The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-06
.auPRAdSE FROM SER HUBERT :
.!o,A-E>f
A Gallant Virginian tells q Bit of Per
N ~" sonal History. :.

The following letter from the Rev. A.
Toomer Porter, published in the 1; Augusta
Chronicle and C5nstitutionalist, of yester-
day, is reproduced 10 the Ne,us and Cou-
rier, without the. knowledge of the gen,
tleman whose war record it gives to the
public: Hi-'' B. R!R.
Editors Chronicle and Constitutionalnt:;.
I was last week at the White Sulpher
Springs, in Virginia, where l met Com
modore Pegram, who is sd we'll. known
throughout the country. In the course
of conversation, at which DR.. VIM; Hu:
ger, Mr.. Frank Huger and other Chatles'
tonians! were present; the Commodore
gave us the following information, which
was SO new to ali of us that determined
to publish it, which I now do, with the
Commodote's consent, that the gentleman
whose heroic conddct is Narrated may re-
ceive at the hands OF his fellow=cjtii7fsen1ua fsen1ua
that honor which he has so rich merited.
In the year 1856, Commodore Pegram
then in command Of the Nashville was,
with his wife, in English waters1D One
day a very bfight-eyed, intelligent, well
hammered young gentleman. an English:
man, came to him, and asked that he
might 4take, passage With him, ,tpo oMe
Southern States} Sas he wanted I'd Jcome
and join the army of the Southern States.
Commodore Pegram refused the request,
saying he was under age and he could
not think of taking the youth out among
strangers, to run all the risks Of war.
The young man besought' the Commo.
dore, but in vain he asked if be could
get the consent of his guardian, if he
would let him have .passage7 The Com.
modore stih declined The youth then
went to Hon. w. L. Yancey, then in
London. He so worked upon Mr.. Yam!
cey's feelings that he wrote an earnest
request to the Commodore to bring the
young man over. Still the Commodore
refused. Just then the Queenof England,
having gone down to see the Tuscarora
and Nashville in port, ordered both to
sea. This command, for reasons, the
Commodore declined to obey, and he
went up to London to arrange for his
stay. While away, some hands we're
shipped on the Nashville, and in due
course she put out to sea. Some days
after the Commodore was accosted by q
very bright youth, who was all begrimed
with coal dust and dirt. He asked who
he was and where he had come from, and
to his surprise, found that it was the
young man who had tried to come as pas
senger. He told the Commodore he must
overlook iE,5 Bat hes had determi1ed Z to
fight for sthe South: The Commodore,
pleased with his spirit, told the officer of
the ship to put him to some other work.
One day, q certain paper passing through
the young mans hands to the Commo-
dore, he said it was very bad English,
and, If the Commodore wouldyallow. him,
he.wouid correctits This was. done, aud
so excellent was the report as made out
by the youth, that the Commodore i'm
mediately yimade him the captain 3 clerk.
On the arrival of the Nashville in the
South, the Commodore informed the Sec
retary of the Navy Of his appointment,
and asked t6atsit be- continued this was
ae once DONE Soon after this Commo4
dore Pegram was put in command of the
James River squadron, and took the
English youth with him, to whom he had
become greatly attached. The Commo-
dore says more faithful or intelligent serf
vice he has never seen rendered than did
that young man give to cause for which
he had left country and friends, and had
come, a perfect stranger, to help them in
their struggle. for constitutional freedom.
The feet in the James River was, for @
long while, inactive. It seems that this
young mans spirit chafed, for he had to
fght, and so one night a splash was heard
alongside the ship, IandFsooh d nanswas
seen rowing toward the enemy. There
was general discharge of guns at him,
but it was not known whether, he waghit
or who he was. The roll was called, and
none was missing but the Englishman.
The Commodore was very much hurt by
this, but he.felt sure thatsit would be,ex-
planned. A few days afterward there was
a very heavy engagement, in which Capt.
Pegram's battery was in the ,thickest.
After the fight Commodore Pegram re-
ceived a message from his relative, saying
there was young Englishman with them
badly wounded who wished to see him.
The Commodore went at once. Capt.
Pegram told him that he had never seen
such cool bravery in his life'as this young
man displayed ;c that he knew he had come
from his shfR; sc 5AdJtolA all the cir
he had swam out towards
the Yankees to escape our sentinels, but
had.turnedeas soon Eas spessible,a and had
swan ITO CAPT Pegfams batefy, where
he had taken part in the fight, and had
ss6alds Gsa ssSsE Ebs e sPG him
takenIto1Afrs, Cary,s,, I'M Richmond, and
carefully nursed.l While there an order
was issued for an examination of men for
Office in the ordnance department.. Com
modore' Pegram furnished his young
friend with BOOKS, and came two or three
times a;Week to examine chin. The Com
mbdors5says he progressed $50 rapidly that
SOON he found, himself unable 70 examine
him, as he knew more about it than be
did. He introduced the young wounded
man to a certain gentleman in Rchm6M
who lad some VerySine horses Ehis
gentleman Conceived such a liking sfor
the intelligent, brave young fellow that
he offered him 1.-The pick of, dis, horses if
he would come ont No. l in the fexamip.
alton. This the: youth n9destly gaid
could scarcely be expected Well, ssaaiid
the gentleman, pass your; exami9ls1ftiv3an,
and you shall have the second ch6ice.
The examination came off, and th9 youHg
man came out No. 1.-The best horse Of
the Stables was given him, and still
wounded and against iremonsttances, he
reported for duty. Before tho war was
over he had. pushed himself up to the first
position in ,his department. Commodore
Pegram's, history lis much longer than
this, but it may be summed in these
words that III ar his experience Of men
he never met with more devotion to duty,
more gallant action, seldom more ability
than this young Englishman displayed
on,all occasions, and in every position,
and how be has for him the most sincere
and devoted affection. The circle TO
wbono those thinpa wera told were all 80