fine scholar and teacher, and a +perfect gentleman. This school house was built about four miles from my +home and I had to walk alone. This would seem hard these times, but then +it was not so much. This school ran for more than a year, when, for some +cause, it closed. In the meantime, my mother had sold out her belongings +in Barnwell and purchased a plantation ten miles above Barnwell, on the +Hamburg Road, and known then and now as Joyce's Branch. + +In the summer of 1860, there being no school on the Four Mile, and my +sister Sarah, now Mrs. Richmond, of Atlanta, having a school at Joyce's +Branch Church, I went down home and went to school to her; but she gave +up the school in the fall and was succeeded by Mr. McBride, an old +teacher of much note, who had taught so long that he knew every sum in +the Arithmetic by heart. At this time came the excitement of secession, +minute men, war _and the big comet_--all on us at one time. I had no +time for anything else, and attended every meeting of every kind. A +company of minute men was organized with Dr. Frederick as Commander. +This I joined, though not yet fourteen years old. We had our meetings +every Saturday at Fred Killingsworth's, near Cypress Chapel Church, for +the purpose of drill and to talk over the events that were happening and +things _we knew would_ happen in the very near future. I tell you, I was +proud of my cockade and wore it on every occasion. This company was not +formed with the idea of going into service as a company, but for the +purpose of meeting together, talk over matters and keep enthused. I am +proud to say, however, that when the call was made to enlist in +companies that every member of our Minute Men responded like patriots +and joined some command. I had then reached about fourteen years, and, +while I had been admitted a member of the Minute Men, there was no +company that was being organized that would consent to take me in, +especially as I could not get the consent of my mother and Mr. Wilson. +This, however, did not dampen my enthusiasm, for I just knew if I did +not get there on time the Yankees would "_lick_" _us in short order_, +hence, I determined to go whenever the troops were ordered out, consent +or no consent. + +About the first of the year 1860 I returned to the Four Mile. I found +that during my absence at my mother's a young physician--Dr. Martin +Bellinger--had located in that section and had taken board at our house; +and also a nephew of Mrs. Wilson's had lately come to study law under +Mr. Wilson. I made fast friends with both these gentlemen, especially +Dr. Bellinger. Mr. Steve Laffitte was the name of the law student. He +not having much to do, and I nothing, he took me in charge for +instruction, but neither of us did much. There was also staying at our +house a great big Irishman, by name John Nicholson, a true son of Erin. +It goes without saying that Nicholson and I were the very best of +friends. The war talk continued and companies were being raised. +Nicholson volunteered in a company being raised by Capt. Wm. J. Crawley. +This company was assigned to Holcombe Legion when ordered out. I do not +remember the date, but the company was ordered to report and get +together at Williston, S. C., at a certain time. I slept with Nicholson +his last night home, and next morning I arose before daylight, without +breakfast or anything to eat, with no clothing--with nothing but +enthusiasm. I headed off for Williston, a distance of twenty-seven +miles, _a-foot_. I expected, however, that the wagons containing the men +would overtake me during the morning. I had gotten perhaps as far as +three miles on my way, walking leisurely along, meditating on the life +of a soldier, the many battles I would be in, the gallant deeds I would +do, and, above all, the host of Yankees I would kill and put to flight, +when I heard the tramp of a horse's feet coming up from the rear. I +intuitively knew what it was, but, deigning to look back, I continued my +onward course. The horseman soon overtook me, and, riding by me until he +got to a pine stump on the side of the road, he rode up to it and waited +for me, and on my approach, he (Mr. Wilson) said, "Get up," which I did, +and we retraced our way for home. Not another word but "get up" was said +during the whole time. I felt that I was being badly treated, and I had +the sulks, and Mr. Wilson, in the goodness of his heart, spared me the +humility of a lecture. + +There were other companies being formed which were to form Hagood's +First South Carolina, and it was not many days before they, too, were +ordered to rendezvous at Orangeburg, S. C. I had in the meantime gone +down to my mother's; she thought the best thing for me was to be put to +the plow. This she did. I had been plowing only a few days--perhaps only +two days--when in the morning a wagon came along loaded with men on +their way to Barnwell to join Hagood there and go from there to +Orangeburg, where the famous Hagood's First South Carolina Volunteers +were organized. I did nothing less than drive my horse in a fence, jam +and load myself on that wagon. Arriving at Barnwell, Johnson Hagood met +us, and, looking us over, he spied me and said, "Frank, go back home. +Too small now; you will do later." There was nothing else for me to do +but get back again. This was some time about the first of April, 1861. +About two months after this, I could just stand it no longer, and off I +go again without saying a word to any one. I went to Charleston and over +to the Regiment and joined Company I, commanded by Capt. J. J. Brabham, +in which my brother, J. S. Mixson, was First Lieutenant. When Hagood saw +me down there he again ordered me home, and I told him I had already +joined. Besides, if he drove me away I would go somewhere else and join. +He let up, and I was happy beyond measure. The regiment at that time was +only twelve months' troops, and during the fall and winter the +reorganization for the war commenced. In the reorganization Company I +became Company C, with B. B. Kirkland as Captain. My brother, J. S., did +not re-enlist, but went to a cavalry company serving on the coast and +became Quartermaster Sergeant of the regiment. I remained with Company C +for over a year, when Ely Myrick, of Company E, and I exchanged, he +going to Company C, Capt. Kirkland, and I to Company E, Capt. Wood. +There was in Company E my eldest brother, Joyce, between whom and myself +there were seventeen children--his son, G. D. Mixson, and two Nelson +boys, who were my nephews, all of whom were several years older than I. +We were stationed on Coles Island during the winter of 1861, but after +the reorganization we were moved to James Island and remained there till +we were ordered to Virginia. Brother John and his two sons, Elliott and +Adrian, re-enlisted in Hunter's Company, Lamar's Second Artillery, and +remained in South Carolina and saw hard service on James Island. While +on James Island I would get a pass to Charleston whenever I could and +spend the day with my sister Susan, who was Sister Mary Magdeline, in +the Sisters of Mercy, and on every visit I was treated right royally by +them. I remember that before leaving for Virginia my sister placed +something around my neck, and until the string wore out and I lost it I +was never hurt, but the first fight I went into after losing this I was +wounded. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + +I failed to mention that before the reorganization of the regiment for +the war Johnson Hagood had been promoted to Brigadier General and was in +command on James Island; and I also failed to say that James Hagood, a +Citadel boy of about 17½ years, and a brother of the General, had come +over to James Island and joined Company C, Capt. B. B. Kirkland, as a +private. We were taken over to Charleston and encamped on the Citadel +Green, preparatory to leaving for Virginia. Just after getting over to +Charleston I was taken with "low country fever," and was sent up to the +hospital in Augusta, Ga. Old Dr. Ford was in charge of the hospital, +which was the old Eagle and Phoenix Hotel. I was up there about three +weeks when I heard that the regiment had left Charleston for Virginia. I +immediately went to Dr. Ford and asked for a discharge from the hospital +and transportation to Richmond, where I hoped to overtake them. He tried +to dissuade me from leaving, and offered me a permanent place under him, +but I did not go into service to hang up in hospitals, consequently, I +declined and got my discharge and transportation and took the first +train going North. I was alone--had never been out of the State, except +to Augusta--a mere kid of a boy. I can tell you, I felt mighty lonesome. +Besides, I was afraid that the regiment would get so far ahead of me +that I would not overtake them before they got to the fighting ground. I +felt that if the regiment did get in a fight without me I would forever +be disgraced, no matter the reason. Fortunately, just before reaching +Richmond I ran up on Dr. Martin Bellinger, our surgeon, who had been +looking after some sick before leaving Charleston, and who, too, had got +behind. We got to Richmond about four days after the regiment had left +for Manassas. Dr. Bellinger's horse was there, but I had to take it +a-foot and alone, except some stragglers, like myself, none of whom, +however, did I know, as they were not from our regiment. Dr. Bellinger, +in Richmond, took me to the Spotswood Hotel and gave me dinner, after +which we both left to overtake our men. It was just outside the city +when the doctor rode away from me. I felt that I was deserted by +everybody and disgraced if I let the regiment get into a fight before I +reached them. I traveled that night until about midnight, when I lay +down by the roadside and slept till sunrise. I again pulled out and kept +on the go. By this time the rations that I had slipped into my haversack +at the Spotswood were gone. I did not know how I would get something to +eat from then on. In passing by a pasture I saw four or five sheep. I +loaded my musket, took deliberate aim at one not more than twenty steps +off, fired and _missed_. I shot at this old fellow not less than five +times and gave it up in disgust. That evening, just before sundown, I +ran across a large, fat hog. I know it could not have weighed less than +three hundred pounds. I was hungry good by this time, and I was +determined to have meat. I loaded up and first fire _brought her down_. +I then skinned and cut off a ham, and going perhaps a mile further, I +stopped for the night at a spring by the roadside. The balance of the +hog I left where she fell; but as I had passed so many stragglers I know +she did not spoil, for they, like myself, were hungry. I feasted that +night on broiled ham--no salt, no bread, _but it was good_. This ham +lasted me until I overtook the wagon train, which was about six miles in +rear of the regiment, or, I may say now, the army. I overtook these +wagons in camp about twelve o'clock at night and I stopped to camp. I +was very much surprised to be awakened perhaps an hour before day by the +firing of cannon and small arms ahead. I could not remain longer. I got +up and headed for the front. Not being experienced in warfare at that +time, I had no idea that the firing on the front was exceeding three +miles at most, but when I came to travel it I found that after I had +gone at least six miles I had only reached the location of the field +hospital. Here again I ran upon Dr. Bellinger, he having very little +help, and with a desire to care for me, as he saw that I was about +broken down, he ordered me to remain to assist with the wounded, who had +begun to come in. I protested, but he held firm and I was soon at work. +The duty demanded of me by Dr. Bellinger was to assist in the +examinations and amputations, and many a poor fellow did I hold while +his leg or arm was taken off. I was shocked at the number of our +regiment brought back killed and wounded. Men whom I had only a few +weeks before left in Charleston in the best of health and spirits, some +dead, others wounded. I could hardly realize such carnage. Over half of +the regiment was killed and wounded. I remained with Dr. Bellinger until +the wounded were all disposed of, when he let me go. I overtook the +regiment just after they crossed the Potomac River into Maryland. Our +regiment left Charleston and went into the Manassas fight with Thos. J. +Glover, of Orangeburg, Colonel; Wm. H. Duncan, of Barnwell, +Lieutenant-Colonel; Daniel H. Livingston, of Orangeburg, Major; Wm. J. +Wood, of Steel Creek, Adjutant; Mortimer Glover, of Orangeburg, +Sergeant-Major; Captain Warren B. Flowers, of Baldoc, Quartermaster; (I +cannot recollect now who was the Commissary); Dr. Martin Bellinger, of +Four Mile, Surgeon; Dr. Wm. S. Stoney, of Allendale, Assistant Surgeon. +The Company Commanders were: Company A, Capt. Isaac Bamberg, Bamberg; +Company B, Capt. ---- Wannamaker, Orangeburg; Company C, Capt. B. B. +Kirkland, Buford's Bridge; Company D, Capt. Robt. L. Crawford, Marion; +Company E, Capt. Jno. H. Thompson, Upper Three Runs; Company F, Capt. T. +D. Gwinn, Greenville; Company G, Capt. J. G. Grimes, Bamberg; Company H, +Capt. John C. Winsmith, Spartanburg; Company I, Capt. Jas. H. Stafford, +Marion; Company K, Capt. ---- Knotts, Orangeburg. The lieutenants of +the companies I cannot recollect. Gus Hagood, of Barnwell, was color +bearer. This is about the manner our regiment was officered on reaching +Lee's army, and was assigned to Hood's Texas Brigade. We went into the +Second Manassas about fourteen hundred strong. It seemed to me that every +minute there was some poor fellow brought back. Col. Glover was killed +outright. Maj. Livingston wounded slightly; Adjutant Wood wounded; Capt. +Bamberg, of Company A, wounded; Capt. Wannamaker, Company B, wounded; +Capt. Kirkland, Company C, wounded; Capt. Crawford, Company D, wounded; +Capt. Thompson, Company E, killed; Capt. Gwinn, Company F, wounded; +Capt. Grimes, Company G, wounded; Capt. Winsmith, Company H, wounded; +Capt. Stafford, Company I, wounded; Capt. Knotts, Company K, wounded. +Besides these nearly all the lieutenants were either killed or wounded +and about one-half, at least, of the regiment. You will therefore see +that our regiment suffered very heavily. Our colors, _they say_, went +down seven times. First, Gus Hagood was shot through the body, and Dr. +Bellinger passed a silk handkerchief entirely through his body, taking +hold of each end and wiping out the blood. He got well, but was never +fit for service again. As Hagood fell with the colors, Gus Eaves, from +Bamberg, one of the color guards, rushed to them and raised them aloft. +In a few minutes his right arm was torn to splinters. Immediately they +were seized by another, and this was continued until the eighth man +bore them through. The fight continued from early morning till night, +when the army camped on the battlefield, ready to renew next morning; +but next morning the enemy had disappeared. We had been driving them all +day. Our regiment made charge after charge, and at one time during the +day in making a charge and in passing over some wounded Yankees, one +inquired, "What regiment is that?" and on being told "the First S. C. +V.," he said, "You all are the d----st fools I ever saw; you have been +whipped all day." + +Nothing being in our front next day to hinder us, we arranged--each +company--for its senior officers to command, in a great many instances, +non-commissioned officers taking command, and we went on a chase into +Maryland. Lieut.-Col. Duncan assumed command of the regiment and Maj. +Livingston, who was only slightly hurt, returned to us just as we +crossed the Potomac River. The first place I recollect after getting +into Maryland was Frederick City. As we passed through the town +everybody was out to see us; streets crammed, doors and windows full; +some cheering and waving Confederate flags; others jeering us and waving +United States flags. We went through the town in a "hurrah" and let them +know that we knew we had just given the Yankee army a good licking at +Manassas and were ready for them again. Just after crossing into +Maryland Lieut.-Col. Duncan, who was commanding our regiment since the +killing of Col. Glover at Manassas, was taken sick and went back into +an ambulance, but did not leave us entirely until we again crossed the +Potomac back into Virginia, when he got a sick furlough and went home to +Barnwell. This left the command of the regiment to Maj. Livingston. I +was then Orderly for the colonel, which required me to be at regimental +headquarters and around the regimental commander at all times and to +extend his private orders and commands. In this position I was not +required to carry a gun, and it was well for me that I was so exempted, +for I could never have made the marching had I been loaded down. Before +crossing into Maryland the entire army were ordered to leave all their +baggage, and on this trip we had nothing but a haversack, canteen and a +blanket or oil cloth, besides the accoutrements--gun, cartridge box and +scabbard. You will see from this that we were prepared for _quick +marching_. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + +We took the turnpike from Frederick City to Hagerstown, and along the +route we passed many an orchard heavily laden with fine apples and many +corn fields with luscious roasting ears; but we were not allowed to +gather a thing and rations were short. But at every cross road we would +find a lot of ladies with tables set with something to eat and coffee +and buckets of water. It was impossible for them to feed us all, but +what they did do helped out considerably and was highly appreciated. We +passed through Hagerstown at midday and went into camp in an oak grove +some two miles beyond the town. In passing through Hagerstown all the +stores remained open and none of the citizens seemed to be in the least +uneasy. As we were going down the street we saw a corner store with the +sign "Hager's Store." Standing in the doors of this store were a _lot_ +of women and some children. Among them was a young girl some sixteen +years old, who was waving a United States flag and taunting us with "Why +don't you fight under this flag?" Some fellow in ranks remarked, +"Hagerstown, Hager's store, Hager's daughter--hurrah for Hager," and, as +was the custom, we gave them the yell. We remained in this grove outside +the town until the next day after midday, when the "long roll" called us +to "fall in." We were again marched through the town, this time in a +_double quick_, and took the turnpike for Boonesboro Gap, where we +could hear heavy musketry and cannonading going on. It was about sixteen +miles from where we were camped to the gap, and as we were needed there +badly we double quicked nearly the entire distance. Of course, we were +stopped a few minutes at intervals to rest and catch our breath. It +seems that this gap was the only way we had to get back into Virginia, +and the Yankees were trying to hold this against us. Had they succeeded +in doing this, Lee's army would be trapped, but our troops held them at +bay until Jenkins' Brigade got there about deep dusk. We found our +troops hard pressed on the side of the mountains only a few hundred +yards from the pass. We were immediately put into position and relieved +those who had been fighting all day. Our orders were to hold our +position or die. After being in position here for some little time and +holding the enemy back, an officer rode up to near where Maj. Livingston +and I were and asked for the commanding officer. I hollered out, "Here +he is." He told Maj. Livingston that the enemy were being reinforced and +would charge us very shortly, and to save the pass long enough for our +army to succeed in getting by, that we would _charge first_--that the +orders to charge had been extended on our right and all movements would +be taken up from the right. Maj. Livingston turned to me and said, +"Frank, tell Company A to move as the regiment on its right moves, and +come on down the line and tell each company commander to move as the +right moves." I had hardly got the orders extended before I heard the +command, "Company A, forward," "Company B, forward." And on down the +line. We were in for it sure, and away we went--into a blaze of musketry +which lighted us on our way. We drove them back some little distance and +held our gain long enough for the rear of our army to pass through, when +we again heard the right extending orders. This time I heard, "Company A +in retreat," "Company B in retreat," and it was not long before we were +going through the gap--_the last of the army to pass through_. We found +a relief for us when we got through, which held them back till we were +safe on our road to Sharpsburg, which we reached some time late in the +afternoon, after having been fighting nearly all night and marching +since noon the day before. On reaching Sharpsburg we were stopped in an +apple orchard (our regiment) and we fared well. We remained in this +orchard