The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-11-01
So PER ANNUM.

and was engaged in cooking dinner for
myself and mess, who were sitting in the
back OF the hut, for we were in one of the
negro cabins. They were in hisi, pIee,
laughing and talking and were just in the
act of betting on some frivolous thing,
when bang bangw went guns close by
A moment we were still and mute. won
derIng What would be next. The next
'hng we heard was our Captains voice
with the word' parade, parade, boys -
Ont we ran. The men were running from
all directions towards our Captain. In n
minute or so we had started, but soon
found that had left my ammunition be.
hind, and back had to go, but soon
overlook them. We marched for abou,
a half mile in the direction we heard
The firing from, when suddenly some fif
teen or twenty Indians rose right up be
lore us from amongst the tall lank grass.
iired on us and then ran back. We had
not gone many yards farther before some
forty or fifty rose up from their conceal
ment and fired at us ; and then in n mo.
ment's time it seemed to me the whole
woods We're alive with legion Of devils
Tor never before or since have heard such
whoops or screams, and the balls fell like
hail around us.
Our little company was completely tax
en- by surprise, for we had expected to
have met with Captain Jernigans compa.
ny and acted in concert with them ar inst
our foes; but here was only band OF
ttirty-nine 20 stand against some three or
nal iFflI n.lI al, l..
men, but incarnate fiends. But soon
above all this pandemodian din rose our
Captains voice: Boys, each to a tree ::
hight them, but fight them in their own
style" We each gained tree-then
came that voice again: "Boys, each one
pick his foe to fire ut, and load and fire
as last as you can, and give them back
yell for yell" We fought until our of
ticers thought there was more bravery in
retreating than in rashly hazarding our
lives but the order came not for retreat
ing until most of the men had loaded and
fired some fifteen or sixteen times.
But how shall describe my feelings,
as stood behind that pine treel When
l heard the Captain say, leach to a tree. -
gave up all for lost. only had pres.
ence of mind enough to gain tree and
load, present my gun in the direction
would least see and hear an Indian, give
u whoop, fire and fall back; but as the
men commenced yelling and found that
l had still n voice, my feelings rose up,
and l almost exuted in my perious situa-
ton. could now load calmly, put out
an arm and an eye and take deliberate
aim, though the bullets were passing the
tree behind which | stood every second,
and fairly making music as they cut the
air in passing.
Every incident that happened to myself
g vividly impressed on my mind. Twill
mention two. Once in loading dropped
my ramrod. aimed to catch it on nv
knee-it s,ruck my knee, but missed
Catching 1t with my hand--it flew some
four tive feet. Have it must, 80
sprung as FAR as could, aud fell fat on
my face. AS | dill so, there must have
been twenty balls passed over my head I;
but got my rod, and gained the same
tree 10y crawling rs Hat rs could.
Again had been firing directly in
front Of me, not thinking of danger from
hind, when 10! on turning my head I
saw IL tall, grim, old-lookiug warrior rise
and point his gun directly at me. | am
gone now, thought, for had often heard
what good marksmen Indians were.
drew myself straight up and turned my
self To him in an inslant--a fair target
for HIM; but he was poor uar >smen,
Tor heard the ball as il went wbistlinp
by and left me unharued.
just about the time we commenced re.
, treating heard Allen, one Of my school.
mates, say, Captain, an wounded."--
The broken accents Instead Of the words
c'bIsed me To turn my head. Never shall
L forget his countcnance--such agon, ~
u portrayed. Every feature was stamped
with the hue Of death. ihouglt he had
but few minutes to live, but four or five
days afterwards he was found some two
mile further, on his hands and knees, as
II prayer WAS his last act in this life.
When the order came for retreatino,
some fifteen of the men with myself mis-.
understood it. The order was. retreat 10
the lot nj the camp, aud there make a
stand. Our understanding was To retrea,
4 - ''fst 10Y w tuc CdSt W us. we
gained this fence, and instead Of climbing
or leaping over fell over, and ON looking
down tue linc of fence, saw that most oi
the men had got over in pretty much the
same manner. could not but laugh, AS
men do at times in the greatest danger
And danger was here, Tor the balls few
thick over and around us, and some hit.
ting their mark, but so far spent as lot 10
40 any material injury, at least most ol
them. Afler ] got over the fSnae ! stop.
ped, rs il was here thought we were u
make stand but in moment, seeing
the inen keeping on, started too to ',run
for my life" Ny momentary delay near
ly proved fatal to me. now thought
would run in tlIo direction of the camp
6nt on turning nay head saw that the
Indians were As thick in that direction A.
behind us, 30 ! kep,in the course the inen
had takeu.s There was small poud dir