Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-03-08
Mistellaaeotts Artitles.
LAST OF THE CONFEDERACY.
AN ACCOUNT BY A PARTICIPATION IN THE CLO-
SING SCENES.

LAST OF THE C0NFEDERACY.
AN ACCOUNT BY A PARTICIPATION IN THE CLIO,
SING SCENES.
We copy frou late number of the Gin.
cinnati Enquirer the following very inter
esting account of the aLast Days of the
Confederaoy" We can vouch for its entire
accuracy, especially of that portion which
refers to what trauspired at and near Able.
Vile, S. c., where we were located at the
time :-LouisuiRe Courier.
In your issue of November %, / see an
account of the last days of the Confederacy.
contribute this as my mite to full histo-
~ of that eventful month. was mem.
Der of DibrelPs division of Wbeeler's cav
airy, aud had some opportunities for know
ing much of what was trapspiring.
Our division had been selected to escort
Mr.. Davis from Greenborough to Charlotte,
and leaving Battle Bridge, over the Neuse
River, We reached Greensboro about mid.
night of April II, after two days and a half
of rapid marching. For the first time we
were fully Informed of the extent of our
disasters the retreat, defeat, surrender,
auDihlation of General Lees great army
and we're told that we were relied upon to
guard Mr. Davis, his cabinet aud archives
to Charlotte, aud keep of Stonemau, who
was lowering upon our right flank Next
evening as Mr.. Davis and General Breckiu.
ridge rode through the division, at the head
Of the Government cortege, they were vel
coined with the most enthusiastic cheers.
We continued our march towards Char
lotte. General Rreckinridge-the will and
brains of the Government in its last days
left Us upon the third morning, returning
to the army to hold those consultations with
Gems. Johnston and Sherman, of which so
much has been said. Perhaps the country
may yet believe that Sherman, Johnston and
Breokinridge we're better statesman and
truer patriots than Seward and Stanton
Mr.. Davis rode near up to the head of the
column all the time was always polite, af-
fable and accessible; seemed cheerful and
resolute; talked pleasantly, kindly and So
ciably to all who approached. Mr. Benja-
min aud General Cooper rode in an ambu'
lance, Mr.. Trenholm and family in another,
Judge Reagan, Coils Lubbock, of Texas,
Taylor Wood and Preston Johnston always
rode near the President General Lawton,
Quartermaster General, General Gilmer,
Chief Engineer, and General St. Johns,
with their attaches, Mr.. Mallory, Mr.. Geo.
Davis, and others of less note, accompanied
the Presidential party.
Besides General Dibrel's division, Gen.
eral Gary, of South Carolina, had small
body of mounted men, some seveDty.fiVe or
one hundred, collected at Greensboro, from
the debris of the Virginia cavalry At
Salisbury we met General Ecbols and staff,
of South Western Virginia, and various
staff, post and furloughed officers, who had
run from Richmond. .Lyuchburg, Abingdon,
Western North Carolina, and various parts
of South Carolina, men driven to common
centre by Grant, Sherman, Stouemau, Will
son and Foster; members of Congress, civil
functiouaries aud refugees. You may be
sure we dirty soldiers who had borne the
heat and burden and danger of the war,
made great sport of the beloved "post" Of
fcer, the "biled" shirt and black coated
gentry, who, without horses and unused to
camp life, were begging for mules (borses
were unattainable) so that they might &C.
company u.s. Gladly would kingdom
have been given for horse. Alas our
kingdom was in as desperate condition as
poor Richards was, and was not worth a
horse. For the first time during the war
we soldiers had revenge upon the gentle
men who had been seeking aud filling soft
places.
After moving across Ysdkin river, Gen.
Dibrell received word from Gen. Ferguson,
who, with small cavalry brigade, was at
Charlotte, that Stoneman was approaching
Charlotte, and begging him to move on i'm
mediately, which be did, marching all night
and reaching Charlotte about sunrise, to
find that Stoneman was not near the place,
but had deceived our officers there and
burned all the bridges over the Catawba-
Gen. Ferguson moved out of Charlotte as
soon as We reached there, to Nation Ford,
over the Catawba, the point where the rail
road from Charlotte to Columbia crossed
that river. About midday Gen. Basil Duke,
with the remnant of Morgan's celebrated
cavalry--about FIVE hundred reached Char
lotte from Christiansburg. When General
Ecbols disbanded his infantry and abandon
ed his wagons and artillery at Christians
burg, he ordered his cavalry to follow him
across the mountains to General Johnston
General Dukes brigade, was dismounted
their horses being in North Carolina, bnt
they seized the artillery and wagon mules
and rode bare backed to Charlotte.
A few of Dukes men refused to accom-
pany him, and came to Kentucky with some
Kentucky cavalry, who surrendered a
Mount Sterling; but over one hundred un
der Lieutenant.C Colonel Diamond, of thi'
cavalry, reported tosnd accompanied Duke
General Vaughn, also, with about three
hundred of his brigade, marched with Gen
Echols to Charlotte. So that We had .
or near Charlotte, Dibrell's division, con
sistiug of his own brigade, under Colone
McLemore, and Williams Kentucky brig
ade, under Col. Breckeuridgc-about l, ,3O(
fighting men; General Dukes brigade o