that night, all next day and night. The second morning about +sunrise the Yankees opened their artillery from the heights on us, and +it seemed as if they had placed all the cannon _in the world_ up there; +it was certainly the heaviest and most terrific artillery firing during +the entire war, and has gone down in history as such. Fortunately for us +we were in a bottom and the worst of the shells went over us, but not +all. We had a good many hurt while in this position. Our batteries were +on the hill above us and were responding all they could. About 8 o'clock +we were ordered up the hill to protect our batteries; the enemy were +charging them. We went up the hill at a double quick. Our regiment was +on the left of the brigade and we were going left in front, which put us +to the front. I was trotting by the side of Maj. Livingston amid a furor +of bursting shells. About half way up the hill Maj. Livingston called to +me, saying, "Lead on, Frank, I am wounded." I called to Capt. Knotts, +who was the senior captain present, and told him to take command of the +regiment. We got in position on the hill in rear of a plank fence and +were told not to fire a shot till ordered to do so. While lying behind +the fence the Yankees were making their charge and coming down the +opposite hill in as pretty a line as on dress parade. In front of us, +and about midway, there was a stone fence in another apple orchard. The +Yankees were making for this fence, and, as I said before, were moving +on it at a double quick and a regular dress parade line. The old captain +commanding our batteries had shot himself out of balls, and, all his +horses being killed, he ordered his men to cut off the trace chains. +With these he loaded his pieces and fired. It seemed that as the chains +reached the ranks they spread themselves out full length and cut their +way broadside through. The old captain jumped up, yelled, and ordered +another load, with about the same result. This was done several times, +and finally the column began to waver and weaken. At this point a Yankee +colonel rode to the front with drawn sword and rallied his men, who were +about to give way. Just then I said to Kite Folk, from Bamberg, a boy +like myself, but a year or two older, "Let us shoot him." I picked up a +gun lying near me and Kite and I put our guns through the fence and +fired together. The colonel fell and was carried from the field. The +enemy fell back, but very soon came again. Forty-two years after this +occurrence I was running the Hotel Aiken. I was telling of this incident +one evening when a guest of the house, who had registered as ---- +Johnson, said he knew the circumstance perfectly--that he was the major +of that regiment and when the colonel was killed, as stated, he took +command and received his promotion as lieutenant-colonel; that it was he +who led them back in the second charge. When the enemy made this second +charge we, too, made a charge, and the stone fence, spoken of before, +being about equal distance from each of us, it was a race, who and who. +We won the race, and when we fell in behind the fence the Yankees were +not more than fifteen steps away; but it was not long before they had +moved off, leaving a good crowd behind lying on the field. Could one +have been so situated on one of these hills with nothing to do but +witness the two forces making for that fence, the Yankees coming down +the hill on their side, moving in line as if on drill, determination on +their faces and a quick, steady step without a falter or a quaver--on +the other hill a lot of dirty, hungry, footsore, naked and barefoot men +lying behind that plank fence awaiting orders. Soon the order came, and +we were told to get to that stone fence. _No line for us._ Darling +Patterson, of Barnwell, was our color bearer, and he led off with our +flag waving overhead. The men followed, each one doing all he could to +get there first. We beat them to it, and when Patterson stuck his flag +staff into the ground we had the fence, and too well did they know it. +We tore loose into them, they not being more than fifteen steps distant. +They could not stand it--they broke in confusion and retired in about +the same order that we had advanced; but they were soon rallied and we +had it hot for some time. The fence, however, was a great protection to +us. + +We were well protected by our stone fence in the apple orchard, but the +enemy kept us pretty well engaged in our front, and we had no time to +look around and see how other parts of our line were doing. We had been +fighting behind this fence for perhaps two or three hours when I was +surprised on looking around to see a long Georgia captain running from +where we had come in the morning, and coming directly to me. I was then +standing up under an apple tree eating an apple. On reaching me he said, +"Where is your gun, and why are you not shooting?" I replied, "I am the +colonel's orderly." He then asked for the colonel. I told him that the +regiment was right then without any one to command it. He told me to get +them back--the entire line had fallen back to our previous +position--that we were the only ones so advanced, and to look to the +right, coming from the direction of the barn, and I would see we were +about already surrounded. I yelled out, "First South Carolina, +retreat," and I led off. The enemy were so close in our rear when we +left the fence that we had to run _around_ the _head of their column;_ +but every man succeeded in passing around them. But then we had a long, +sloping hill to go up--nothing to break the view--an open field. Away we +went, and while I was doing all I knew how in the way of running, and +when I had about covered half the distance back, I ran up on Talt Best, +from Allendale, lying flat on his back, shot through the thigh. He had +lain there for several hours, being shot down when we advanced. Talt was +holding out his arms and asked me piteously, "Frank, don't leave me here +to die." It looked like death to me to stop, but I could not resist the +appeal. I stooped down, raised him up. Just then Sid Key, from Joyce's +Branch, ran up and I asked Sid to help me get Talt off. We got him back +to our former line, where we turned him over to the litter bearers, and +we got to our positions. We had not been there over five minutes when +Sid Key was shot. We received orders to prepare to advance, and I +recollect Lieut. Jack Stansell, of Company E, waving his sword, cried +out, "Forward, Company E." After repeating this several times and +getting no response he discovered that he had but one man left +in Company E, Arthur Thompson, of Elko. He then cried, "Forward, +Thompson, go it, Thompson." Almost simultaneously a minnie ball passed +through Thompson's body and a piece of shell hit Lieut. Stansell on +the side of the knee. Both were carried off, and they were the last +men of Company E. + +After getting quieted down enough to look around I commenced to see who +we could get to take command of the regiment. I have already told you +that Capt. Knotts was placed in command when Maj. Livingston told me he +was wounded. I could not find Capt. Knotts, nor had seen him the whole +time of our advance while we were holding the stone fence. I think I may +have failed to say heretofore that Jim Hagood had been appointed +sergeant-major to fill the place of Mortimer Glover, of Orangeburg. In +looking around for a regimental commander I discovered that there was +only one commissioned officer left in the regiment. This officer was +Lieut. Sweat, of Bamberg. I told him he would have to command the +regiment, being the only officer. He refused to do so, and, after some +thought, he told me to go to Sergt.-Major Jim Hagood and tell him to +assume command. This I did, and Jim Hagood, a non-commissioned officer +and an eighteen-year-old boy, took the command. + +We held our ground the balance of the day and that night, and about +daybreak next morning we passed through Sharpsburg and recrossed the +Potomac into Virginia. While we were holding our ground on the +battlefield about midnight the cooks came up with some cooked rations. +Hagood sent me to ascertain how many men each company had left, so as to +divide equally. I recollect Company E had _not one_ and Company F only +one. So, you see, we were right badly used up. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + +After holding our ground and showing our enemy that we were not beaten +at Sharpsburg, we left the battlefield in broad daylight and leisurely +took our way to the Potomac and recrossed into Virginia. We stopped over +at Martinsburg and then went on, and went into camp at the Big Spring, +near Winchester, where we remained for three or four weeks. Here our +baggage came to us and it was refreshing to get into clean clothes once +more. While here a good many of our sick and slightly wounded returned +to us, among whom was Maj. Livingston, who relieved Sergt.-Major Hagood +in commanding the regiment. Nothing unusual occurred during our stay at +the Big Spring, only that it was a good country to forage in and we +usually had enough to eat and sometimes some apple jack to wash it down. +After we had been at the Big Spring for several weeks, and the army had +increased considerably, we were taken on a forced march and carried to +Culpeper Court House. Here we remained for several weeks, again getting +in more men who had recovered from wounds and sickness. + +At this place Sergt.-Major Jas. Hagood was made adjutant. While +remaining over here we had drills and dress parade every day and +rested up pretty well. One day I got a pass to go over to Culpeper +and took it up to brigade headquarters to have it countersigned. When +Adjutant-General R. M. Simms saw my name he asked me if I knew Seth +Mixson, of Barnwell, and when I said "He is my brother," Gen. Jenkins +asked where he was. I told him on the coast. Gen. Jenkins then told me +to write him. If he would accept he would have him appointed colonel of +our regiment. You can imagine I was very much elated at this and wrote +him immediately. In a short time I received a reply saying, "Tell Micah +Jenkins I am quartermaster-sergeant of a cavalry regiment on the coast +and would not give it for a major-general in Lee's army." I was +completely disgusted with the answer and never delivered it to Gen. +Jenkins. + +It was here that Col. Coward took command of the Fifth South Carolina. I +recollect how game he looked. He had the regiment formed for dress +parade. He was dressed in a brand new suit, polished high top boots, +shining spurs and bright sword. He did not weigh over one hundred and +twenty pounds, but he looked game. He had the orders read appointing him +colonel, and then he told the men that he was now their colonel and +would be respected as such; he would not tell them to go only as he led +them. When he got through his talk the Fifth knew they had a colonel, +and after-events proved it, for from then on the Fifth was one of the +best regiments in our brigade. Before leaving here Lieut.-Col. Duncan +was promoted to colonel and Maj. Livingston to lieutenant-colonel. After +some three weeks' stay here we were hurried over to Fredericksburg, +reaching there in time to meet Hooker's advance. Upon reaching +Fredericksburg our brigade was held in reserve for a time--in fact, for +the entire day. About sundown we were moved up and relieved some troops +that had been engaged, and we fought then nearly all night and the next +day, until Hooker fell back across the river, leaving us in possession +of the battlefield. After the enemy had recrossed the river we were +taken to woods just off of the field, where we remained in position, +ready for an attack at any moment, should they make an advance. We did +not move back to these woods till about dark, consequently, during the +afternoon we and the enemy were very near together, with the +Rappahannock River only between us, but no fighting going on. Just +before sundown the Yankee band came down to the river bank and commenced +to play. Very soon our bands were on the bank on our side. The Yankee +band would play the popular airs of theirs amid much yelling and +cheering; our bands would do the same with the same result. Towards the +wind-up the Yankee band struck up "Yankee Doodle." Cheers were immense. +When they stopped our band struck up "Dixie," and everything went wild. +When they finished this, both bands, with one accord and simultaneously, +struck up "Home, Sweet Home." There was not a sound from anywhere until +the tune was finished and it then seemed as if everybody had gone crazy. +I never saw anything to compare with it. Both sides were cheering, +jumping up and throwing up hats and doing everything which tended to +show enthusiasm. This lasted for at least a half hour. I do believe that +had we not had the river between us that the two armies would have gone +together and settled the war right there and then. I saw old +weather-beaten men, naked, barefooted, hungry, dirty and worn out, with +tears streaming down their cheeks; men who were not afraid to leave +their homes, their wives, their families, their _all_; but men with +hearts, who could not restrain the tears when it was so vividly brought +to them. Their hearts were touched then, but they were yet men who were +willing to do or die. + +As before said, the army was taken back to the shelter of the woods, off +the field of carnage, for the night. Company E of our regiment was left +on the river bank to watch the movement of the enemy. I was left with +them to carry any message to the colonel during the night, should the +emergency arise. Some time, about two o'clock, there was considerable +commotion in the camp of the enemy. Capt. Wood ordered me to report to +the colonel that he thought they were preparing to make an advance. It +was nearly a mile back to our line, raining and dark. I had to go across +this battlefield alone, but there was no escape. I took a direct course. +There was no woods on my way. You nor no one can imagine how trying it +was. One second I would stumble over a dead man or horse, next would +step on some poor wounded fellow, who would either curse me or beg +piteously for water or help; next run on a wounded horse and run the +risk of being kicked to death. _It was fearful_; but after a time I +reached the woods and delivered my message. The colonel instructed me to +return and keep him informed. I told him, and begged him not to send me +back before daylight--_I could not go_; it was _too much for me_. He +took pity on me and allowed me to remain till daylight. I do believe +that had he insisted on my returning that night that I would have died +before making the trip. + +There was no advance made by the enemy, but they moved off and went into +winter quarters. This was the winter of 1862, and our first in Virginia; +besides, it was a remarkably cold winter. They gave us little A tents, +allowing six to a tent. We cut down trees and built up a pole house +about three feet high, and pitched our tent on top of this, and when we +had completed a chimney and had daubed the cracks with clay we had a +very comfortable residence. Our great trouble was getting in wood; but +we would take turn about to get in a day's supply. We fared very well, +taking everything into consideration. There was a very heavy snow storm; +snow fell about waist deep over the whole country. One morning a few men +commenced to snow ball. These were added to until the whole army was +engaged. Brigadier-generals took command of their brigades; colonels of +their regiments; captains of their companies. It was a regular planned +battle and was fought all day. Sometimes one would take the camp of +another and plunder it of blankets, rations, cooking utensils and +whatever else there was. It was the biggest snow ball fight on record. I +did not engage in the fight, but took a hand in plundering a camp +whenever we got into one. I had rations for several days after this +affair--rations taken from the fellows' dinner out of their camps. + +While here this winter we had a good many changes. Col. Duncan resigned +and F. W. Kilpatrick, of Pendleton, was made colonel. Capt. Knotts, of +Company K, resigned, and Jim Hagood was made captain of his company. S. +B. Clowney, of Fairfield, was made adjutant. O. D. Wilson, of Allendale, +was made sergeant-major, and other changes in company officers which I +do not recall, except that P. H. Wood, of Steel Creek, was made captain +of Company E. We remained in winter quarters until the severe winter was +over, and when we had recruited so that our regiment and brigade had +gotten to be quite respectable in size. When we broke winter quarters we +were carried down on the Blackwater River, in the neighborhood of +Suffolk. I think Jenkins' Brigade was the only force carried down. + +Our brigade was pretty badly scattered down here and had to cover a big +space. The regiments were camped some four miles apart. After remaining +here on the Blackwater for some little time the brigade was +consolidated, and we were moved down to Suffolk. Here we were in daily +communication with the enemy and our picket lines were only a short +distance apart. While here we were one day asked for volunteers to go +down and charge the gun boats. The volunteers were soon procured, but we +wondered how infantry could charge gun boats. However, we went, and when +we got in good range they opened on us with shells about the size of +flour barrel heads. We did not make much out of charging gun boats. We +had several engagements with the enemy while in this section, holding +back any advance they prepared to make and guarding Richmond from this +direction. While here the Chancellorsville fight came off and it was +here that we heard of the killing of Stonewall Jackson. The +Chancellorsville fight was the only fight of any note that we had missed +since we reached Virginia. + +We remained down in this country until the spring had advanced and +summer was about on us, when we were taken up to Petersburg and camped +outside of the town and did police duty in the town. We were given new +uniforms while here and fixed up in pretty good shape. Again we were +fortunate, for while we were remaining here Lee made his advance into +Pennsylvania and the great battle of Gettysburg was fought and we lost. +Just after this battle when Lee saw Jenkins he said to him, "Jenkins, if +I had had your brigade at Gettysburg I would have won." This was high +praise, but then we deserved it and it did not detract from any that +were there. It was not long before we heard that Longstreet's corps was +to go West and we got orders to pack up and move. We were loaded on +freight trains in and on top of freight boxes at Petersburg, our brigade +being the last of Longstreet's corps to leave. