The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-11
ell together and his guns in fighting

trim. at the Greensboro surrender as
lieutenant commanding, and the only
commissioned officer with the Battery,
he surrendered one hundred men, two
twenty pound Napoleon guns, two twelve
pound Howitzers, with equipments COM
plete and everything in fighting order.
His battery was the last to surrender, the
most of the others, about eighty in num-
Der under General johnson, being in a
demoralized condition. Without COM
plement of men or horses enough to
carry them to Greensboro they were left
in the camps. Mr.. Gilbert's account of
the surrender, and the feelings that over
powered him when he went out on the
field to give up his guns, is touching.
The fate that overlook him was inexora-
ble-there was no escape and he had to
face it. When he gave up the guns he
had fought so manfully for so many
wears and turned his back upon them
forever he could not restrain himself aud
gave way to tears. He surrendered, was
paroled and returned to his home, and
began the work of repairing his wasted
fortune.
Mr.. Gilbert has taken an influential
part in the politics of his county since
the war, and in 1865 was elected to the
Legislature from Sumter county at the
head of the ticket. He served in that
body through two regular and two extra
sessions, and always voted with the right
side. He has an impressive way of
telling what he knows, and during his
legislative career did some excellent
work.
Better than all this, Mr.. Gilbert is a
consistent christian of the Methodist
persuasion, and is one of the useful and
prominent members of that great body
in this State. In December, 1869, he
was elected by the South Carolina Con-
ference lay member of the General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, which met at Memphis,
Tennessee, in May, 1870, this being the
first session of that body after the laity
were admitted to representation. He
was again elected delegate to the Gen
eral Conference which met at Louisville,
Kentucky, in 1874. He has been lay
member of the South Carolina Annual
Conference since 1867, when the laity
were first given the right of representa-
tion, and a member of all the district
conferences within the same time, and
attended each and every one Of them
with but q. single exception. He has
been steward in the Methodist church
at Sumter for twenty years, and the
superintendent of the Ssbbath-school
connected with that church for ten years.
For eight or ten years Mr.. Gilbert has
been laboring to improve the financial
operations Of the Southern Methodist
church, and more especially Of South
Carolina Methodism. .Uponithis subject
he has spoken frequently and eloquent
ly in the general; annual and district
conferences, as well as iD the meetings OF
his own church and among his own
people. He thinks that the prosperity of
the church depends almost entirely upon
the iberality and promptness of the
members in paying tithes. He urges q
more liberal, a giving spirit on the part
of all true Christians, and by his persist
ent and unremitting labor in this behalf
has had the qualification of seeing the
contributions Of his own church increase
at least fifty per cent. The prosperity OF
the church is necessary to the welfare OF
society and the growth of the country,
and so long as men refuse to aid in the
spread of the Gospel by giving literally
of their means they stand in the way OF
any permanent good to the State.
Mr.. Gilbert was married in Sumter
county on February IA, 1850, to Sarah
Ellen Flowers, superior woman, who
still lives.
Take him all in all, Mr.. Gilbert is a
most excellent gentleman. He is con-
servative in sentiment and life, and de-
voted to country.