Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-08-04
Twenty Years Ago.
THE MEMORABLE SKEDADDLE FROM
BULL RUN.
TFrom tho Washington Republican, July
2I1

1t was no subject for merrinent- no
body felt like laughing thcu--but now,
after the lapse of twenty years, just listen!
The day was fcarfully hot (such days always
arc,) aud by IL O'clock, July 81, 1861, the
men were pretty well warmed up to tho work
before them. We wero in Sherman's bri.
gadc Che was aftcrward seard from by way
Of Atlanta and other points farher South)
ana of course We were ulso in tho fight.
There ure thousands living to,duy who
were in that fight and yet never saw Bull
Run. Strange! Wo were iu the fight,
but don't propose to draw picture of The
coMbut; such buttlcs can't no very well
described, especially when they happen TO
wind up with break down, followed by
III ''cvcry man for himself and the devil
take the hindmost" kind of dance, the
first step of which is easier than all the
rest put together. Certain details, however,
can be put on paper nfterward Here are
u few: Until along in tho afternoon every
thing couspired to favor the Unioh arms
that is, in tho main. Some valuable oil
GERS had fallen and quite number of men;
but the rebels had at some points been
driven back, at others met with rcpuIse
after rcpu!se as they attempted to ad?ancc
There was hard fighting aud stubborn re-
sistarce on both sides until-
GRERT CESAR, WHAT q RUSH!
a little squad of rebel horsemcu-
famous Black Horse Cavairy-somo thi,ty
less than hundred men, charged down,
and report says were mostly killed or
wounded. Nobody appeared anxious 10
ascertain which casualty had bcfallen them.
No one thought of stopping to investigate
or even ioquira into tho matter. Every
tody took to the bushes; everybody yelled,
"tho Black Horse Cavalry are coming" (at
lcas. everybody tried to yell that or some
thing e'sc,) aud everybody began to survey
route to Washir ston that would take
them to the National Capitol u half tho
distance We entered upon tho arduous
undertaking ut about snndown, and struck
into the piDo and cedar undcrbrush like q
locomotive jumping the trock into briar
patch Oh, Tut wo made things ny. aud
that horrid Blncl; Horse Cavalry close be-.
hind! We hadn't gone far when we got
the sdc-achc--and such an ache. I'VE
seencd all sides und felt like taking Il
rest. Dropping down in a secluded spot
we had just succeeded in smoothing the
wrinkles out of one side and getting the
cramps out Of Que leg when that ID con-
lou"ded cavalry came ripping and tearing
through the bushes.
OH, LORD!
Upwc sprang and away we Sped making
more noise than ten regiments Of horse
men, nd-how We tcrspired The fellows
who had got the start Of us and had been
doing little business in the resting line
themselves, h ard US coming. They thought
SIC we're the Black Horse Cavalry and tho
manner in which they b'azed a pathway
through the timber, leaving shreds aud
patches of clothing clinging to bash and
twig, vas cnution. Half a dozen times,
just as we felt like doing something else
than run. that Internal cavalry came swoop,
log down through the darkness and the
dense underground of scrubby timber, and
half dozen times We were forced to fec
that the government might mt lose our
valuable services. 1t was perfectly awful.
On one occasion one of the hidcous
monsters oaine 30 near that he spoke
called US by name. "What tho HI
does all this mcan?" he inquired. "Dam-
hbo," wo answered and FASTENED on without
stopping to think that there were thousands
of friends following on behind all between
us and the enemy. You see the woods
couldn't hold us all at once. We'll,
before great while VIC had udvanced some
considerable distarce-but through what
dangers pen can never tell, aud in what q
condition! Faces scratched and scanned by
brlars and bushes (thcrc were several Of
us) until they looked like highly colored
maps of the full moon; bistcrcd feet,
parched tongues, torn clothing and
PULSE $50 IN THE SHADE,
and running up through the roofs of
out futigue caps. by tho WY, there is
where those Gaps got their appropriate
name. Some of our number proposed holt,
bnt necessity knew no Law then more than
now We must be in Washington before
daylight. On wo rushed like many.
legged whirl~ind. Suddenly wc Gn the
singular numbcr) camo abruptly upon
prccipico overlooking a email stream that
just at that point ran in close where we
stood There was no time to reverse mo-
tion--no time to think; our impetus was
too great and therefore VIC shot ont into
space like two hundred pound prcjoctilc
from a monster cannon. 1t vas only fit.
teen ieet--wo came down kcr pIunker into
a bed of mud bordering Oh tho opposite
aide of tho stream. Before VIC could cx
tricatc oursclf the Gas wo supposedly whole
Confederate army, Black Horse Cavalry
and nl!, ulighted on top of US. "D--n the
mon that jumped tirstv' roa:cd one, as
his heels took us a lick in the head. couch!
its kilt intircly AMI" yelled another, us his
knees caromed Oh our spinal column. "For
Goddlon,ighty's sake help me out of this"