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + +Jenkins' Brigade had been at Petersburg for some time after coming up +from around Suffolk on the Blackwater and elsewhere down in that +section, when we received orders to prepare to load and ship for the +West with the balance of Longstreet's corps. Our brigade, however, was +the last to be loaded and shipped, and we finally went to the depot and +were loaded on freight boxes, inside and outside, the top being as much +crowded as the inside. The trains those days did not make as good time +as today, and, while I do not recollect how slowly we did run, I do +recollect that when our regiment (the First South Carolina Volunteers) +reached Bamberg and found the little town all lit up with bonfires and +tables spread and the whole country--men, women and children--with +baskets of cold chicken, rice pilau, biscuits, hams, boiled eggs, fried +ham, salads and everything else that women can get up in a country of +plenty, awaiting us and greeting us (the regiment) as if we were all +their brothers; it made us feel good; and then Col. Kilpatrick, who was +in charge of this train, held it for about an hour to give us time to do +justice to what was tendered us. + +Here it was that many an old fellow met his people for the first time +since he had left them; even some here met their wives and children for +the first time, and here I met one of my sisters who was visiting in +the neighborhood. I had not seen any of them since I first went. You may +talk of courage and a sense of duty, but when a man pulls up at a +station at 1 o'clock at night, finds there his wife and children whom he +has not seen for two years, and after about one hour to see them, to be +caressed by them, to be allowed to talk with them, then to be hauled off +on a freight car--perhaps the only place for him on top--_that is +manhood_. But this occurred in Bamberg, not in one case only, but in +many--_they were men in those days_. + +We passed through Denmark (then Graham's Turn Out), Lees, Blackville, +Elko, Williston and White Pond. At each place some member of the +regiment had loving friends and families, but no stop-over was allowed, +and these old soldiers passed by their homes, outwardly showing +cheerfulness, but one could discover their eyes were dim. We stopped +over a couple of hours in Augusta, where we were transferred to the +Georgia Road. We arrived in Atlanta early next morning and thence direct +on to Chattanooga. It was right cold riding in and on top of freight +boxes, so after leaving Atlanta we gathered some sand while the train +was stopped and put it on the floor of the car, and on top, too, and +that evening between sundown and dark we passed through Marietta with +fires in and on top, cooking supper. We even spread down our beds on top +of these trains and went regularly to bed. We reached the nearest +station to Chickamauga that was in our possession, and were immediately +unloaded and ordered in a double quick for the battlefield. The fight +had been going on since early the day before and Longstreet's corps had +reached there to be in time, with the exception of our brigade. There +was hard fighting at Chickamauga, and the battle was won when our +brigade got in at a double quick. The enemy were already on the run, and +we, being fresh, there was a regular stampede. Had Bragg let Longstreet +alone we would have run the last one into the Tennessee River, but Bragg +held us up and gave them time to "catch their breath" and stop at +Chattanooga and at the base of Lookout Mountain. Here we remained for +the most of the fall and here we had the hardest service of the entire +war. The rainy season came on--cold, sleet and snow--and the creeks in +our rear got so swollen that we were cut off from our supplies. We had a +tough time getting something to eat. So scarce were rations that some +men in our regiment tore down barns catching rats, which they would boil +and put in "drop dumplings" and did have good stews. Finally Col. +Kilpatrick had a detail of axmen to fell trees, out of which he had a +large raft made, and sent a detail across the expanse of water and +brought us in meal, bacon, salt and whatever there was. Ours was the +only regiment so fortunate. + +While here we one afternoon received orders to prepare for a +recognizance. Our brigade was taken across the base of Lookout Mountain +and about dark crossed Chattanooga Creek, into Wahatchie Valley, where a +heavy supply train had been discovered earlier in the day. Our object +was to capture this train and bring the supplies in. After crossing +Chattanooga Creek on a bridge, the only way this creek could be crossed, +we were thrown into line of battle. Hampton Legion, Col. Gary, on the +extreme right, Sixth South Carolina next, Fifth next, First next, Second +next, with Palmetto Sharpshooters on extreme left. Capt. James Hagood's +company, Company K, of Orangeburg, was deployed as skirmishers in front +of our regiment. I was orderly for the colonel. We commenced the advance +through these woods--underbrush, hills, hollows and holes--and kept as +quiet as we could. But then we made considerable fuss. After advancing +this way for perhaps two or three miles, Hagood's skirmishers struck +them in front of us. At the same time the Fifth and Sixth and the Legion +struck them. It was so that the Legion got right into the train before +being discovered, and they went to turning loose the mules and raising +Cain in general. In front of the Fifth, First, Second and Sharpshooters +there were no wagons. We had struck them but a few moments when they +were ready to receive us, and lo and behold, we were in front of +Hooker's army corps--one of the best corps of fighters in the entire +Yankee army. + +Here we were in a mess. Jenkins' Brigade, composed of not more than one +thousand men, confronting and attacking the strongest and best army +corps in the Yankee service. In our advance we were so placed that the +left of the First Regiment was resting on the railroad, the right of +the Second resting on the same, the railroad between us. We advanced +till our regiment got out of the woods and into a field. Fighting along +the entire line was intense and heavy; we had advanced as far as we +could and had lain down, continuing the heavy fighting. After being here +under one of the heaviest firing I ever saw for perhaps an hour, men +being killed and wounded every second, I was lying down alongside Col. +Kilpatrick, who was on his knees making observations--a minnie ball +struck the colonel, killing him instantly, passing through his heart. At +the very moment this occurred I heard someone call Lieut. Clowney, and +he, leaving me, responded to the call. Then I saw Col. Bratton, who was +that night commanding the brigade (Gen. Jenkins acting major-general) +sitting on his old gray horse, smoking his old meerschaum pipe. He said, +"Clowney, where is Kilpatrick?" Clowney informed him that he was just +then killed. Col. Bratton said, "Get him off the field. We are going to +fall back," and then said, "I want a man to carry some orders for me." +Lieut. Clowney called out, "Come here, Mixson." I went up to Col. +Bratton and took hold of his horse's mane; he looked down at me and +said, "My little man, all the staff are either killed or wounded. I want +some orders extended. Can you do it?" I replied, "I can try, colonel." +He answered, "That is all that any of us can do. You are very small, but +I can trust you. You must run across the railroad and tell Col. Bowen, +of the Second, that we are falling back. The Legion, Sixth and Fifth +are now moving; your regiment will fall in behind the Fifth, and the +Second will fall in behind the First; and you hear that heavy firing +away over yonder? That is the Sharpshooters. Find Col. Walker and tell +him we are all gone--to pull off and get back on our trail and save +himself the best he can. _Go, my little man._" + +I went up on the side of the railroad embankment; stopping a moment or +two until a shell had passed--they were making the railroad every half +minute--between shells I ran across and down the embankment and right +into the arms of Col. Bowen. Just then one of those shells bursted and +knocked sand over us and knocked us both down. I delivered my orders to +him and started across the open field to find Col. Walker with the +Sharpshooters. (You must not forget that all this was under a galling +fire of musketry from 10,000 guns). I got up pretty close and stopped +behind a persimmon tree; it being dark and raining, I could not see whom +I was approaching--it might be Yankees--but I stopped and called out. + +"What regiment is that?" and was told Palmetto Sharpshooters. Still, to +make safe, I inquired, "Who is your colonel?" and was told Col. Walker. +Then I ventured up and found Col. Walker, to whom I delivered the +message. He made me tell him why I was carrying orders for Col. Bratton, +and he was then satisfied that the orders were straight. On delivering +these orders, and not realizing the length of time I had been at it, I +ran back from whence I had come. I missed the Second Regiment, but took +no notice of that; ran up and across the railroad embankment and down +the other side. I ran into a spring about waist deep. On pulling out of +this I discovered that the regiment had gone. There being no more +shelling on the railroad I took down it in the direction I knew was +right. I had not gone more than two hundred yards when I ran up with two +men. I asked who they were, and upon their giving me the number of a +Yankee regiment I ordered them to surrender, which they did, throwing +down their guns. _I had none._ I then relieved them of their haversacks, +knives and whatever else they had, and then it was found out that the +Yankees had advanced and we were in their rear. But with my two +prisoners I continued down the railroad. We had not gone far when we +were hailed from the side of the road, "Who's there?" I answered, "First +South Carolina Volunteers," when a volley was fired into us. I rolled +down the embankment on the opposite side and made tracks, then turned +across toward where I had been to hunt the Sharpshooters. What became of +my prisoners I never knew. + +I finally got on the trail of the Sharpshooters, and when I struck +Chattanooga Creek I found the brigade had recrossed and there were some +of Company E at the bridge. They had cut the bridge away from the bank +and had it on fire; this to prevent the Yankees from following us, as +the creek was impassable except at the bridge. I was here again in a +quandary. About ten or twelve feet of the bridge gone, the balance on +fire. Darling Sprawls, of Williston, came to the end on fire and told me +to take a running jump and he would try to catch me. I did so, and, as +luck would have it, he caught me and pulled me in. This got me back +within our lines and saved me from becoming a prisoner. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + +Our brigade, or the remnant of it, reached our quarters some time after +sunrise, and then it was that we commenced to realize the loss that we +had sustained during the night in the Wahatchie Valley. We had lost in +killed, wounded and missing over one-half of our number, and when we got +back to quarters we looked "mighty scarce" and few. I don't recollect +who among the officers of our regiment were killed besides Col. +Kilpatrick, but it seemed as if all the regiment were _gone_. Only a few +left to tell the tale. + +One of my nephews, G. D. Mixson, was missing. We did not know whether +killed, wounded or captured, and many other poor fellows left behind. +Col. Bratton, having no one left on his staff, sent for Jim Diamond, of +Company E, and took him on as orderly for several days. Capt. Grimes, of +Company G, Bamberg, being the senior officer, took command of the +regiment, which left Lieut. Sweat in command of Company G. We did +nothing after this escapade for some time but rest up and recruit. The +winter was coming on now in earnest and cold weather and rains were upon +us. One cold night I was short of cover, and I had to have some more +somehow, so I went out during the dark hours. It was not long before I +ran upon a nest of four old "Rebs" sleeping soundly, warm and snug. I +cautiously crept up and found that the top blanket was a heavy army +blanket, large and thick; I determined to have that blanket. So, waiting +a little time, quietly took the corners of the blanket at the feet, made +a good strong pull, and darted into the dark, off and away, before they +could realize their loss. _And the blanket was mine._ Many a night after +that did that same blanket keep me warm. + +Another of my nephews, B. F. Nelson, was lost to us here. He was taken +sick and sent off to Newnan, Ga., to the hospital, where he died. + +One night after dark our regiment was ordered to fall in, and we were +carried across Peavine Creek to feel the enemy. We had to cross this +creek on a fallen tree which reached from bank to bank. The banks being +some eight feet above the water, and the water being deep, we literally +"cooned" it over. We did not go far before we ran on the Yanks and met a +warm reception. We certainly _felt them_. We remained "feeling" them for +over an hour and then retired, recrossing the creek at the same place in +the same manner we had crossed. In this fight we had several killed and +quite a number wounded. Among the killed was Lieut. Sweat, commanding +Company G, of Bamberg, a good man and a brave officer. How they ever got +him back across that creek I have never known, but he was brought back. +This was the last of any happenings with and around Chattanooga. It was +not long after this before we got orders to move, and we felt that we +were to make our way back to Virginia. It seemed to us that we were +going back home and it brought a good feeling over every man in the +corps. The evening before we broke camp the band played "Take Me Back to +Old Virginia," and Longstreet's Corps bade farewell to Bragg's Army and +the West in prolonged cheers. + +On leaving our camps next morning we marched a distance of eight miles +to Tyner's Station, where we were loaded in freight boxes. Upon reaching +the Valley of the Sweetwater we stopped about a week and got a plenty to +eat, when we crossed the Tennessee River at Loudon. The weather had +gotten cold, and we had a time crossing this river. This was done on a +bridge made as follows: + +We had a lot of boats made and these boats were secured to a chain +stretched across the river and planks laid from boat to boat. It was not +a very safe passage way, but we passed over without any mishaps. Capt. +Foster, of the Palmetto Sharpshooters, was in command of the detail to +put in this bridge. It was so cold that the ice would cover the chain +from end to end and the men suffered much from cold while at this work. + +Capt. Foster was from Union, S. C., and is still alive and quite +wealthy, and is one of the best business men today in Union. For the +next few days we had running fights with the enemy, _they doing the +running_. Just before reaching Campbell Station we captured a train of +eighty wagons well loaded with supplies, which they had left in their +hurry. This came in mighty well, but there was not any clothing or +shoes, the things we most needed just then, for we were both naked and +barefooted. We expected a big fight around Campbell Station, but somehow +they got away after some heavy skirmishing. While following the enemy +very closely and keeping them in the continued "go-along" here we caught +them one morning while they were cooking breakfast and rushed into them. +They took to their heels and we got the breakfast. As we dashed into +them I ran upon a fine mare tied to an oak limb with a halter. I +captured her, and, taking her by the halter, continued the charge, she +trotting along making the charge with me. + +In a very short while Dr. J. S. Stoney, of Allendale, our assistant +surgeon, dashed up to me and asked me for the mare. I had no use for her +and made him a present of her, and he sent her home by Tom, his negro +boy. She is the mother and grandmother of the famous four-mile racers +which had such a reputation for speed and distance, owned by Dr. Stoney. + +Our next place to hold up was around Knoxville, where we had some hard +service and hard fighting. We invested Knoxville on all sides and had +two days' fighting, driving the enemy back into their entrenchments, and +on the morning of the third day we made the attack on Fort Sanders. The +attack was made about sunrise, one of the coldest mornings I think I +ever felt. We were in tatters, so far as clothing went, and a great many +barefooted, but with the accustomed endurance of the men who had +suffered from the same cause on previous occasions, we did not falter. + +In making the charge on Fort Sanders we went through frozen bogs and +over felled trees, trimmed up with the limbs sharpened and pointing +towards us. Picking our way the best we could through this barricade, we +slowly and gradually drew closer to the fort, but we struck an obstacle +which we found hard to overcome. Among these felled trees there were +barbed wires interlined about six inches apart, and some five feet high. +Having nothing to cut the wires and no way to get through we were +ordered to give up the attempt. Our loss was considerable, but not so +great as might be supposed, taking into consideration the very slow +advance we had made. We retired in good order, not beaten, but just +failed, because there was no earthly way to do more. We were then taken +hurriedly to Rodgersville, a distance of some fifty miles, where we +expected to go into winter quarters, but remained here only a few days. +While here Capt. Jim Hagood, of Company K, was made colonel; Capt. B. B. +Kirkland, Company C, of Buford's Bridge, lieutenant-colonel, and Capt. +Grimes, of Company G, of Bamberg, major. You see from this that Jim +Hagood, who had joined Capt. Kirkland's Company, had risen from +private--over his captain and the other senior officers of the regiment. +Col. Hagood was only nineteen years old when he was appointed colonel. +After being at Rodgersville only a few days we were carried on a forced +march to McBean Station, where the enemy had nearly succeeded in +getting in our rear. We again put them on the run and the army then +headed for Morristown, where they went into winter quarters. Our +brigade, however, was sent out at Rodgersville on a foraging expedition +to report to the army at Morristown. We were on this expedition for +nearly two weeks, having all the wagons of Longstreet's Corps to fill +up. We had quite a good time while on this detached service, so far as +eating was concerned. While the officers were doing their work in a big +way, we fellows were doing ours in a much smaller way; and many a +chicken, turkey, goose, pig, went into our private haversacks. + +Jim Diamond, of Barnwell, was at that time a wagon driver. One night he +told me to come with him next morning, that we could take a mule apiece +and put in a good day; that he had seen some nice geese about four miles +off and we would try for them. I went next morning and we jumped on a +mule apiece, I bareback. Jim headed the way to where he knew the geese +were. He was prepared himself, and before reaching the place he +instructed me to follow and ask no questions. On riding up to the farm +house, the old lady of the house came out to talk to us. We tried to get +something to eat from her, but she wanted _money_. This country was +nearly all Unionist and bushwhackers. Having no money, we failed to +outtalk her, and, as the geese were out on the front, we decided to +start. Jim had a fishing line, and as we rode by the geese he baited his +hook with a grain of corn and threw it down near an old gander, who +immediately gobbled it up. Jim tightened on his line and found he had +him hooked. We started off then in a slow trot, and as Jim commenced to +pull the gander commenced to pull too. Jim held his hold and the old +fellow came flopping behind with his wings outstretched, looking as if +he was showing fight. The balance of the drove fell in behind the old +gander, and away we went. The old woman looked on in utter amazement and +cried out to us, "Don't run; he can't hurt you," but running right then +was our idea, and, after getting them all down the road in a kind of a +bottom, I held the line and Jim jumped down and with a stick killed six +of as fine, fat geese as were ever raised. After visiting a place or two +where we _did_ manage to get some meal and flour and salt, talking the +people out of it, we concluded to get back--had enough for one day. We +were right good with our supply, giving the men in the company four of +the geese. The other two we cooked and invited Col. Hagood, Col. +Kirkland, Dr. Bellinger and Capt. Wood to take supper with us. We had a +big supper about 1 o'clock at night, but the lateness of the hour did +not interfere with any one's appetite. + +As soon as we got our wagon train all loaded we headed out for +Morristown to take things into the then hungry army, and right glad were +they to see us and our train all laden down. This was just before +Christmas, and we had enough to put us up a good Christmas dinner, after +adding to it in private foraging parties. On Christmas Eve a couple of +our company went out and on returning some time during the night they +brought in a bee hive wrapped up in a blanket. Next morning they knocked +off the head and took out the honey. At that time the bees were cold and +not much trouble, but towards the middle of the day, the sun shining +brightly, they warmed up, and there was a mess. The bees took the camp +and many a fellow got a good stinging. + +It was announced here at our winter quarters that all those who had not +been home should have a chance for a furlough--so many men to one +furlough. Our regiment was entitled to only one, and there were but +three who had not been home; there were myself, who had no family at +home; Hughes, from Bamberg, who had a wife and children whom he had not +seen since he left them in May, 1861, and one other in the same fix as +Hughes. I never saw people so excited over the drawing as the other two. +As for myself, I did not care much. Hughes was the most anxious man I +ever saw. The papers were put in a hat, one marked "furlough," the other +two blank. Hughes drew first--got a blank. The other fellow drew; he, +too, got a blank, leaving the paper marked "furlough" in the hat for me. +These two good old soldiers actually cried. They could fight, march +naked and barefoot, do without something to eat--all without a murmur. +But being so near to getting a furlough and then to miss, it was too +much. _I could not stand it._ So I told them to put two papers in the +hat, one blank and one "furlough;" I would give my privilege away. This +was done and these two prepared to draw. By this time everybody was +excited over the event and a big crowd had gathered to see the result. +As Hughes had drawn first before, it was decided that the other fellow +should do so this time. He put his hand forward to go into the hat. His +hand was shaking and he was excited to death. Hughes, poor fellow, stood +looking on. He was a pitiful sight. He could hardly stand up--his legs +were shaking. Despair was depicted on his face. The hand already forward +went down into the hat and slowly out it came. I believe both men had +their eyes shut. Some one read, "furlough." _Hughes had again lost._ It +was pitiful to see him, but the other fellow was happy. It was strange +that Hughes never did get home till after the surrender. