Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-10-10

Court.
Ratified September 2l, 1866.
From, the Southern Presbyterian.
Deceased Soldiers.
COLUMBIA, s. c., July IT, 1866.
To the Clergy Of South Carolina;
When, at the close of the year 1854, I was
appointed to collect and record the names Of
all from the State who had perished in SER
vice, it occurred to nae that if an appeal were
addressed to the clergy of all denominations,
they could give me thousands OF names, mas
much as their ministerial labors had made
them, no doubt, acquainted with every be-
reaved family not only in cities, towns, aud
villages, but also in the dispersed settlements
of every district. The appeal was immedi-
ately prepared and sent to thirty-one Episco
pal ministers; one responded; to ninety-fve
Presbyterian ministers; two responded; to
two hundred and thirty-one Baptist ministers;
five responded, and of these one sent but one
name and another two names. Not being
able to obtain list of the Methodist clergy
and their post-ofices, (there being then no
such list,) sent an appeal to them through
the columns of their journal published in Au.
gusta. know not if this reached them.
Perhaps not, as am not aware that single
minister of this widespread Church made
any response to the appeal. 1t may be that
few lists of names without signature came
from them or other ministers. | am sure this
failure should not be ascribed to unwilling
ness andindifference. The same request was
mailed to forty.three of the Senators and one
hundred and twenty-one of the Representa-
tives who had appointed me to this work, and
only two responses were received, and one OF
these contained but single name. At that
time the army Of Sherman was on its march
from Savannah, and in few weeks all the
lines decentralization with Columbia were
completely broken up; so that if any wished
then to send me information, it. was hardly
possible for them to do so. 1t is due to the
Rev. E. A. Bolles, Bible Agent, that [ should
here thankfully mention the interest he has
taken in procuring names for me.
desire now to renew my request for the
assistance of the clergy, because they pene-
trate to every homestead in the State, and
can with little trouble gather many names Of
the dead. Communication by msil is still
very imperfect. Only o small number Of
post-ofices have been re established. In
many sections the people cannot be reached
by advertisement in newspapers, and perhaps
cannot be made aware of the agency 10 re-
cord the names of deceased soldiers by any
means so readily as through the pastors Of
churches. There is, too, something almost
sacred 10 the object we have in view, that
commends it to every sympathisirg heart,
and renders it appropriate that should So
Iicit the aid of the clergy; as though the
cloud of battle were still hanging ever our
lines, and bleeding veterans brought to the
rear, and while the surgeon nournfully turns
his head, we lay them dying at their chap
lain;s feet And from him we would seek
the memorial of an obituary4or the->briet
epitaph.
II for each Congregation and its neighbor-
hood paper be prepared with the following
headings, viz; Name in JaH; District ;
Rank; Company; Regiment and arm Of SER
rice; Day, month, and year Of death; Cause
of death Where he died, and age; and ifan
opportunity be given forrecording the names,
etc, it is probable that in short time many
names will be obtained which otherwise might
never have bceu preserved.
Instead of closing my appeal at this point
I an induced to add few remarks 10 Show
more forcibly the necessity Of assistance in
order to make the Record complete. est
mate that about 10000 soldiers from South
Carolina died during the war. These were
for the most part, vigorous young men. AS
a people we may sadly adopt the expression
ascribcd to Percles, when in funeral ora
ton he referred to the deceased young sol
diers of Athens: " The spring has been struck
from our year." Our youths went forth at
the call of their State, buoyant and full o
hope, and with the assurance that it they
fell, their names would be honorably preserv.
cd at home. Such expectation has ever sus
taiued tbs spirit Of the patriotic soldier. Ii
was amidst the bloody civil conflicts of al
overgrown republic that Cicero wrote, Memo
u,lqnaum sine magma spe immortaliiatis Sc
pro patria ofsrTd ad monem." Herodotus
says of the Sparans who fell with Leonidas
81 have learned the names of all the three
hundred" But with US there is moreover
solemn obligation to make record ct oui
fallen sons and brothers, because we publicly
promised them that this should be done.
have the names OF about five thousand
who perishcd. The gentleman who preceded
mo in this work lad, with the advantage oi
extensive mail facilities and of official reports
from the army, collected more than seven
thousand names. Not one of these came to
me from Ills large collection, The whele
work had TO be b. gun anew. All letters that
reached me in consequence Of my first appeal
in, January 1861 havcbeen saved. But there t,
is reason to believe that many mailed bout
that time never reached me. know this to
be the case with reports from the army then
in the field. While the overwhelming rum
at home produced these losses of what had
been prepared and sent for record, the sud
den breaking up of our armies in Virginia
and North Carolina caused the loss, dessruc.
tiop, or abandonment, TO large extent, OF
company and rcgimental papers; and at the
same time the records Of deceased soldiers
kept in the Second Auditors office i'll Rics-
mond were consumed, on the evacuation OF
that city, by the burning of the r. Il. Depot
The only source of information now left is
our own people and our returned soldiers.
With the hel p OF all, we may possibly rescue
from oblivion the names Of the brave men
who have fallen. In this the clergy can give
me efficient aid, if they will and believe
shall not appeal to them in vain.
WIN. J. RIVERS.
ADANeEEoUs CasE.-Some 20 years ego
farmers barn in the 7icinity of Worces;a.