Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-03-23

pany him, and came to Kentucky with
sothe Kentucky cavalry, who surrendered
at Mount Sterling; but over one hundred
under Lieutenant Colonel Diamond, Of this
cavalry, reported to and accompanied Duke.
General Vaugn, also, with about three hun.
dred of his brigade, marched with General
Echols to Charlotte. So that we had at
or near Charlotte, Dibrell's division, cons
sisting Of his own brigade, under Colonel
McLemore, and Williams Kentucky brig
ade, under Col. Breckenridge-about 300
fighting men; General Dukes brigade Of
Kentuckians, badly mounted, five hundred;
Vaughn's brigade of Tennesseeans, badly
armed and disciplined, three hundred
Ferguson's brigade Of A'abamians and Mis-.
sissipians, seven hundred; in all two thou.
sand eight hundred men-a large part bad.
ly mounted and armed-some of them dis
heartened and demoralzed. Mr.. Davis
reached Charlotte late that afternoon and
made the speech so falsely reported. Two
days after Gen. Breckenridge returned from
Greensboro with definite account of
what had occurred and been agreed upon
between himself and General Sherman, and
the existence of truce was officially pro-
mulgated.
Upon the morning of the 2eth of, April,
we were ordered to Nation Ford, and then
to cross the Catawba river. After resting
nearly twenty.four hours on the bank of
the river, we received orders to move, by
way of Yorkville and Unionville, to Cokes.
bury-Duke's brigade and Vaughn to move
by Chestervile, Unionville, and Lauren.-
vllle-Ferguson to move by lower route.
high water, burned bridges, &c, made MS
change our route, and we reached Cokes-
bury after Duke, Vaughn and Ferguson
had passed through from thence We moved
to Abbeviile, where all we're concentrated
by noon of May 2. In the meantime ru-
mors had reached us o: Johuston's surren.
der; Gen. Bragg had disbanded the Second
and Third South Carolina cavalry news
-of Wilson's cavalry moving to Augusta
and Lexington, Ga; stoneman crossing
the Savannah and moving to Athens, and
Atlanta being occupied, thus closing the.
entire line.of retreat to Taylor and For,
rest, Of the defeat Of Forrest at Selma; of
Foster moving towards Augusta from the
coast and OF the utter decentralization of
that part of Jobnston's army that has not
surrendered-had become rife through the
commands The men appreciated the ut-
ter hopelessness of the contest-the almost
equal hopelessness Of reaching the Missis-
sippi River and crossing it, or of General
Smith making any resistance.
At Abbeyille, late in the afternoon of
May 3, consultation was held-the last
military consultation in which the Confed-,
crate Government participated. 1t was
historic scene. Mr.. Davis presided with
Gen. Bragg, who had become by the surren.
der Of Lee, Johnston, Beauregsrd and
Cooper the senior General of the Confed--
eracy on bis righthand, and Genersl: Breck.
inridge, Secretary Of War, and Major Gen.
eral, on the other side of him. Next came
Brigadier General g. W. Ferguson, a gal.
liant and enterprising South Caroiiniap, a
West. Pointer, a pet Of Beauregard, and, a
fayor'te OF. Davis; next Gen: George a.
Dibrell, aplain practical, sensible,. middle
aged: Tennessee clerk and merchant. who
was beloved by his men, and had Justly
won his spurs BY long hard, skilfal, devo-
ted service; next, on a little sofa, sat two
young n1en-Brigadier General. Basil W.
Doke and Colonel William C. p. Breckin.
ridge, we'll known among the troops from
Kentucky in the Confederate army, and
then. near General Bragg aat Gen. Vaughn
Of East Tennessee, a brave officer. and an
earnest man.
Each officer was called upon to state the
condition of his command. Gen. Ferguson |
sanguiue himself, gase q TOD glowing ac.
count Of his men, as, the sequel. showed,
.bnt .atill bad he could sonnt. upon one
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