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + +We are now in winter quarters near Morristown in the coldest country and +the wettest country I ever saw. Fortunately, we have tents plenty, wood +abundant and a good country to get something to eat. It is too cold and +wet to drill, therefore, we have nothing to do but rest up, patch our +old clothes as best we can, and our barefoot boys resort to the method +of tying up their feet in pieces of blankets, making a kind of moccasin. +Were we properly clothed and shod we would be comparatively comfortable. +This East Tennessee country is a fine country for hogs, cattle, eggs, +chickens, flour, meal, bee-gums and maple syrup. We are certainly on the +go, hunting and finding some of all these things, but as I am one of +those who are totally without a covering to my feet and my breeches are +too far gone to even take a patch, I cannot get out much. But Jim +Diamond is as good as ever hunting up these things, and our mess has a +plenty to eat. He even sometimes comes in with a little applejack, and +then we have a "jollification" sure enough. Col. Hagood and Capt. Wood +have about joined our mess for good. They having a negro boy cook, each +one generally goes out with Jim, while the other remains and cooks, and +the colonel and captain have some money--we have none. We could not very +well refuse to take them in with us. + +We had not been here more than three weeks when we heard some fighting +going on down on Strawberry Plains, thirteen miles off. Our cavalry had +run up on a lot of moving Yankee infantry and had attacked them. We were +called out and formed line of march. This was bitter cold weather and +this was a hard march on us, especially those of us who were barefoot, +among whom I was one. We barefoot fellows wrapped up our feet the best +we could and fell in with the balance. The woods were full of water from +the rains and were so hard frozen that the ice did not break with the +weight of the horses. We hurriedly arrived near the fighting, and, just +on the edge of the plain in which the fight was going on, and in a thick +woods, all the barefoot men were ordered to fall out and make fires. It +was only a short way to the firing, and, instead of "falling out," I had +an eye for the future. We went into the open fields in a double quick +line of battle. The enemy fell back as we advanced. We had not gone more +than a couple of hundred yards before we ran over some dead Yankees. +Here was my opportunity, and I embraced it. The first one I got to I +stopped, pulled off his pants, shoes and stockings, got right into them, +there and then. The shoes were new and fit perfectly; the stockings were +good wool and came up to my knees, and the pants were all right, except +a little too long, but I rolled them up about as they are worn these +days and they, too, were a fit. I felt _grand_. The fight was soon over, +with no casualties on our side. We then started for our return trip and +I felt very sorry for those poor barefoot devils who took the +opportunity of stopping at a fire rather than go a little further and +have the chance of "rigging out" in a good outfit. They had to take it +back as they had come. + +A few days after this a lady came into our camp and asked Col. Hagood +for a guard to protect her place, saying she would feed us and sleep us. +I was sent in charge of the detail. Along with me was Jimmie Brabham, a +son of Maj. J. J. Brabham, of Buford's Bridge. Maj. Brabham was, after +the war, Clerk of the Court of Barnwell County for a good many years and +was the first captain of Company C while around Charleston and the +islands the first year of the war. We were sent out (Jim Brabham and +myself) with the lady, who took us to her home about four miles from our +camp. We were all afoot. When we got to her home we discovered that we +were outside of our lines, about equi-distant between our lines and the +Yankee lines, perhaps a mile from each. When I discovered this I +determined to go back and give up the scheme, but the lady told me that +she was Mrs. McDonald, the wife of a Yankee major, who was encamped not +more than three miles off. It was he who sent her for a guard, and he +told her to pledge our protection from the Yankees. Jim and I concluded +to stay, and Mrs. McDonald assigned us to a nice, warm room, good +feather bed with plenty of warm covering. We remained here with her and +her two children, a boy of about thirteen years and a girl, named +Becky, about sixteen years, for thirty-eight days. + +Mrs. McDonald was very kind to us. We had the biggest kind of oak fires +in the sitting room all day, and the fires would be there through the +entire night. We would go to bed usually at about ten o'clock. Only +about two nights in the week Mrs. McDonald would say, "Go to bed earlier +tonight, boys, the major is coming." He used to come home about two +nights a week, but we never got to see him, nor did we care to see him. +Mrs. McDonald was a good cook, along with everything else, and she +surely did feed us well on the best--principally sausages and big +hominy. Jim and I would go up on the side of the mountains with the +little boy, his mule and slide, and help haul wood which was already +cut. On one occasion Mrs. McDonald asked me to go to mill for her; the +meal was out. She had the corn shelled, and told me the mill was inside +the Yankee lines, but the major had told the picket on duty at the mill +not to molest me. Well, I decided that as they had been true to us in +everything else, when they could have taken us any night, that there was +no danger. So Jim helped me to get about three bushels of corn up on the +mule, gave me "a leg," and then, getting direction, I pulled out for the +mill. I found the mill at least two miles, or it seemed to me. As I rode +on the end of the mill dam some half dozen Yankees came out of the mill +house, all well armed. I could not but feel a little uneasy, but when I +reached the house they bid me, "Good morning, Johnny." They helped me +off and took in the sack of corn. We sat around in the sunshine and +talked till the corn was ready, when they put it up on the mule and +helped me up and bade me good-bye. + +Near Mrs. McDonald's home were several other homes, and nearly every +night we would have company in the persons of some young ladies who +would spend the evenings, sometimes remaining till eleven or twelve +o'clock. They would jump on poor Jim and me and give us the devil in a +friendly way. They seemed to like us very much. I remember they had a +song which they would sing us, something like this: + + "Some near day you will hear the Yankees say, + To old Jeff Davis, 'You had better get away, + For we will raise the Union band, + Make the Rebels understand, + To leave our land + Or submit to Abraham.'" + +They would have a jolly time with us and we equally as jolly a time with +them. To show how well the major took care of us from his people, we +would even go home with the girls all hours of the night and were never +disturbed. But this could not last forever, and the time came when we +were called in; and two days after we struck camp and started again for +Virginia. On passing through Morristown I saw Mrs. McDonald, Becky and +Tom and several of the young ladies who had been to visit us at the +McDonalds, on a street corner. They had gone to town to see us off and +bade us good-bye. They called us out of ranks and seemed real sorry to +see us go. I have often thought of the good people and wondered if the +major got through all right. I hope he did. + +We kept on the move until we reached Bristol, Tenn., when we stopped a +couple of days to rest up. After which we moved again and stopped a day +or two at Chancellorsville, and then on to Gordonsville, where we were +met by Gen. Lee and had a grand review by the grand old chieftain, who +seemed as happy to have us back as we were to get back. Gen. Lee must +have felt good in getting the welcome extended him by those who had been +lost to him so long. The men hung around him and seemed satisfied to lay +their hands on his gray horse or to touch the bridle, or the stirrup, or +the old general's leg--anything that Lee had was sacred to us fellows +who had just come back. _And the general._ He could not help from +breaking down. Here were men who had gone forward at his command, +knowing that they might never get out; here were men who had never +murmured when Lee said, "Go!" or "Come." Here were men who had suffered +privation, hunger, cold, _death itself_, whenever ordered by him. He +could not help giving way, and tears traced down his cheeks, and he felt +that we were again to do his bidding. + +We stopped over here for several days and got a good many recruits, +some sick and wounded returning to us, and some other men and boys, new +men who had never yet seen service. Among these were old men--Walton +Hair, Mathias Hair, from Elko; John William Canady, from Tinker Creek; +W. F. Kitchen, Darios Ogden and Artist Woodward, from Williston, and +Eddie Bellinger, from Barnwell, and Job Rountree, from Joyce's +Branch--all these for Company E, Eddie Bellinger being the only young +man, and he a mere youth. These new recruits, with some sick and wounded +returning, made us a right respectable company once more. We needed +another officer in our company, having only Capt. Wood and Lieut. Dick +Best, from Allendale, so we held an election for lieutenant, and J. +Marshall Hair, of Williston, was elected. + +After remaining here for perhaps two weeks, on the morning of the third +day of May we took up our line of march and on the night of the fifth of +May we stopped for the night within six miles of the Wilderness, having +tramped sixty-odd miles in the two and a half days. When we stopped for +the night we were pretty badly jaded and needed the night's rest. We had +been hearing the musketry and cannonading nearly the entire day. This +was kept up all night and we knew that we would be into the thickest of +it early next morning, and, sure enough, we were put on the move just +before day. We moved at a double quick and kept up the double quick for +the entire six miles, when we reached the Wilderness and went directly +into it. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + +We struck the plank road at the Wilderness in a double quick just after +sunrise and took down it towards the battle which had been going on +furiously since just after midnight. Our regiment was on the extreme +left of our brigade, which placed us in rear when marching in columns of +four. Our company, Company E, was on the left of the regiment, this +making our company the extreme left of Jenkins' Brigade. Just in rear of +us was Bennings' Georgians, and the old general was on his gray horse in +that slow gallop at the head of his brigade. Our division (Fields' +Division) was composed now of Hood's Texas Brigade, in front, Anderson's +Georgia Brigade (Tige Anderson), Robertson's Alabama Brigade, Jenkins' +South Carolina Brigade and Bennings' Georgia Brigade (Rock Benning). The +names of Tige Anderson and Rock Benning had been given these two +brigadiers a long time back. + +Hood, Anderson and Robertson had reached the Wilderness earlier in the +morning, some two hours ahead of Jenkins and Benning, and were heavily +engaged. When we struck the plank road we were still in a double quick. +We were ordered to load at the double quick. Gen. Benning was just about +twenty feet in my rear. Very soon we commenced to meet the wounded +coming out. These wounded fellows would step one side, giving us the +right of way, and also giving words of encouragement. I noticed one old +fellow using his gun for a crutch, he being shot in the leg. As we got +to him he stepped out to one side, and, standing still as Gen. Benning +got to him, he cried out in a loud, cheerful voice, "Go it, Rock. Tige's +treed." And I guess the old fellow was telling the truth. + +Benning's brigade was filed to the left of the plank road; our brigade +was filed to the right of it with our left resting on the road. Just as +we had cleared enough to give us room the command was given, "Left +flank." This threw us in line of battle. We were ordered to halt in this +position. We had hardly stopped when Kershaw's Brigade came tilting +back, closely followed by the enemy. No one seemed to know that we were +there, when Kershaw's men discovered us by running into us. They were +happy and rallied of their own accord, and the way we did put it to +those Yankees! It would have done you good to see. We drove them easily +back, as they were so surprised, but we did not follow them up but a +short distance, when we stopped behind a kind of breastworks made from a +few old pines piled together. Here we remained till midday under a heavy +fire, and doing the same for them. During the time we were here I asked +permission of Col. Hagood to let me crawl out in front and see if I +couldn't get something off of the dead Yankees lying just away from us. +He said it was mighty risky, but if I chose to take chances and would +not go far, to go ahead. I lay flat on my belly and crawled up to the +first one, then to the second, until I had visited eight of these +fellows. I was always very careful to keep them between me and the +Yankees. I thought I had gone far enough after getting to the eighth, so +I turned back and crawled into our lines. When I got back Jim Hagood +said, "What have you got?" We were lying down, as we could not put up +our heads on account of the bullets. I unloaded my pockets, turning them +out on the ground. I had six watches, three or four knives, some rations +and a few other trinkets. Col. Hagood took his choice of the watches and +I gave Capt. Wood another. The other I sold to Sid Key, now of Beaufort, +who had some Confederate money. We were still lying here in a heavy fire +when, just after midday, Gen. Jenkins rode down the line in our rear. He +had been hit by a bullet, breaking his little finger. He was holding out +his hand, from which the blood was still trickling. He said to us, "Men +of the First, we are going to charge. Now, I want each and every one of +you to remember that you are South Carolinians. Remember your wives, +your sweethearts, your sisters at home. Remember your duty. Col. Hagood, +get your regiment ready." + +Col. Hagood, the boy colonel, called out, "First regiment, continue to +lie down, but be at attention." Only a few moments more and the voice of +Col. Hagood was heard, "First Regiment, forward." He was the first to be +up and ready to move. We crossed over our logs and then the command, +"Charge!" We made a dart, and so did the Yankees, but they darted back. +We followed them, running them into their works, where they had heavy +reinforcements. We followed them to within some one hundred yards of +these entrenchments and could go no further. Here we remained for +perhaps an hour, when we leisurely fell back to our former position. +While out there in front of the Yankee works we were subjected to the +most deadly fire. I had picked up a little oak stump about the size of +my thigh, which had rotted off even with the ground and so badly worm +eaten that I could see holes all through it. This I had stood up, +propping it with a stick. I got in behind it and soon my brother Joyce +moved up on my left and then Lieut. Hair came up on my right. I was +square in behind the stump and now I had a man on each side. I was +pretty well protected, or at least I felt so. Lieut. Hair, being on my +right, turned his head to the left to talk to me. We were all lying flat +on our bellies. As he turned to speak to me a minnie ball hit him in the +right temple, passing directly through his face and head, coming out in +the left cheek. His head fell flat to the ground. I put my hand under +his head, holding it up. The blood gushed from his temple, his eyes, his +nose, his mouth. I held him thus until the blood in a manner stopped, +then taking his handkerchief I wiped his eyes and asked him if he could +get back. He thought he could, and, on standing up, a minnie ball cut +his tobacco pouch from his coat. However, he started back, and after +running for perhaps a hundred yards I saw him almost turn a somersault. +I thought then he was a "goner," but he is yet alive, living at +Williston, and making a good, upright, intelligent citizen. + +On getting back from where we had made the charge we were soon moved to +the left. This time we were supporting a brigade in Pickett's Division, +marching in line of battle some forty yards in rear of their line of +battle. I think I have failed to mention that the entire Wilderness was +one mass of undergrowth--oaks from about the size of one's finger to the +size of one's wrist, and about as tall as a tall man's head. The section +of the woods we were now advancing into was remarkably thicker than any +we had yet encountered, and, worse still, it seemed as if every one had +a bullet through it from the hard fighting that had just gone on there, +causing these white oak runners to bend down from being top heavy. These +bullets all seemed to go through about the height of a man's waist. In +tumbling down they made almost an impassable barrier. Together with this +obstacle the dead and dying were so thick that we could not help +stepping on them. It has been said that a person could walk seven miles, +stepping from body to body, and never touch the ground. + +We were supporting the Virginians. They neared the plank road, marching +parallel thereto, the Yankees falling back. As they got very near the +road they saw a Yankee flag waving just above the bushes and just about +the road. It was natural to suppose that the enemy had halted and was +making a stand on this road. They immediately opened fire. The flag +fell, and, as there was no response, we discovered that Longstreet, +Jenkins and their staffs had ridden down this road, thinking we had +crossed. Longstreet, seeing a Yankee flag lying on the road, had ordered +one of his staff to pick it up. This he did, and, remounting, the flag +was raised above the bushes and became unfurled. The Virginians fired on +it, killing Gen. Jenkins and dangerously wounding Longstreet and some of +their staff. This was a great misfortune to us. Here fell two of our +best officers. It was a long time before Longstreet was well enough to +return to us, but he did after a while; but was ever after suffering +with his left side and shoulder. + +While we were halted here in the confusion after happening to this +misfortune, I ran upon a dead Yankee officer, finely dressed, clean and +nice looking. He had on a fine pair of high top boots, brand new, the +spurs, of course, coming with them. I immediately took them to Col. +Hagood and he found them as good a fit as if made for him. We ran the +enemy back to their entrenchments on this part of the line as we had +done in the morning on the other part. We then fell back far enough to +be out of range of their musketry, and without even taking off our +cartridge boxes--no fires--we lay down to rest and get some sleep. We +did not sleep much this night, for we were right in among the dead and +dying, and many a poor fellow, especially from the Yankee army, would +beg for water, and we did not have it to give him. Our men got some +canteens from the dead, some with a little water and some with brandy. +All this was given to the poor fellows without any regard to which side +he belonged. All we cared for was that he was a human being and a +brother, though we had fought him hard all day. + +Remaining here for the night, with only a little firing on the skirmish +line, we retired some short distance next morning; only far enough back +to get off of the ground where there were so many dead. Here we remained +all day of the seventh and that night until about four or five o'clock +on the morning of the eighth, when we were moved to our right. Grant had +started his flank movement for Richmond by trying to turn our left. We +met him on the eighth at Spottsylvania and here again we had a most +bloody battle. