The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-18

50 that thoy could have tho last shot at
tho enomy.f 1t was there that your
brave boy, Col. II. f. Clybuin, led you
into That thrifIce, Of flame, Whore you
remained foq' over eighteen iours,
where every o,lo of your mem ,,Yas a
hero for whom death had no tcrrOrs,
where, 80 many of them fell On that
Dlood-deluGed field. / have always
regarded the charge Of tho Twelfth Mt
Spottsylvanin as enc Of the most strik-
ing scenes in tho dread drama of war
ana well worthy Of remembrance. Tho
requirements Of the occasion will not
admit Of my describing how You
nraVcd danger and dcficd death at
Jericho Ford, Second Cold IIarbor,
Deep Bottom, FuZzle's Mill, Jones's
Farm, Riddles Shops, Boydton Plank
road, Weldon Railroad, ReaWis>s Sta
ton and White Oak Road nor your
constancy and" courage during those
dreary days near Petersburg, when
the army was reduced to mere skir-
lnlsl'.lhie; nor how tearlcssly you
faced the foo az star after star faded
rom tho horizon of our hope. With
tho other regiments of tho Brigade
You stubbornlv' stood at Sutherland
Station and covered tho retreat of the
army, Your bold bearing was un-
miXed with fear as column after col
uinn Charging came. You reserved
your fire until they were within d few
feet of tho crest of the hill, when you
fired with deadly precision. They
rc'rcute1 they ran-.thcy Returned
out to DC ,rcpulscd. They again adj
Vahccd. Ihis time they were largely
reinforced and their right ovcrlappcd
inc Ictt OF our line. Still you were
! dctoht and unmindtul of the first law
OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. They
were IN your trout and on your flank
on were as firm under that terrible
1lre @s tho Spartans at Thermopyln,
whose dca,hlcss devotion to tl,3lv vo,,
were ready to emulate. You retired
only when ordered to do so, and Won
laceu the enemy and continued firing
as you rctrcatcd from the field. Your
gallant comradc, Lieut.. Wade III.
Reeves, and were wounded aud Tell
into the hands Of the Second Corps;
and l must say that they treated us not
only humanclv, but Hospitality. They
Sympathized with us anil dir cvcrv-
thing in their pow cr to make us com
Portable. l shall&ncvcr forget the gcn-
erouS manner in which some of their
officers spoke Of the THU gray line
tipped with steel which they: found it
So difficult to dSlodgc, that fought like
t"mnns in the best days of Rome.
Though sad at heart at being separated
from my comrades to whom NV
thoughts mourntully turned, my sor-
row was intensified to know that the
struggle, the sacrifice they were max
ing, was about I" DC shrOudcd in de-
| feat, could feel my check glow with
prlde us l lay and listened to the trjb-
ute that was paid to McGowan's Brig
attc by those that were arrayed against
theM. The unequal contest was rap
idly drawings to IA close. Lees feeble
forces We're being harasscd and hcmmcd
in on all sides.
WALL OF STEEL SURROUNDED THEM.
Weakened by famine and worn out bv
fatigue and fighting, they were forced
to Nield-not to the foe, but to fate,
against which there is 10 urmor. That
noble old army whose daring deeds
and unparalleled achievements had
awakened the applause of every civil
lzcd country, at the Kidding of it's
Chief, folded its flags and in" front of
,, Oyer 9Ss .llgs'gred thousand Federal
Soidicrs mId down its ten thousand
AihSS. ItooClt l-Cc-- tnc SinlDIC
| mention of his name thrills every
Southern heart to the very centre
There have been no darts OF tlctrlction
ieVrllcd at his character, which re-
stmbles polished mirror in which the
world can see the whitcucSS of his suur.
lie was as generous as he was great, as
good MS he wa,s grand. Our confidence
in him and our love for him were as
1 II ~ 10 ~ hi {s l.
said that the blood Of Robert Bruce
flowed in his veins. He was no less
| renowned than the hero of Bannock-
burn. In speaking Of Robert +. Lee,
am reminded of Curran's tclicitous
words touching the noble blood OF
Lord Edward Fitzgerald, which is no
less opposite when applied TO the lead
cr of the Army Of Northern Virginia
"Nonler than the royalty that first
ennoblcd it, that like a rich stream rose
till it ran and hid its fountains"
There is an Arabian proyerb which
! says "the remembrance Of the past is a
! sigh. 1t strikes the keynote to the
dirsc of our sorrow When we recall
| the many cherished images and hal.
lowed recollections Of the past. 1t is
with quivering lip and moistcned eve
| ,''Ns wv ~ w SpSrN VI out
who scaled the sincerity of their prin.
ciplcs in as pure and as precious blood
as ever anontod the sacred cause OF
liberty whose fame shines and ever
will shine in impcrishable glory
Many of them lie in unknown graves
beneath Nirginia's historic hills and
vcrdant wales, beneath the SUNNY
slopes of Sharpsburg and beneath the
suil OF Gettysburg; above which the
verdurc Of summer biooms--upou
which Gods bright and blessed sun.
light s!ines-ovcr which Heavens
fcathcred choristers swcetlv warble
their morning madrigais and the weird
wind softly and sadly sigbs as if in
sympathy for "the unlcturiling brave"
The! at least were spared the humilia.
ton of defeat snd the igno niny of its
Accomplishments. How sad to con
template the desolation and dcspai,
which followed the downfall Of tho
Confedcracy! With all save life and
honor lost, many Of our gallant com.
rat les returned to Carolina to find in
ruins the old homestead which had
cradied their infancy, and around
which clustered the most endcariuo
memories. The faithful father, the
fond mother, the sweet Young sister
the darling and devoted wife gone
from earth 10 ucarp and bop,,;nose &,