The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-12-11
THRILLING INCIDENT OF THE WAR.
How Hagood Rescued the Flag and Saved
his Brigade from Capture.

1nh1LL1NU 1NO1DGN1 OE AAI W AAtt
How Hagood Rescued the Flag and Saved
his Brigade from Capture.
From General BeaWegard's History.
1t was during the attempt to regain the
use of the Weldon road by the Federals
on the 21st of August, 1864, that General
Hagood, of South Carolina, distinguished
himself in personal encounter with q
Federal officer.
Owing toinaccurale reports of his scouts
General A. P. Hill. who commanded the
Confederate forces against Warren's ex.
petition, mistook the exact position oil
the enemy's line on the left, and, through
General Malone, who labored under the
same error, Hagood's brigade was ordered
to press the rear and flank of the FEEDER.
ais. He was to be supported by FIVE bri.
gades of Mahonc's division, supposed to
be already in front. The brigade drove
the skirmishers from their rifle pits, but
found itself in presence of strongly in
trencbed line, crowded with men and ar
tillery, extending right and left as far as
could be seen. The FIVE brigades OF
Malone were not there. General Ha.
good saw at once what perilous
strait he was in, and stopping himself,
shouted again and again the command to
halt; but the crash and rattle of twelve
or fifteen pieces of artillery and probably
twenty-five hundred rifles, which had
now opened upon them at close range,
drowned his voice, and the fury of the
battle was upon his men. Moving for.
ward with the steady tramp of the double
quick, and dressing upon their colors,
these devoted men, intent only on carry.
ing the position before them, neither
broke their alignment until it was broken
by the irregular impact upon the enemy's
works, nor stopped to fire their guns till
their rush to obtain the parapet was re-
PEELED.
When General Hagood saw his men
thus rushing upon certain destruction,
and his efforts to stop them unavailing,
he felt that if they were 10 perish he
should share their fate; and with Molony
and Martin and Orderly Stoney, lie fol.
lowed the advancing line, In fifty yards
Lieutenant Martin fell, shot in the knee;
few steps farther on and Captain
Molony fell, shot through the head, and
Hagood and Stoney alone reached the
works-the latter shot in the shoulder
but not disabled. The 25th and 2lst
regiments being on the left, from the
oblique direction of the advance, first
struck the works; and while they stag
gered to get in the other three regiments
swept OIL. When they reached the ditch
there was from seventy five to one hun.
dred yards interval between the two
divisions into which the brigade had bro
ken. General Hagood was with Major
Wilds, commanding the 2lst, who was
cheering on his men to renewed assault
success now being their only hope of
safety, when, looking TO the right, he
saw mounted Federal officer among the
men on the left of the portion of the
brigade to the right with regimental
color in his hands, and a confusion and
parleying Immediately around him that
betokened approaching surrender. The
fight was still raging at Hagood's right
and left there was no cessation on the
part of his men except in the squad just
around this officer, and none whatever
that was perceptible on the part of the
enemy. They had pushed out from the
right and left line behind the Carolini-
ans to cut off their retreat, and this officer
captain DAILY, of General Cutters staff
had galloped out of sally-port, seized q
color from the hands of its bearer, and
demanded surrender. Some officers
and men surrendered, but were not car.
ried in; others refused, but just around
him ceased fighting. General Hagood
called to the men to shoot him and fall
back in retreat. They either did not
hear him, or, bewildered by the surren-
der of part of their number, failed to
obey. 1t was critical moment, and
demanded instant and decided action. In
q few minutes the disposition to surren.
der would have spread and the whole
brigade have been lost. Making his
way across the intervening space, ex-
posed to regular fire by file from the
enemy's line scarce thirty yards off, and
calling to his men to fall back, which
they did not do, General Hagood
approached the officer and demanded the
colors, and that be should go back within
his own lines, telling him he was free to
do so. He commenced arguing the hope.
lessness of further struggle, and pointed
out the line in Hagood's rear. Hagood
cut him short and demanded categoric.
al reply-yes or no. Daily was man of
6ne presence, with long, flowing beard,
and sat with loosened rein upon noble.
looking bay that stood with head and
tail erect, and flashing eye and distended
nostrils, quivering in every limb with
excitement, but not moving in his tracks.
In reply to this abrupt demand the rider
raised bis head proudly, and decisively
answered, No! Upon the word General
Hagood shot him through the body, and
as he reeled from the saddle upon one
side spraDg into it from the other, Orderly
Stoney seizing the flag from his falling
hands. There was no thought of surren'
der now; the yell from the brigade fol-
lowing the act and ringing out above the
noise of battle told their commander that
they were once more in hand, and would
go now wherever ordered. Shouting tc
them to face about, Hagood led them al
run against the line il his rear, Stoney
holding aloft in front the recaptured flag
The line melted before the charge; but
the fire was terrific, after breaking
through it, till the shelter of the valley o.
the branch was reached. Upon its mar
gin fragment from scbrapnel shell
tore open the loins of the horse Hagood
rode.
He Did 1t Once.
sI naror Lnau Sam Baldwin TO tell thf