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + +On May 7th, the day after the big fight at the Wilderness, we moved back +a short distance and got off of the field, where it was strewn with the +dead and dying. Here we remained sharpshooting heavily all day; but +about dark that held up and we were comparatively quiet. We cooked our +suppers and prepared for a good night's sleep and a much needed rest, as +we had been hard at it for over forty-eight hours. It was not long after +dark before all of us were fast asleep, except those on picket. Grant, +however, had other views than to rest. He was just starting on his "On +to Richmond." As the hours grew on, the skirmishing grew less, but yet +there was commotion in the enemy's lines. Near midnight we were ordered +in line and moved off--_the whole of Lee's army_. We were moved to our +right, for Grant was moving on Richmond by the left. We met them after a +hard march, hard only because we were so broken down. At Spottsylvania, +shortly after midday, and without having time to rest or even catch our +breath, we met them--_we had to stop them_. Our brigade was thrown in +front of a lot of Pennsylvanians, who seemed to think no one had the +right to stop them from going right on to Richmond. But it did not take +us more than a couple of hours that evening to convince them this was +not the day nor time to go undisputed. In little less than two hours +they had fallen back, leaving us where we met them. The Palmetto +Sharpshooters of our brigade captured here a regiment of Pennsylvanians, +over four hundred men. We did not follow them, I suppose because we were +too tired and broken down to run when we met them, and were the same way +and could not follow. It was now almost sundown, and, after sending out +our skirmishers, we began to look around to see how the land lay; for we +expected hard fighting again after what we had at the Wilderness. + +The men, of their own accord, commenced to cut down pine trees to build +breastworks. The only tools we had for this purpose were the little hand +axes, about three inches wide, which some of the men had. These they had +carried in their belts and used them to chop wood for fires. But now +they put them to bigger use and would not hesitate to jump onto a pine +tree that would square twenty inches; and it was surprising how soon +they would have it down, cut off, trimmed up and cut off again. Then the +whole company would take it up, place it in position. We worked this way +for some hours into the night. All the while the whole skirmish line was +pretty warmly engaged. That was a great incentive to us, and we worked +until we had to quit because we were just broken down. But we had put up +some log work which would be a great protection before we did quit. We +got a very good night's sleep, and next morning, after eating what +little we had, we felt real good and ready to go to work again on our +breastworks. This we did, and while our skirmish line was fighting in +our front and the hard fight going on "at the angle" on our right, we +worked. And by afternoon we had a set of breastworks of which we were +proud. The Yankees did not attack our part of the line during the +day--only kept our pickets heavily engaged. + +Now, this night was Company E's time for picket, and before dark we were +carried out to the line, relieving the company already there. Our +company had at this time sixteen men, all told, and we had to cover the +entire front of the whole regiment. Consequently, we were not at +regulation distance apart when we deployed as skirmishers. We, however, +relieved the other company and fell in behind a rail fence. We expected +an advance at any moment. Our orders were to hold the ground as long as +we could. After dark three of us rallied together and remained so. This +made some distance from one squad to another, but it was the best we +could do. Where each three men were we "let the fence down," making a +jam, and then, getting in this, we had right good protection. There were +in one jam Eddie Bellinger, Job Rountree and myself. Well, at midnight +they advanced, and it was hot for some time. Eddie Bellinger and myself +could load our guns lying down on our backs, but Job could not do it. He +was used to hunting squirrels around Mixson's Mill Pond and Joyce's +Branch and had never had to lie down to load. He thereupon proposed to +Eddie and me that if we would do the loading he would do the shooting. +This we readily agreed to, and Job would stand up, exposing himself from +waist up. As soon as we would get a gun loaded we would pass it to him, +and he would throw the empty gun back for another loaded one. We had +three guns and worked them so fast that they got so hot we stopped +loading for fear they would not stand it. We finally drove this advance +back, after an hour's hard work. We were not disturbed any more till +morning. Just as the sun began to show itself we discovered a line of +battle advancing over the hill, where they had come a little nearer. +There was another supporting the first and then yet another supporting +the second, making an advance of three lines of battle. We knew we were +in for it now, sure, and we poor little sixteen men opened on them just +the same as if we were an army. But on they came, as if we were not +there. It reminded me of the gnat on the bull's horn. On they came, and +soon we heard Capt. Wood say, "Skirmishers, fall back, firing." We went +back, going from tree to tree. They were gaining on us, as we were +retiring slowly. The last stand we made was some seventy-five yards in +front of our breastworks. We stopped here and gave them a round or two. +We were protected by trees. My brother Joyce and myself happened to stop +in behind the same tree. We both shot off our guns and reloaded. When he +went to cap his gun he let the cap slip through his fingers, and, +instead of reaching in his cap box for another, he stooped over to pick +it up from the ground, thereby exposing a part of his person. _No +sooner exposed than hit_, and he made for the works. Just then Capt. +Wood gave command, "Skirmishers, into the works," and in we went. We +were glad, too, when we got behind them. By this time, or by the time we +had assembled as a company and taken our company's position in the +regiment, the enemy's three lines had gotten up pretty close. The front +line had advanced to within about forty yards of our works and had lain +down. The second line was some twenty yards in the rear of these, and +the third line about the same distance in rear of the second. All three +lines were now lying down. We were well protected behind the good +breastworks of logs, and the way we did give it to those Yankees would +have done your heart good to see; and they--well, they stood it like +men, but it was too much for them to go forward, and, after staying +there for perhaps an hour, they fell back; but not for long. They came +again, and about the same thing happened the second time, after they had +again remained for nearly an hour. Again they fled back, but in a short +time back they came, seemingly with more vim than ever, and at one time +it seemed that they would run over us. But we held on, and, showing no +indication of giving way, they got no further than the works, which they +did reach, but could not climb over. Here it was hot for a few moments, +but they weakened, and for the third time fell back; but this time some +two hundred yards, when they rallied. They were, however, somewhat +demoralized and Col. Hagood, noticing this, and taking advantage of it, +hollered out, "Company E, deploy as skirmishers." While we were +deploying behind the works Col. Hagood passed an order that when the +skirmishers started to advance the whole regiment must yell as we +mounted the works. Then the command was given, "Skirmishers, forward, +double quick." At this time there were not more than ten or twelve men +in the skirmish line charging three lines of battle. As we mounted the +works the regiment gave the yell. The whole of Lee's army, both to the +right and left, seemed to take it up, and on we went, _this handful_. +The Yankees must have thought our whole army was out after them, for +they broke in confusion. It was really rich to see ten or twelve men +running as many thousands. + +In making this advance I ran over a nice looking fellow who was just +dead. I happened to notice a gold ring on his finger, and as the enemy +were getting back as fast as they could, I concluded to get that ring. +So, stooping over, I pulled it off, and upon straightening up I saw a +body of Yankees at right shoulder shift and at a double quick, an +officer with drawn sword in command, coming up on our left, _now in our +rear_. I called out to Capt. Wood, "They are flanking us on the left, +captain." He stopped and looked and gave the command, "Skirmishers, in +retreat." He and I started back, and to get back we had to pass just at +the head of these Yankees. As we got at their head the officer in +command of them ordered his men to halt, and, turning his sword, +tendered it to Capt. Wood, thereby surrendering the lot. Capt. Wood +immediately cried out, "Skirmishers, halt, forward. Frank, take charge +of these men." I stepped up, gave the command, "File right, double +quick," and in no time the whole lot were in our works, thirty-six +prisoners. It seems that we had been fighting all day fresh troops from +Vermont, and the unexpected advance of our skirmish line led this entire +company to believe that they were behind our advancing columns. + +It had been raining all day, and we were as black with powder as the +negroes at home. Our hands and faces would get wet, and taking our +cartridges out and biting off the stem we would get the powder on our +hands and faces. + +It was now late in the afternoon and another company was sent to relieve +us. We had been on the skirmish line since the evening before. On +passing back to our works I stopped and foraged a little; and when I +went into our works I was literally loaded down with haversacks, +knapsacks and hats. I had six Stetson hats--new--and, on opening the +knapsacks the things which struck my fancy most were white laundered +shirts (boiled shirts). I gave a hat to Col. Hagood, Capt. Wood, Lieut. +Dick Bryan, Lieut. Dick Best, Jim Diamond, and kept one myself. The dry +goods and rations were divided out to the company. It was amusing to see +us with our faces as black as chimney sweeps with a white starched shirt +on. We got our supper all right that night and slept like logs. The +firing on the picket line did not worry us enough to keep us awake, +though at times it seemed as if they were coming again. This ended the +third day at Spottsylvania. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + +We had a comparatively quiet night after this hard day's work and slept +pretty well, lying down in ranks behind our breastworks. The rain that +had been falling the entire day ceased during the early part of the +night. We did not make down our beds, nor even take off our +accoutrements; but then we had not done that since the night before the +Wilderness. Next morning, after we had prepared and eaten our breakfast, +the little we had, we were relieved by some other troops, and we were +taken up on the right in and about the Angle; but just as we got there +our troops had made an assault and had gained what they had lost. +Therefore, we were not actively in the engagement, though we were in it +enough to be under a heavy fire, and we had some men both killed and +wounded. I recollect that Lieut. Dick Steedly, of Company G, Bamberg, +who was commanding that company, was wounded while we were on this part +of the line, and others, too, whom I cannot recall. + +We remained on this part of the line during the day, being kept in +readiness to go to any point where we might be needed. We were kept +close up to the fighting line, and, while not being engaged, yet we were +close enough and were under a heavy fire during the entire day. We must +have remained at this position that night. Next morning the enemy +seemed to have moved down to their right--our left--and the fighting was +heavy there. We were hurried down to that part of the line. We found a +heavy fight going on, but the Georgians, whom we went to support, were +holding their own, and we were held back ready to support any part that +might give way. The Georgians finally made an assault and drove the +enemy back and followed them closely for some distance. While this was +going on we were lining quickly in rear, ready to move in any direction. + +While waiting here Eddie Bellinger and I concluded to "nose around" and +see if we could run on to anything. Rations were now scarce, and +something to eat would go good. Without saying a word to anyone except +Jim Diamond, we walked off in the direction of the front, where the +Georgians were now skirmishing. We soon reached their line and passed on +through to the front. The skirmishing had about this time ceased. We +continued to go on to the front and pass the skirmish line. The +battlefield of the days before was just ahead of us, and we knew if we +could get to where the dead were we would get something sure. Cautiously +now, for we were in advance of our pickets and knew nothing of the +whereabouts of the Yankees. But for something to eat we were taking +chances. We at last came upon the ground where the dead of several days +were lying. We had not searched but a few when heavy firing began on the +right, and we discovered the pickets from outside advancing. +Immediately there was a perfect fusilade on the picket line on the +right. We knew it would extend to where we were and catch us between the +lines. Consequently, we determined to get "away back." We started back +in a hurry, and when the Georgia picket line saw us coming back as hard +as we could run they thought the Yankees were right in behind us, and +they broke. The captain in command of the pickets soon discovered that +the enemy were not making an advance, that Eddie and I had caused the +whole confusion. He rallied his picket line, and by that time we were up +with them. The old man was mad at us and he gave us the hardest +"cussing" you ever heard; but we kept right on back and were soon with +our company. We had three or four haversacks pretty well filled, and it +was not long before Jim Diamond had a fire and had on it in tin cans +sliced bacon and rice, making a pillau. It must have smelt good, for it +was not long before Gen. Bratton and Col. Simms, his adjutant-general, +came up near where we were cooking. Then Col. Hagood, Adjt. Clowney, +Capt. Wood, all gathered near. In due course of time Jim took off his +cans, some half dozen quarts, set them around, flattened out some pine +paddles and invited up the gang. Did they come? You should have seen how +readily they accepted the invitation. Not one of them hesitated in the +least, and the best part was that there was just about enough for all. +You should have seen that crowd after the feast, getting out their +pipes, filling up and lolling back, seemingly perfectly contented. + +While upon the field of battle I came upon one poor fellow with his head +completely gone, taken off even with his shoulders, evidently by a +cannon ball. In taking his watch from his waist-band pocket, I felt a +small roll of something. On investigating I found a few greenback bills +sewed up in his waist-band. There were two tens and a five. As soon as +Sid Key knew I had them he was after a trade, and I finally sold to him +for three hundred and seventy-five Confederate. + +The fighting had now about ceased along the entire line, except +sharpshooting, which was kept up pretty regularly and rapidly enough to +keep us expecting something at any time. But as the evening wore on +nothing more serious occurred. I guess that we must have remained at +this point during the night--I cannot recollect--but I think next +morning all sharpshooting had stopped and everything on the entire line +seemed to be perfectly quiet. During the morning we were moved, and we +soon discovered that we were off again to meet Grant somewhere else, as +he failed to get through at Spottsylvania, as well as the Wilderness, +and was again moving to his left, still on his way to Richmond. + +We held up that night in the vicinity of Hanover Junction, where we +confronted the enemy. We remained here, I think, three days, with the +enemy in front and heavy skirmishing and sharpshooting going on, but no +regular engagement was had here. They made no general advance. I guess +they were about as tired and broken down as we were; and then, perhaps, +Grant was holding up here for more men, as his losses at the Wilderness +and Spottsylvania had been fearful. At any rate, we confronted him here +for the three days, and we, too, rested up. While here one evening Col. +Hagood had the regiment formed and had such orders as these read: + +"For meritorious conduct, the colonel commanding takes pleasure in +announcing the following promotions and appointments: Adjt. S. B. +Clowney, to be captain of Company ---- (I forget whether Company B or +Company K); Sergt.-Major O. D. A. Wilson, to be adjutant; Private E. W. +Bellinger, Company E, to be ensign, with rank of first lieutenant; +Private W. R. Brabham, of Company C, to be sergeant-major; Private F. M. +Mixson to be sergeant, Company E, and Private R. C. Kirkland to be +corporal of Company C. They will be obeyed and respected accordingly. By +order of the colonel commanding." + +I think I have failed to mention that Darling Patterson, who had been +our color bearer since the Second Manassas, and had been home for some +time suffering with a wound, had recovered sufficiently to return. He +had, however, applied for a transfer to Hart's Battery, but this was +refused until the Battery offered us two men for him, when the change +was accepted. But up to this place, the two men (named Morrison and +Stewart) had not reported to us, though they should have done so, and +did so a short time thereafter, I think about the time we reached +Petersburg. + +After lying around Hanover Junction for about three days, and Grant had +satisfied himself that we were there in his front, he (Grant) moved +suddenly to Cold Harbor; and we moved as suddenly, and he again found us +in his front. We went to Cold Harbor in a hurried march. As we were +going down the public road, woods on the right and a large field on the +left, we passed Keitt's South Carolina Regiment, just from the coast, +drawn up in line of battle on the side of the road, we passing just in +front of them. They were a fine body of men, the regiment bearing +thirteen hundred strong--about twice as big as our entire brigade. They +inquired of us, "What regiment are you?" and on being told the First +South Carolina, they jokingly said, "This must be only one company of +it." But, poor fellows, they soon learned how fast members could +diminish. + +We moved on down the line to our right and soon we heard the battle open +in front of Keitt; and they were in it for the first time. Many a poor +fellow who had so short a time left his home State in high spirits and +"spoiling" for a fight on this field "bit the dust," but well did they +hold their own and made several most gallant charges, not knowing what +fear was. They did nobly and held their part of the line manfully. We +went on down the line, and it was not long before we, too, were in it. +We must have run upon the Yankees quite suddenly, for, while marching +in columns of fours at a double quick, and passing into a large field +through a double gate, we "filed right," and upon getting distance +enough we left flanked, throwing us into line of battle and immediately +charged. I think this meeting was unexpected by both sides, because, as +we double quicked through the gate, the brigade band was stationed there +and was playing a lively air--perhaps "Bonnie Blue Flag." I know that +was the only time we ever went into a fight with music, and it had the +effect of putting us right into it thick and heavy before we even +realized the enemy were near. It took us but a short time to break their +lines and have them falling back. We had been resting for a few days and +felt like fresh troops. We did not follow them up, I suppose for the +reason we were acting on the defense, disputing their right to go to +Richmond and holding them back. We had no other engagement in our front. +The hard fighting here was in front of Keitt. The Yankees must have +known they were fresh from the coast and concentrated all their energies +against them. At any rate, by night all the hard fighting was over, +Grant was again repulsed, and we all remained on our respective fields. +The skirmishing and sharpshooting, however, was heavy during the night +and all next day, but no more advancing was done by the Yankees. We were +content with holding our ground. + +We remained around here for, I think, two days longer with nothing +doing. I guess after these failures to break through our lines, Grant +had decided to make a big circle and had pulled out, and Lee was holding +us till he had located him, when he could again be in his front. The +next place we met him was at Petersburg, but when he got there Lee and +his handful were _still in his front_. The "On to Richmond" was started +on the 5th of May at the Wilderness, and, with fighting every day and +every night, on the 12th of June we confronted and held them out of +Petersburg. I think that in Longstreet's History of the War, in telling +of this great march of Grant's and Lee's skillful manoeuvering which met +and foiled him in some of the greatest and biggest battles that had ever +been fought in any war, Longstreet gives Grant's army at the Wilderness +at one hundred and fifty-six thousand men, with the _world_ to draw +from; Lee at the Wilderness with only fifty-eight thousand, you might +say, regular "rag-a-muffins," in so far as something to eat, clothing, +ammunition and other supplies, and nowhere on God's green earth to draw +men, material or supplies; but yet when Lee confronted Grant at +Petersburg we were as indomitable as the first day at the Wilderness and +loved Lee more. He was certainly now the idol of his men. Longstreet +says that Grant's loss from the Wilderness to Petersburg in killed and +wounded was fifty-eight thousand men, the number Lee had in his entire +army. So, you see, on an average, each man in Lee's army had hit his +man. Besides, our losses were heavy and we confronted Grant with only a +mighty few. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + +It is strange that I cannot recall anything from Cold Harbor to +Petersburg. I don't recollect when we left Cold Harbor nor how fast we +were hurried, nor the distance. The first thing coming to my remembrance +is reaching Petersburg. I have consulted with Capt. Foster and several +others, privates like myself, of this place (Union, S. C.), who were +members of the Palmetto Sharpshooters, a regiment of our brigade, and, +to my surprise, they, too, are about as much in the dark as to that +period as I am. I account for it this way: We had been around Cold +Harbor for several days, the first two days of which we had hard +fighting. The balance of the time remaining there we had only some +skirmishing on the picket lines and resting up. Therefore, there were no +impressions left. Besides, we needed this rest and quiet sorely, after +the hard times we had undergone since the first morning at the +Wilderness. Some time passed, and, consequently, we took things easy, +regardless of everything. I do not remember, nor could I find out, how +we reached Petersburg. I do not think, nor can I believe, that we passed +through Richmond. If not, we must have crossed the James River on +pontoons below Richmond, but, be that as it may, we did reach +Petersburg, and none too soon. There was a heavy fight in progress. It +was then about sundown. We were thrown into line of battle and ordered +to double quick. We had gone perhaps half a mile, drawing nearer and +nearer the fighting forces, when suddenly we met our men being driven +back. I understand that these were Gen. Beauregard's troops, who had +been holding the enemy in check all day, and had just commenced to +retire, being worn out and overpowered. They immediately fell in with +us, and here we checked the advancing enemy and held our line, and upon +this line so held we built the famous Petersburg breastworks, such works +as were never built before, and which were occupied by our troops for +nine _long_, _tiresome_ and _eventful_ months. It is true that at first +these works here were only a crude affair, we not expecting to remain in +them many days; but time went on and each day saw more work done, more +facilities for moving around and for living, until we had built so that +we could get around--cook, eat, sleep, the same as on the level, and +with comparative safety, though the least exposure of the person would +guarantee a quick shot from the enemy's sharpshooters with globe-sighted +guns, and they got to be such expert marksmen that they rarely ever +missed. + +At this time our lines were some distance apart--far enough, in fact, +for us and them to keep out our pickets, and the fighting for a while +was done by the picket line, the army itself being hard at work with +pick and spade. The work was hard and heavy and those who would go into +the trenches at night would work the time while there and be relieved +by fresh troops the following night. This was done until we had good +works, and until Grant had so lengthened his line that nearly all of +Lee's army was required to face him, leaving but a handful to relieve +those who had worked the hardest, and who were also held as a kind of +reserve, ready to go to any point, should the enemy make an assault. +These held in reserve would be one day one command, the next day +another. + +Grant now had Petersburg invested and had moved his lines up so close +that we nor they had space for pickets--in fact, our videttes did not +leave our works. I don't think it could have been over two hundred yards +from our works to theirs. It might have been more and it might have been +less. It was a long time ago and I might not recall the distance +correctly; but I do recollect that it was very uncomfortably close. + +About this time the two men, Morrison and Stewart, whom were given us by +Hart's Battery in exchange for Darling Patterson, came to us. I must +take time to give a brief description of these two men. Morrison was a +great big fellow, heavy frame, about forty-five or fifty years old, +heavy gray beard, and he was a real good-hearted fellow, but the report +of a gun would scare him out of his breeches. He was certainly +constitutionally a coward, and I really think he hated it, and when not +under fire and not scared he would determine to try to not get so next +time; but his good intentions would go to the wind just as soon as the +bullets began to come. + +The other fellow, Stewart, was a medium sized, dark complexioned, +swarthy man, about thirty or thirty-five. He was a genuine coward and +would not try, nor did he care to overcome it, but would skulk on all +occasions; and, worse still, he pretended to be a preacher, and often, +in the very nick of time, old Stewart would sing out, "Let's all join in +prayer." He played this off on us for a little while, and would succeed +in being left; but, after a while, we found him out, and would break up +his little scheme, although I don't recollect his having even been +gotten into a regular "sit-to" fight. About this time we got another +recruit--one that must be mentioned in these memoirs, because I knew him +before he came, and, besides, he was known to everyone from Barnwell. +John Lambert, of Barnwell, was our other new man, and why he should have +selected our regiment for his service I could never understand, unless +it was that he had known from infancy Col. Hagood, Eddie Bellinger, Jim +Diamond, Perry Manville, the Mixson boys and Nelson boys, and perhaps +some others; and as he had to go somewhere it was just as well to go +where he knew people. Now, while John didn't love fighting, and always +said that the Lord intended him to take care of himself, and he didn't +purpose to disappoint the Lord, he was a jolly fellow and kept things +lively with his jokes and quaint sayings. But, while he was very careful +how he exposed himself, he did an act while in the trenches which the +bravest of the brave shuddered at. After a time in the trenches it had +gotten so that the least exposure was certain death. One day there came +along in the field in rear of our regiment a nice, fat shoat, about +fifty pounds, strolling as if he didn't care if corn was fifty dollars a +bushel. He strolled along till a Yankee sharpshooter concluded to cut +him down. We heard him squeal and saw the shoat keel over. Something to +eat of any kind would go well, but a fat pig, within seventy-five yards, +ready to be cleaned and cooked! John Lambert couldn't stand it, but, +jumping out of the trenches, running back with the minnie balls cutting +the dirt all around him, he succeeded in getting to that hog, grabbing +it by the hind leg, and started back in face of death itself. No one +expected him to get in, but on he came, and finally jumped in the +trench, hog and all, without even a scratch. It was one of the most +marvelous feats, besides the most daring, of anything that I recollect +happening. After this if anything was ever said to John in reference to +his being a _little scary_ he would bring up the pig incident. + +We remained in the trenches for some time before being relieved for a +night, but at last our night came, and we were taken back to rest. We +knew that Gen. Johnson Hagood's Brigade was somewhere on the line, and +late in the afternoon Jim Diamond, Eddie Bellinger and myself got +permission to go over to Hagood's brigade headquarters to see Vince +Bellinger and Willie Hagood, who were in the brigade quartermaster +department of Hagood's Brigade. We knew we would get something to eat +and get something to bring back. We found them about sundown, and Vince +and Willie told their man, Joe, a good old darkey, to commence preparing +supper, and to fix enough of it. We sat around talking for a while, when +Vince proposed that while Joe was fixing up the supper we should go +right down the street to where he knew a fellow had something to drink. +These boys were located near the town--in fact, at the head of a street. +We pulled out, and in a few minutes Vince knocked on a door on the +street. Almost instantly the door was opened, and in all five of us +went. There was a long counter on one side of the house. The old man had +no lights except a tallow candle. We stepped up near the front and Vince +called for the liquor. The old man set out a decanter with only about +four drinks--when the old fellow filled up for the fifth man to get +his--it was a half gallon decanter--then the last one of us poured his +out, leaving the decanter full, except the one drink. We took our drink, +and Vince asked how much. The old fellow said, "Ten dollars each," +making fifty dollars for the treat. Vince gave him a one hundred dollar +bill. He picked up his candle, going back to the end of the counter to +his safe for the change; but in doing this he had left the decanter +setting on the counter. I told Vince to walk back and get the change; we +would walk out. I picked up the full decanter, and as we walked out the +door Vince overtook us, and we all went out together. However, we saw +the old fellow, as he came back, hold up his light to look after his +liquor. On discovering it gone, he jumped across the counter, following +us. We were all in a dead run by this time. The old fellow was afraid to +holler for police, as he was running what we now call a "blind tiger," +but he followed us to the end of the street. When Vince picked up an old +gun, and raising it, advanced on him, the old man then broke back as +fast as he had come, leaving us with the liquor. We took another drink +all around, when Joe told us to draw up, supper was ready. Joe had given +us a good supper--hominy, fried bacon, biscuits and coffee--the best +part of which was there was enough of it. We drank no more, for Vince +and Willie asked us to carry some to Jim Hagood and Capt. Wood. They +also told Joe to get us up some rations, and he put us up about a half +of a side of bacon, about half a bushel of meal and some salt. We got +back to our command some time about midnight, and it was not long before +Jim Hagood had his boy, Crow, and Pat Wood his boy, Fred, making up a +fire, and about two o'clock we had a supper. In the meantime all the +whiskey had disappeared. We all slept late next morning, and about +eleven o'clock we had breakfast. We went back into the trenches and +remained there some time, when we were taken across the James River to +meet a demonstration being made there. + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + +It seems that our division (Fields'), especially our brigade, was +selected and had ever been the troops to run from place to place. This I +egotistically claim was because we were good on the march, always +getting there quickly, and then, after getting there, we could be always +depended upon to meet the emergency. Hence, we were not in the trenches +so continuously as some others. We, from now on, were mostly below +Richmond, taking care of Richmond from that side, but occasionally we +would run over and take a day or two in the trenches, where we would be +again pulled out for across the James River. So, after about a week in +the trenches on this occasion, we were taken over the river, as Grant +seemed to be preparing to attack from that direction. We remained +quietly, doing nothing but keeping out our pickets for several days. For +these few days we took up regular camp duty, except drilling. At roll +call in the mornings Morrison and Stewart hardly ever answered. This got +to be such a regular thing on all occasions, even when we were called to +move, that our orderly sergeant, A. P. Manville, became so completely +disgusted (for you could see disgust depicted on his face) that it was +determined between Perry Manville, Capt. Wood and Col. Hagood that +Morrison and Stewart should be assigned to me as my company, I to see +after them exclusively, being exempt from all other duty, only go when +they had to go, and _to make them go_. This might seem an easy +assignment, but, take my word for it, it was the hardest job any poor +fellow ever had. I would be up in the mornings before time, getting them +up to be in time for roll call, and any other duties assigned them I +would be notified and had to get them out for it. But Perry Manville, +who was a brave, good fellow, would put them both on duty at the same +time, thereby saving me extra duty. He saw and appreciated the hard task +I had. After lying around here for perhaps a week or more watching and +waiting we were ordered to "fall in." Our company was at this time on +the left of the regiment, and I and my two men were on the extreme left, +which, when marching left in front, put me and mine at the head next to +the colonel. In starting out this time, when Col. Hagood rode up to his +position, he turned to me and said, "Sergt. Mixson, load your gun +immediately and take those two men in this fight or leave them dead on +the wayside." I loaded up, telling these two what to expect from me +(they had heard my orders). We started off. I kept them up pretty well, +and when we formed our line of battle on the hill overlooking Deep +Bottom I had them in ranks. We remained on this hill while our skirmish +line were holding them back in the bottom, our skirmishers retreating +slowly. Gen. Lee was dismounted near us, awaiting the time to order us +to charge. When it looked like the time had about come old Stewart got +back pretty close to Gen. Lee, and, falling on his knees, said, "Let's +all join in prayer," and he started off. He had hardly started good +before the command was given, "Get to your places." Morrison went in +ranks, but old man Stewart got louder. I called to him to get in. He got +_louder_. I could not move him by calling, so I went up to him and, +catching him by the shoulders, I pulled him back and almost had to drag +him to his position. Lee looked on seemingly amused. + +Well, we made the charge, meeting the enemy in the bottom. Here we +fought them for some time, but finally retired to our former position on +the hills. I don't think I got either Morrison or Stewart in this, but +they were on hand when we got back on the hill. The enemy did not +advance on us in our position, but fell back. We then went back and took +up our quarters where we left the day before. Grant had failed here. + +We remained here, without anything happening, doing picket duty and +putting more logs on our fortifications, for something like three weeks, +when the Yankees took another notion to go into Richmond over this +route. Our cavalry, down at the Darbytown Road, discovered them on the +move. As soon as this was reported to us our long roll routed us, and by +sunrise we were off to look into matters. We ran upon their picket line +about ten o'clock, drove them back and found them stationed behind the +works that we had built there in 1862. We immediately charged these +works, and took them with very little trouble, they giving way after a +short fight. We followed them no further than the works we captured from +them. By night we were back at our camps, not much worse off than when +we went out. We again took up our regular routine of duties and had no +more disturbance from this quarter. Everything remaining quiet over +here, we were, about the last of September or first of October, taken +back to Petersburg and again went into the trenches. We were placed +where the "blow up" afterwards took place, and while we were here our +engineers were counter-sinking shafts, endeavoring to discover where the +enemy's mine struck our fortifications. The marksmen on the Yankee side +had become very expert with both the rifle and mortars, and they were so +accurate that mortar shells would frequently fall in our trenches. For +the information of those who do not know about mortar shooting I will +explain. The mortar gun is a short cannon, say eighteen inches long, +working in a carriage on a pivot and so arranged as to be shot at any +angle, even to straight up. They had perfected themselves so that they +knew the exact elevation to give the gun and the length of the fuse to +explode it, as in many instances the cannon ball would fall in our +trenches, and, exploding, would do much harm, and causing much confusion +among us. Hence, it became necessary to keep a lookout, and when one of +their guns was fired this "lookout" would keep his eye on the ball going +up and coming over, and if it looked as if it were coming into the +trenches at a certain place we would crowd away from the place that it +seemed like hitting, thereby making room for it to fall and burst with +as little damage as we had time and room to make. + +On one occasion I was sitting with my back to the front of the trenches, +flat down on the bottom of the trenches, with my oilcloth underneath me. +I had my man Morrison as "lookout," who was kneeling down facing the +front just at my side. I heard the report of a mortar and saw Morrison +prick up his ears. Soon I saw him begin to get excited, and then he +commenced to exclaim, "It's coming, it's coming, it's coming!" Knowing +how scary he naturally was, I gave but little faith to him. His eyes, +however, looked the size of saucers, and finally he fell over, +exclaiming, "It's come," and the shell fell between my legs, my oilcloth +keeping it from burying itself deep enough to retain it. There I was, a +shell with a burning fuse, in between my legs. It was death to do +nothing, death to run, not only for me, but for others. It was +impossible to get away from the shell, and instinct told me to get the +shell away from me and us. Without having time to think even, I arose +with the shell in my hands and dumped it out of the trenches. I scarcely +had time to squat down when it bursted. Being outside, no one was hurt. +I will take occasion to say here that this was no act of bravery. It was +an inspiration that caused me to do it, and I was the worst scared +fellow you ever saw, even more scared than Morrison or Stewart at any +time. It took me a day or two to recover from the fright I got. + +We remained in the trenches this time till about the first of November, +when Grant again began to move around on the north side of the James. +Then we were taken out and carried over, and it was well for us that it +was so, for the day after we left the mine was sprung and many, very +many, killed, and on the same ground we had been and just left. History +will tell you of this. I was not there. On the day before the mine was +sprung the Yankees on the north side of the James had charged and taken +Fort Harrison, which was being held by the militia from Virginia. And on +the morning that the mine was sprung they made an assault on Fort +Gilmore, which was three miles from Fort Harrison, and garrisoned by +veterans from Virginia. + +The assault was made to draw our forces from the trenches, hoping to get +enough away to make the springing of the mine a success, and to draw our +attention elsewhere. We left the trenches late in the afternoon, and, +passing Fort Harrison, leaving it to the right, went on to Fort Gilmore. +We marched all night, arriving near Fort Gilmore at daybreak, when we +halted and were held as a reserve. The assault was made by negro troops, +with white officers with pistols in their hands, forcing the negroes +forward on pain of death. They made a creditable charge, a good many +jumping in the ditch in front of the fort. One charge, however, +satisfied them. About ten o'clock we went in and relieved the +Virginians and remained there till after midnight, when we in turn were +relieved and went down in front of Fort Harrison, arriving there just as +day was breaking. On moving from Fort Gilmore to Fort Harrison, about +three o'clock, before day, I took the company's canteens and went to a +well we were passing and filled up. This got me some little behind, and +going down the road to overtake our command a solitary horseman overtook +me. I discovered at once it was Gen. Lee. He said, "What are you doing +behind, my little fellow?" And when I told him I had stopped at the well +just passed to fill the company's canteens he said, "Well, hurry and +catch up; they will need you by daylight." When I did get up I told the +boys we would have h---- by daylight, and told them that Gen. Lee had +told me so. + +In front of Fort Harrison we took our position in an old ditch trench +which had been thrown up there perhaps a couple of years. This was not +more than eight hundred yards in front of the fort. The Yankees had been +reinforcing all night, and when day broke they were well garrisoned, +with negro troops mostly. We remained in this position, awaiting the +signal gun, when the advance on the Fort would be made from two sides. +Tige Anderson's Georgians were to lead the charge on the front, +supported by our brigade (Bratton's). Two other brigades were to attack +the side. Capt. Wood's boy, Fred, brought in breakfast, and Capt. Wood, +Eddie Bellinger and myself sat down to eat. Capt. Wood hurried through, +leaving Eddie and me. Then it was that Eddie said to me, "Frank, I will +be killed this day. In an hour I will be a dead man." I told him if I +felt that way I would go to Dr. Martin Bellinger, brigade surgeon, and +be excused. He would not go. Just then the signal gun fired, and Tige +Anderson, with his Georgians, led off, slowly at first. We were called +to attention, and I missed Stewart. The negro boy, Fred, hearing me +asking about him, said he had passed Mr. Stewart a mile back. I turned +to Morrison and told him if he did not go this time I swear I would kill +him. I intended to keep my eye on him. We were now ordered to advance. +Anderson had started his charge, and as soon as we got straightened out, +and after crossing the old ditch, we, too, charged. Now the Yankees were +mowing Anderson down with grape and cannister, and we, being only a +short distance behind, were getting the full benefit of every fire. I +tell you, it was a grand sight to see our boy colonel. He was about the +middle of the regiment, in front of it. We were at double quick. Jim +Hagood kept his eyes on the fort, and when he saw smoke from a cannon, +he would cry, "Down, First," at the same time falling flat himself. When +the grape and cannister had passed over he was the first up, and in that +commanding voice, "Up, and forward, First." This he repeated more than +half a dozen times. Anderson had now gotten to within about forty yards +of the fort, where the firing was so fierce, furious and fatal. His men +lay down. We kept on, and just before we reached them they commenced to +holler to us to stop. Anderson was walking up and down, begging them to +forward. Then he would curse them. About now Lieut. Best, of our +company, said, "Frank, I am shot through the thigh." I told him to go +back. He said no. Only a step or two and he was shot clear through on +the right side, the ball entering about the nipple. He now turned to go +back, but just as he turned another ball hit him in the back, about an +inch below where the other ball had come out, passing clear through, +coming out where the other ball had entered. He now fell, and Sid Key, +with another man with a litter, picked him up to take him off. As they +raised him up another ball knocked off two of his toes, making four +wounds for him. I think he is still alive--was a few years ago. When +Lieut. Best fell we were passing through Anderson's Brigade. I heard +Anderson, as a last incentive to his men, say, "Georgia, you don't +intend to let South Carolina beat you." I jumped up and hollered out, +"Hurrah for South Carolina." But just as I struck the ground a ball +struck me, and an old Georgian, who was lying flat on his belly, looking +over his shoulder back at us, saw it and heard me, and said, "Oh, yes, +G---- d---- South Carolina, now." This made such an impression on me +that I have always believed that I would recognize that fellow's face +wherever I saw it again. I was fortunately hit in the hand, breaking the +knuckle of my forefinger on the left hand. I dropped my gun, and, +running back to a pine, I got in behind it to examine how badly I was +hurt, and when I discovered the bone shattered I pulled off my +accoutrements, throwing them down, so I could have a good chance for +running. Going only a short distance I heard the voice of Lieut. Col. +Ben Kirkland, and I pulled up to see what was the matter. He was +standing over an officer of our regiment, a captain, cursing him for all +kinds of coward, and told him if he did not get up and go on with his +company he would wear him out with his sword. I saw him get up, then I +lit out again. On getting back to where we had started, sitting there +alone was Morrison, who told me that when Lieut. Best was hit he left. I +went on a little back to where the field hospital was located (the field +hospital is only to receive the wounded, staunch the blood of those who +are likely to bleed to death, put them in an ambulance, sending them +back to the general hospital). While hanging around there I noticed +someone brought up on a litter, who, upon being put down, beckoned to +me. I went up to him, failing at first to recognize him; but upon close +inspection I discovered Capt. Wood. He was shot directly below his nose, +the ball passing back lodged in the back of his neck, knocking out his +teeth and lodging them in his tongue. He was terribly disfigured at that +time, but was operated on that night, they cutting out the ball from his +neck, taking his teeth out of his tongue, etc. After the war he looked +nearly as handsome as ever, and he was a handsome man. + +I went on down from the field hospital to the regiment, after they were +driven back, and it was a poor sight, indeed--only ninety-three men were +left in the entire regiment. Eddie Bellinger had fallen, leading the +regiment in about thirty yards of the fort. When the colonel ordered the +regiment to fall back he discovered his colors missing and saw them on +the ground nearer the fort than he was. He ran up there and found Eddie +dead with the colors gripped so hard that he had to pry his fingers open +with his sword to get them away. This all happened in thirty yards of +the fort, in an open field. The Yankees were so amazed at Col. Hagood's +action that they did not shoot on him while he was doing this gallant +deed. Col. Hagood then called Jim Diamond, who was not wounded, and +turned the colors over to him. He brought them out. Next day the Yankees +sent over a flag of truce, asking the name of the gallant officer who +had rescued the colors--they buried Eddie with military honors. + +I did not get my wound dressed until the day after the fight. That +evening I went back to the general hospital. Dr. Wallace Bailey, from +the Four Mile, our surgeon, glanced at it casually and told me he would +cut off the finger when he had time--the surgeons were all busy that +evening, all night and next day. Capt. Wood was operated on during the +night and looked badly next morning. Many a poor fellow lost an arm or +a leg out here. That night this hospital was cleaned up, all of us being +loaded on boats and sent to the hospital in Richmond, reaching there +some time about midnight, and were immediately unloaded into a large +kind of warehouse that had been prepared with cots, etc., for a kind of +reception hospital. Here we were seen after by the ladies, our wounds +dressed, and nourishment given us. Those who were not too badly wounded +were sent on next day to the regular hospital. I did not let Dr. Bailey +cut off my finger. _I have it yet._ + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + + +In the hospital at Richmond I was assigned to a ward that a Dr. Wilson, +of Marion, S. C., was in charge of. This doctor seemed to take a liking +to me from the start--I guess on account of my age and size. Some three +or four days after my arrival there he told me the Examining Board would +meet next day. This Board would look over the wounded and furlough those +who would be disqualified long enough to go home, and he said he would +put me on the list to go before this Board. My hopes were high and I +could scarcely await the time with patience. But ten o'clock finally +came, and the crowd began to gather. The Board met in a large one-room +building, one door on the side, another on the end. The Board consisted +of five members, the chairman of which was an old man. Their position in +the room was in chairs towards the end, opposite the end door. They had +a clerk, who had listed all names of those were applying. This clerk had +a doorkeeper, and he would take off the list as he had them entered, +call the name to his doorkeeper, who would extend the call and admit the +man. After a long wait, my name was called and I went in fully confident +that I would get a furlough. I was called over to where the doctors were +sitting in a row, and the old doctor told me to show up. I readily did +so, and when they saw that I was wounded in the hand, he, the old +doctor, said, "Pass out." I can tell you, I was disappointed, and so was +Dr. Wilson; but he consoled me with the information that the Board would +meet again in a few days and to try them again. This I did with the same +result, only this time they did not even condescend to look at my hand. +In a few days they again met, and again I went before them. But this +time they didn't even allow me to stop, but as I walked in one door the +old doctor waved me out of the other. This I reported to Dr. Wilson. He +told me they treated me this way because so many were shooting +themselves in the hands and feet to get out of service even for a time. +After getting this information I went over to the officers' hospital and +got a certificate signed by Capt. Wood and Lieut. Best, and got Dr. +Bellinger, who came over to see how all his men were doing, to give me +one, and then Col. Hagood sent his certificate to me. In the meantime, +Dr. Wilson had told me to let my hand and arm lay so that the warm sun +could shine through the glass on it. After doing this a couple of days +my arm began to swell and turn red and the middle of my hand had become +somewhat inflamed. So now I was fixed for the next meeting. + +The day soon came, and early in the morning Dr. Wilson called me to him +and stuck a lancet in the middle of my hand, put cotton on it and +wrapped it up, telling me not get out of the board room without showing +all I had. When I was called this time, as I walked in the door, the old +doctor again waved me to the other door; but instead of obeying him I +went over to them and asked that they look at my hand. They agreed, when +I undid it and pulled off the cotton. It began to bleed. Then I pulled +up my sleeve, showing them my red, swollen arm. After seeing this they +consulted and told me they were sorry that it was so they could not +furlough me. I certainly deserved it. I then went down in my breeches +pocket and brought out those certificates, which I handed them. After +reading these the old doctor said to his clerk, "Give him thirty days." +I do believe Dr. Wilson was as much pleased as I was, and he got my +papers for me and got me off that same night, making me twenty-four +hours ahead. I left Richmond that night on a crowded train. I got a seat +with a poor fellow who had just had his leg cut off, and I helped him on +his way, getting him water, dividing my rations with him and at nearly +all the stations home the women would be at the depots with something to +eat for us wounded. I kept the old fellow in good shape up to Williston, +where I left him. + +I was so accustomed to walking that I did not even ask anyone at +Williston to send me home. It was only fourteen miles anyway, and I had +no baggage of any kind, so I did not feel that I had much before me. I +reached home in due time, and mother and my sisters all seemed mighty +glad to see me. They had heard of the Fort Harrison fight and slaughter, +and heard that we were in it; and had even heard of some of the killed +and wounded, but had heard nothing from me and had decided that "no +news is good news." Hence, they were not surprised to see me. + +After remaining home with my own people a few days I went up on the Four +Mile to see Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, _my other people_. I remained there for +about ten days when I went back home. It was not much longer now before +my thirty days' would expire and I determined to be back to my command +on time. When my sisters knew that I had been appointed a sergeant +nothing would do but that they should put the stripes on my sleeves. I +didn't care to have it done, but they put them on anyway. + +Well, the time came for me to go back, and when I got to Williston to +take the train it seemed as if I had a wagon load of boxes filled with +everything good to eat and clothes to wear. There was a box for Sid Key, +Ed. Harley, Job Rountree, Jno. Williams Canady, Darling Sprawls, Bill +Kitchins, Mathias Hair, old man Walton Hair, Frank and Jno. Green, W. W. +Woodward, Darius Ogden, and perhaps others whom I can't recall. Of +course, I had one for myself. How I ever managed to get these to the +camps I don't know, but they all did get there, and, it being not long +till Christmas, old Company E had a regular "jollification." There were +a few members of the company who did not live near me and did not get +any box by me; but, all the same, those who had divided with them, and +the entire company fared well for a while. + +I found our command still below Richmond. I walked over from Richmond +and struck the line up on the hill, and discovered that our brigade was +down towards the left. I passed on down the line. Now, there were nice +breastworks on the front, built out of logs. The quarters for the men +were some of logs, some with logs covered with tents and some with tents +only, situated in some one hundred yards in rear of the works. The space +between the works and the quarters was used for a drill ground and a +general street. Down this street I had to go. I had not gone far before +some fellow cried out, "Here goes the dominecker sergeant," and in no +time you could hear it for a mile ahead, "Here comes the dominecker +sergeant." Then it was that I cursed myself for having on those stripes. +I was not fit for duty for several weeks after getting back, but did +take charge of _my company_, however--Morrison and Stewart. + +Things about now were looking squally for our cause and a good many of +our army were getting worn out and discouraged. The reports from +Johnston's army made matters look more gloomy, and as time went on +Sherman commenced his raid, going to Savannah and then turning up and +entering South Carolina. Our men with families at home, who were being +left homeless and in a starving condition, were very much disheartened +and discouraged. Some desertions were made. I remember among the first +was a man named Mack, from Orangeburg. He had heard very distressing +news from his wife and children, and, failing to get a furlough, he +determined to go to them. He was brought back, tried by courtmartial, +convicted and sentenced to be shot. I can never forget that day. The +entire corps was turned out in a large open field and formed in a hollow +square. Twelve men from our regiment were drawn on the shooting detail. +I was the sergeant on the detail. My duty was to have these twelve men +march out twenty paces from the stake erected where the man Mack was to +be placed. When reaching this position I had the twelve men stack their +arms, then I moved them back out of sight and turned them over to Lieut. +Southern, who was in charge of them for the execution. I then went back +to the stacked arms and loaded the guns, putting blank cartridges in six +and loaded cartridges in six, and restacking them. + +Then in this square a wagon drove in. On this wagon was Mack, sitting on +his coffin. On each side of the wagon was a guard; in rear of the wagon +was the band. This procession started off at one end of the hollow +square; moving to the right, the band playing the death march. They went +all round the entire square, giving each and every man a good +opportunity of viewing it. At last they arrived at the other end of the +square, when Mack, without assistance, got off the wagon and walked to +the stake. The coffin was placed just in rear; then Mack was asked to +kneel down with his back to the stake, and he was tied to it with a plow +line. He was blindfolded. Now Lieut. Southern, with his twelve men, was +seen to enter the square at a quick step and was halted at the stacked +arms. Lieut. Southern gave the command, as follows: "Attention, detail. +Take arms. Carry arms. Ready--aim--fire!" At the report of the twelve +guns poor Mack's head fell on his chest--he was a dead man. Lieut. +Southern immediately moved his men off, so that they would see as little +of it as possible, taking them back, disbanded them to their different +commands. This ended the first and last lesson we ever got for +desertion. It was hard to see, but such had to be, else our officers, +from poor Mack's captain, his colonel, brigadier general, up to the +Christian soldier, Bob Lee, would never have allowed it. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + + +Some little time after this I was the sergeant on the picket line. The +enemy's line of picket was some four hundred yards off, but in fair +view. At midnight I sent William Dyches, a private from Company E, to +relieve the vidette and to remain as vidette till day began to break, +then to come back to our picket line. Just as day had fairly broken and +Dyches had not come in I took a look for him, and was surprised to see +him nearly over to the Yankees. I took a shot at him, but missed him. A +Yankee then hollered over to me, saying, "Say, Johnny, we've got one of +your small potatoes." I replied, "D----d small, but few in a hill." +Dyches had always been a very good soldier--had never shirked duty and +was ever there in a fight. He was from the section of Barnwell district, +now Aiken county, known as Cracker's Neck, near the Upper Three Runs. +Dyches did not reach home until after we all had surrendered and tramped +from Appomattox home. We never went back to the trenches after the +charge on Fort Harrison; remaining, however, below Richmond until the +night of April 1st, when we abandoned our quarters, gave up our +breastworks and took our march for Richmond. We reached Richmond after +midnight and everything was in confusion and uproar--the city was on +fire in more than one place. Soldiers on horse and on foot were going +in every direction--old men and women and children were on the streets +weeping; all that, together with the heavy firing we could hear at +Petersburg, told us that Richmond was gone--Richmond, the goal that +Grant had striven so hard for and for which he had sacrificed so many +lives, would be his at last. In passing through Richmond I lost both +Morrison and Stewart--they escaped me in the confusion. + +We went on through Richmond, giving it up to the Yankees who entered +just behind us, and just before noon we reached Petersburg. Here we +found our troops hardly pressed. We were placed in position some four or +five hundred yards below the bridge which spanned the Appomattox River, +with orders to hold the bridge, as it was the only escape our whole army +had, and to lose this we were captured. We held the advancing enemy all +the afternoon until late into the night after our army had crossed. We +were drawn off and crossed over, then, pouring oil on the bridge, set +fire to it. After seeing it in flames we took up our march as rear guard +to Lee's army on that ever-to-be-remembered six days' march, _and every +hour a fight_ to Appomattox. + +I don't know how to tell of this march. Things happened so fast and we +were pressed so hard that we were at one place for only a few minutes +and then at another. In a fight here, holding the enemy back long enough +for our troops to cross a stream, or even a narrow place in the road, +then we were gone. I know at Farmville we had a good, stiff fight, +holding the enemy back while our troops crossed the bridge, and at one +time it seemed that they would cut us off. Some of our troops waded the +creek, neck deep. After passing this place just on top of the hill we +found our quartermaster and commissary wagons deserted and afire. Just a +little further on we stopped to blow, and I made up a fire and beat up +some batter, put a flap-jack in the frying pan. Just as it was ready to +turn over we were ordered to make a quick charge. I grabbed my frying +pan, flap-jack and all, and went into the charge. We drove the Yankees +back, and, getting back to my fire, I finished cooking my flap-jack, and +it ate right well. + +For six days and six nights we did not stop for sleep nor for rest +longer than ten minutes, but those ten minutes were used for sleep. It +was a fight and a run the whole time. I saw men--and I did the thing +myself--go to sleep walking along. Two days before reaching Appomattox +Frank Green slipped out on the side, to see if he could get something to +eat. He got off some half mile and had succeeded in getting a half +middling of bacon from an old woman. He stuck his bayonet through this +and swung it on his shoulder and started out for us. He soon discovered +that the Yankees' cavalry were between him and us. He therefore had to +outmanoeuvre them some way. Being in any open country this was hard to +do. Two of them soon spied him and went for him; but, after an hour or +more, Frank came in _with his bacon, too_. Along about now I was again +barefoot. I had not had an opportunity to run upon any dead Yankees, as +_we were doing the running these times_. So I commenced looking around +for a pair of shoes somewhere. I soon discovered that Sid Key had a pair +of number sixes hung onto his belt. Sid wore about tens. I bartered him +for a trade. He was willing to sell, but he wanted cash. However, he let +me have them on credit, with the understanding that I would pay him +after the next fight if I got anything from a dead Yankee. We never got +into another fight _where we held the field_, consequently, I never had +a chance at a dead Yankee; and I owe Sid for those shoes yet! + +On the morning of April 9th, 1865, we were halted in a field. Firing was +going on down on the front. We had not long stopped when we noticed that +the firing on the front had ceased. We were lying down on each side of +the road. Presently we saw two men galloping up the road. On reaching us +we discovered one to be one of our general's staff officers, the other +to be a Yankee officer. Right then there was excitement. We knew +something was wrong, but what was it? Sleep and exhaustion had gone; +everybody was up, stirring around and wondering. We were held here in +this position and under this strain for over three hours, when the +report got started that _Lee had surrendered_. Very shortly after we +heard this we saw a crowd of horsemen coming up the road. We soon +recognized Gen. Lee among them. Every man got on his feet, and we +commenced yelling for Lee. The old man pulled off his hat, and, with +tears streaming down his cheeks, without a word, he rode through us. Lee +was not the only one shedding tears--old men who had wives, sons, +daughters, even grandchildren at home; middle aged men who had families +at home; younger men who had left a young wife, and young fellows like +myself--all were bowing their heads with tears; but no thought of +censure; no criticism of Gen. Lee, ever entered the minds of any of us. +We knew he had done for the best and we had more confidence in him, as +he rode through us that day, than we ever had before, and we loved him +more. We knew how humiliated he felt, and, knowing this, we were anxious +to make him feel that we recognized that he had done right, and our +confidence and love for him, instead of being shaken, had been +increased. He was certainly now more of an idol than ever before. + +That afternoon we were taken into the oak grove and put in the Bull Pen, +as we called it. This was only going into bivouac with a guard around +us, _but not a Yankee guard_. We could not have submitted to that had +that been attempted; the last one would have been knocked out during the +night. But we had our own men for our guards. We were not allowed out of +our lines, nor were any Yankees allowed to come in; but they hung around +and seemed surprised that they had such a hard time in overwhelming such +a crowd of rag-a-muffins, and so few of them. + +On being put into the Bull Pen it so happened, and we immediately +discovered, there was in our regimental lines a large barn pretty well +filled with ears of corn. We were soon scrambling for this and men could +be seen going in all directions with an armful of this corn. It looked +exactly like each man was going to feed a horse. It was well for us that +we struck this luck, for we had nothing to eat; and when there is +nothing better, parched corn goes mighty good. We now filled up on our +parched corn and by good dark everybody seemed to be asleep--the first +sleep we had for seven days and nights, since we left Richmond. We awoke +the next morning, and, after taking our breakfast (parched corn again +and water), we felt very much refreshed, after a night of sleep and +rest. We would hang around our lines, seeing anything that might take +place. During the morning Gen. Lee, accompanied by Gen. Meade and staff, +rode around. I suppose Gen. Lee was showing Gen. Meade how few men he +had surrendered him and the condition they were in. On passing by us we +began to cheer and yell. Meade turned to his color bearer, who had his +headquarters' flag rolled up, and said, "Unfurl that flag." This he did, +when an old, ragged, half-starved, worn-out Confederate soldier in our +lines cried out, "D----n you old rag. We are cheering Gen. Lee." This +old fellow, like the balance of us, was no more whipped, penned up here +in the Bull Pen, overpowered by at least ten to one, starved, naked, +broken down, than he was at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor +or the nine months in the trenches and below Richmond. We were not +whipped, and we never felt whipped; but felt like men who had done their +duty in every emergency, and now, while we were forced to give up the +struggle, it was only to overwhelming odds and resources. But we were +yet men and men, too, who were entitled to and would get the admiration +of the entire world. We knew we deserved this, and, knowing it, we held +up our heads, not ashamed to look our victors straight in the eye. _And +they, the Yankees_, acted with much consideration, and like good +soldiers, and good Americans can only act, did not show that exultation +they must have felt. While they seemed to feel proud, of course, at the +result, yet we had their sympathy and good will. + +This was April 10. We remained in our lines the entire day. To this we +did not object, as we needed the rest, and, besides, we did not care to +move around much. Again, we had a good night's sleep and parched corn +enough to eat. Early on the morning of the 11th it became known that we +were to be taken out and surrender our arms, ammunition and everything +else. We were, however, allowed to retain our side arms and blankets. +The side arms consisted of, with the officer, his sword and pistol; with +the private, his haversack, canteen and little hand axe, the axe that we +wore stuck in our belts and which had been of so much service to us in +building log breastworks at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, +Petersburg and below Richmond. We noticed in the morning, say ten +o'clock, the Yankee columns moving down to Appomattox Court House. At +noon our drums beat for us to fall in. In a short time we were again in +ranks. Lee's army was now moving down the road towards Appomattox Court +House, every man fully armed, cartridge boxes full and the men well +rested. We knew we were being taken to stack and give up those arms +which had been a part of us for four long years; but we did not lag or +skulk. Had Gen. Lee, then and there, ridden out and said, "Boys, there +are the enemy, go for them," there would have been no man to question +it; we would have broken through, no matter the odds. But we marched up +in front of them, where they were formed in line of battle, with our +heads up, showing them that a soldier knows how to die. We were stopped +and made to face them, and then, for the last time, we heard our boy +colonel, Jim Hagood, give the command, "First South Carolina, order +arms, fix bayonets, stack arms, unbuckle accoutrements, hang up +accoutrements." When this was completed we heard again his command, +"First Regiment, attention. Right face, file right, march." _The deed +was done._ Now we were truly prisoners--nothing with which to protect us +from either danger or insult. We were carried back from whence we came, +and we took up our quarters as before. We suffered no insult in any way +from any of our enemies. _No other army in the world would have been so +considerate_ of a foe that it had taken so long, so much privation, so +much sacrifice of human life, to overwhelm. Gen. Grant had acted nobly +towards Gen. Lee. His men acted considerately towards us. + + * * * * * + +[Illustration: OUR BOY COLONEL.] + + JAMES R. HAGOOD, + COLONEL OF (HAGOOD'S) FIRST S. C. REGIMENT OF VOLUNTEER + INFANTRY, C. S. ARMY. + +Of him General Lee wrote as follows: "It gives me pleasure to state that +Col. J. R. Hagood, during the whole term of his connection with the Army +of Northern Virginia, was conspicuous for gallantry, efficiency and good +conduct. By his merit constantly exhibited, he rose from a private in +his regiment to its command, and showed by his actions that he was +worthy of the position." + + (Signed) R. E. LEE. + Lexington, Va., 25th March, 1868. + +J. R. Hagood volunteered as a private in the above named regiment, just +before its departure to Virginia, in the summer of 1862, under the +command of Col. Thomas Glover, who had succeeded Johnson Hagood to the +colonelcy of the regiment upon the latter's promotion to +brigadier-general. + +J. R. Hagood was promoted sergeant-major of the regiment August, 1862. +He was promoted adjutant of the regiment November 16th, 1862. He was +promoted captain of Company K January, 1863. He was promoted colonel of +the regiment on 16th of November, 1863. His commission being dated +within ten days of his nineteenth birthday, he was doubtless the +youngest colonel commanding a regiment in the Confederate Army. + +This rapid promotion came to him while serving in and forming a part of +"that incomparable infantry which bore upon its bayonets the failing +fortune of the Confederacy for four long and bloody years." He +surrendered at Appomattox, with Lee's Army, having participated in +nineteen battles in which at least 20,000 men were engaged. + + * * * * * + +That evening Col. Hagood got enough paroles for the men of his regiment, +but did not give them out. The next day, April 12, Col. Hagood, having +decided to try the scheme of keeping us together, started the tramp for +home. Early in the morning the Yankees had sent us over some beef, and +upon dividing this out each man got one-fourth of a pound. This was the +only rations we had issued to us during the time we were in the Bull +Pen; but, in justice to the enemy, I must say that they, too, had not +had anything issued them. + +I guess we had traveled so fast and furiously that their wagon could not +keep up. Here we were, six hundred miles away from home, not a cent in +our pockets, and only one-fourth of a pound of raw beef. Can a more +deplorable picture be drawn? Col. Hagood marched us off, keeping us +pretty well together till night coming on we stopped. We had traveled +about twenty miles towards home this day. After stopping for the night +Col. Hagood called on the few officers present to meet him, when he +explained that we had no money nor had we authority to confiscate +something to eat. The men now had nothing and hadn't had for over ten +days. He had thought it best to keep them together as long as possible, +and now he had gotten them some twenty miles away from the Yankee army, +he saw no other alternative but to give each man his parole and turn +him loose to get home the best he could. He was satisfied this was the +best course. All the officers present agreed with him, and that night +each orderly sergeant was given the number of paroles to be filled out, +inserting the man's name. By midnight Orderly Sergeant A. P. Manville +and myself had them all ready for Company E, and early next morning +Sergt. Manville called up the company and gave to each man his parole. +Then, with tears in our eyes, we bade each other good-bye, and took our +course for our desolated homes in old Barnwell District. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + + +Jim Diamond and I did as we had always done--joined our fortunes--and +taking a kind of byway we soon were away from any soldiers. We +considered it so much better to leave the highways and public roads, as +on the private ways we would stand a much better chance to get something +to eat. We found this plan to work very well, and during the whole +distance and time we took to get home we never went hungry. At times we +would strike a highway for a short distance when we would run upon a lot +of fellows tramping for their homes, some of whom had to go so far as +Texas. How they ever lasted that long and held out to make such a +distance I can't conceive. + +We would generally stop at nearly every house we passed and beg for +something to eat, or for milk or buttermilk; and there being only two of +us, we were hardly ever refused, consequently, we never wanted. After so +long a time we were in the neighborhood of Danville, Va. We concluded to +go by and take in the place and see what was going on there. We reached +Danville early in the morning and found an immense crowd--it seemed that +all of us had taken in the place. Not long after we reached the city we +determined to charge a store in which there were some government goods, +and a big crowd soon gathered. It did not take long to batter down the +doors and get in. Then the scramble began. There were bacon, meal, +molasses, clothes, blankets and everything else. The way the men got the +molasses was by knocking out the head of the hogshead and dipping in +their canteens. In one instance the pressure around a hogshead was so +great that one fellow next to the barrel, being pressed so tight, was +raised off his feet; but he deliberately stepped over into the barrel, +standing up in the molasses to his waist. He filled his canteen and then +crawled out. + +Jim and I got in this raid a small piece of bacon, some meal, a couple +of army blankets and a McClelland saddle. We then went on down town to +the depot and found a train of cars standing on the track headed +southwards. The engine was fired up and every available space, inside +and outside and on top, was taken, and all that was necessary to move +off was an engineer. Just away from where this train stood was a +magazine, filled with all manner of explosive missiles. In some manner +this magazine caught and soon the explosion occurred and pieces of +shells were flying in every direction. Then those who were on the train +began to get away--some even jumping through the car windows, others +from the top. While this was at its worst a Texan jumped on the engine +and cried out, "I am an engineer; I can run it. Give me a fireman." +Immediately someone answered his call. In the meantime, as the others +jumped off, making room, Jim and I got on, and our Texas engineer pulled +out amid the confusion from the live magazine. Whether he knew much +about handling an engine or not, he did certainly let it run, stopping +for no place nor for nothing, until just before reaching Salisbury, N. +C., an axle to the tender broke. This, of course, put an end to our +ride. Deserting the train, leaving it on the track, we again pulled out +afoot. We had, however, made a good many miles, which did us much good. +In due course of time we struck the neighborhood of Charlotte, N. C., +and desired to "take in" that city, too, for we wanted to see and hear +what might be going on in the world, we having confined all our +movements to country roads and country houses. We went into Charlotte, +and, having our haversacks well filled, we were in no hurry. We loafed +around the town taking in the sights. Here again we met a large crowd of +Lee's paroled men, and here again we made a raid on some government +stores. But as we had plenty to eat we didn't take much hand in it. +However, we got a bolt of real good jeans--about all we did get. + +Jim had traded his saddle before reaching Charlotte, consequently, we +were not hampered with carrying that. We left the city before dark and +continued our course south, regardless of where we would strike next. +Sometimes we had to go some distance to get a ferry across a river, and +in one or two instances a farmer would take us over in his batteau. We +were faring right well, and, as neither of us had a wife and children +awaiting our coming, we did not push hard after leaving Charlotte. The +next town I recollect passing through was Newberry. We heard of the +assassination of President Lincoln at Charlotte. On reaching Newberry +early in the morning we were the wonder of the town. They had not heard +of the surrender of Lee nor of Lincoln's death. It seemed as if the town +turned out to see us. + +We stopped here only long enough for Jim to get a shave, the barber +doing it for nothing. We slept in a farmer's barn that night about eight +miles from Newberry. This farmer gave us supper and next morning +breakfast. And we went on our way rejoicing. Our next stop was at a +farmer's house in now Saluda County--Mr. Ready--on the Columbia and +Augusta Railroad. He was an old bachelor and made us come in his house, +giving us supper, bed and breakfast, and an early start the next +morning. Besides, he gave us directions how to get to Pine Log Bridge, +across the Edisto River. We crossed the Edisto in the afternoon and took +that big old sandy road for White Pond. Reaching that place, just before +sundown, we went on our way, and between sundown and dark we stopped at +a little log cabin, asking for something to eat and telling the lady, +Mrs. Beach, that we would sleep in the pines. This she would not consent +to, but made us walk in, prepared supper, made us down a pallet in front +of the fire. Before going to bed she told us her husband was a soldier, +too, belonging to Lamar's Second South Carolina Artillery, with +Johnston's Army. She had not heard from him since they left Charleston. +Beach did get home all right. + +Next morning she was up bright and early and gave us breakfast and +Godspeed. It was now only a few miles before we would reach the forks of +the road where Jim and I would part, he going to Barnwell and I to +Joyce's Branch, ten miles above Barnwell. The nearer we reached this +fork of the road the more serious we would become. We had eaten and +slept together for nearly three years--had shared privations together, +and in prosperity we divided with each other; and now, we were on the +verge of parting, perhaps never to see each other again. We had been +passing the burnt houses, done by Sherman in his march, and we did not +know what we might find at our homes; but we well knew there were hard +times ahead of us. At last, we arrived at the parting place, and, by +common instinct, we determined to make the parting short. Jim took the +bolt of jeans from his shoulders, where he had it slung, told me to pull +it out, and then, doubling it in the middle, cut it in two. _This was +all._ Without saying a word more, we shook hands and turned off quickly. +Jim had about twelve miles to Barnwell; I about ten to Joyce's Branch. I +reached home just as they had finished dinner. They, too, had not heard +of Lee's surrender. They hunted me up some old clothes, sent me to an +outhouse to wash and clean up, and then buried my suit of Confederate +gray, as that was the best thing to do with it. I was very much +gratified to find that Sherman's raiders had not gotten as high up as +our place. The nearest they came, however, was only one and a half miles +off towards Barnwell. I found that none of our negroes had run off, but +all were at home making a crop, and mother had a good supply of "hog and +hominy." + +There were, however, about a dozen cases of smallpox on the place, left +by some straggler, the most of which was among the negroes. I was not +afraid of it, having been well vaccinated while below Richmond, and I +did not hesitate to go right in to it and help all those who had it, +both white and black. It was but a few days before my sisters had me a +real nice suit of clothes, made from the jeans we had raided at +Charlotte and divided at the forks of the road. The first time I went to +Barnwell I saw Jim Diamond in his suit made from the other part. + +Now, the war is over, and we are again civilians. My reminiscences of a +private are at an end. There are things I should have written in these +had they occurred to me at the right time, and perhaps there are things +that might have been left out. But when I would take my seat to write I +did not know what I intended saying. It seemed to come to me by +inspiration, and I would just write as fast as pencil could go. I will +have to ask the public to be charitable in reading this. Recollect, I +went into the war a mere country boy, fourteen and a half years old, and +returned to a ruined, desolate and impoverished country at eighteen +years and six months old. + + + + + * * * * * + + + + +Transcriber's note: + +Obvious punctuation errors were corrected. + +Both "afoot" and "a-foot" appear and have not been changed. + +P. 7: "insistant" changed to "insistent" (At my insistent request). + +P. 24: "forteen" changed to "fourteen" (fourteen hundred strong). + +P. 30: "bill" changed to "hill" (About half way up the hill). + +P. 33: "Arthur Tompson" changed to "Arthur Thompson". + +P. 67: "cheerfull" changed to "cheerful" (in a loud, cheerful voice). + +P. 67: "closly" changed to "closely" (closely followed by the enemy). + +P. 67: "of" changed to "on" (I lay flat on my belly). + +P. 70: "semed" changed to "seemed" (These bullets all seemed to go +through). + +P. 79: "biled" changed to "boiled" (boiled shirts). + +P. 90: "timesome" changed to "tiresome" (nine long, tiresome and +eventful months). + +P. 115: "out" changed to "our" (we abandoned our quarters). + +P. 126: "crowled" changed to "crawled" (and then crawled out). + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41616 *** |