Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-05-15
GLORY WON BY ACCIDENT.
HOW A SOUTHERN PRIVATE CAME TO LIE
A CHARGE.


HOW SOUTHERN PRIVATE CAME TO LEAD
| a CHARGE.
Icarried gun in Bowles's Battalion. We
were mounted infanty and a part of Gen.
John Morgan's command from Kentucky.
The Yankees called us Morgan's Horse
Thieves, while the inhabitants of the noun
tain districts of Fast Tennessee would ask,
when they met a squad of us in bride
path, "Does youuns belong. to Mister Nor
gan's critterback company?"
In the spring of '64 Morgan's command
had just come up from South Carolina and
had gone into camp at Abingdon, Virginia,
when word came that Gen. Crook, the pres
ent Indian fighting hero, with Gen. Averill,
was moving with heavy force on Wythe-
vile. We took up our line of march for
that town, and right well do remember
the happy faces of the old men, the women,
and children who lined the curbstones of
the principal street as we rode our horses by
fours in a triumphal entry style before the
admiring gaze OF these nOn-cOmbatants.
There were no able bodied men in Southern
towns in those days. On the opposite side
of town, in beautiful woodland pasture, we
went into camp. Most of our horses were
turned loose to Craze while the men were
busy building Lighthouses to sleep in, or
hunting wood and water. A sudden change
came over the camp. The clear notes of
bugle rang out the familiar but not omin-
Gus order, SADDLE up your horses" Near
ly 800 men were instantly on their feet, the
officers shouting Saddle up! saddle upW
and the men calling to one another. 'Bill,
have you seen my mare?" Bring that bri-
die back here" "Where is my blanket 2"
and all the other hubbub of a hurried de-
parture. But here and there could be seen
the cool old soldier deliberately folding the
IL 81 4lo& ror both md
sleeping purposes, smoothing out every
wrinkle so as not to hurt the horses back,
placing it with great precision high up on
the Withers, setting the old "HeXas tree"
carefully over it, and drawing deft knot
in the belly band such as only an old hand
can make. He mounts with ease and grace
born of four years. daily practice in the
saddle, and gets into line long before his
fussy messmate.
We were all soon in line, and the orders
followed in qgck succession e by tWos right
away we went at double quick to Crokett's
and just before reaching the Cove we turned
abruptly to the left through pair of bars.
Gen. Morgan stood in the road and shouted,
"Close up, men," as we galloped by him.
It was evident we were making flank
movement on the enemy, and now could be
heard those first sad sounds to the practical
soldiers ear-occasional shots from the dis
tant skirmisers. To my taste there is moth
ing so gloriously eXhilerating as the hurly-
burly Of brisk fight-the rapid orders, the
rattle of small arms, the boom of the big
guns, the wild shout and rush OF the charge.
All sense of fear is lost, and nothing is
thought of but winning glorious victory.
But these first picket shots make you realize
that there is death in the air, and you think
of home and perhaps of religion if you've
got any.
Fortunately for us there was not much
time for indulging in these gloomy thoughts.
We were soon in 7sline of fight" as we al
ways called it, and Col. BoWles rode out in
front of US and at the top of his voice shout
ed, "Now, boys, if you want to give them
the bellyache, shoot at their knees" We
dismounted and rapidly moved forward
taking shelter behind a rail fence. The fir
ing was rapid, but the distance, some five
hundred yards, too great to do much execu-
ton. Some one raised our old yell, "Look
out for NIorgan's men," everybody went
over the fence, and to my surprise, the enc
my's line began to fall back. 1t now be-
came running fight and kept so until
about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, when our
line brought up against stake-and-rider
fence. The enemy was equally well posted
on the brow of the opposite hill: The
ground, dipped between the two lines of
battle, and a creek lined with alder bushes,
ran through the little valley about equi-dis-
tant between US. The enemy had made
"feld hospital" near and on our side Of the
creek, and as we lay behind the fence we
could see number of dead horses and some
men with clean white haversacks on them.
These haversacks were small bags, and l
became very much interested in them. We
had not had mouthful Of coffee for more
than four months, and, turning to the SOL
dier by my side, l remarked: Thompson,
do you see those haversacks down there ?'
A smile crept over his face as he replied
that he did.
"I'll bet you they are filled with Coffee"
said l. "You hear all these bullets going
over our heads? Now, if we skirt along
that fence that crosses the creek, we can slip
out and lie down behind those horses, be
safe, and get some Coffee"
"Al right" he said, eff you'll start, I'll
follow"
No quicker said than done. Over the
fence / went and Thompson after me. Just
before we reached the creek, out from be-
hind the dense alders marched obliquely a
regiment of the enemy. When half way
up the hill and just before we reached the
horses they gave us volley. sat down
with about six inches of bone shot out of
my leg. Thompson's right arm was taken
the head and heel and was spinning around
in a death struggle while was rapidly
crawling into a fence corner. Several 9TH
ers were hurt at the same time, but | never
had an opportunity to inquire who they
were, and for the time being l was thunder
struck to know how they got there. That
night four soldiers stumbled over me on
the rough ground. They took me in blan-
ket to Farmer Crockett's house which was
literally filled with wounded men.
On the next morning Gen. Morgan made
hasty visit to this field hospital. l was
well acquainted with him, and when he
came to the bench that l lay on he took me
warmly by the hand.
"Hardin," said he, ''that was a magnif-
cent charge you led yesterday"
I looked at him in blank amaZement, but
1 was too good soldier to deny the state
ment of superior officer, In thinking over
the matter | remembered there was rush
of men past me Just after I was shot, and on
inquiry 1 learned that when Thompson and
I went over the fence the rest of the COM
mand followed like flock of sheep, and
did not stop until darkness made an end to
the fight. / was afterwards told by q staff
officer that the General had remarked that
he intended making me lieutenant on my
return to the command; but, alas! the war
was over before l got off my crutches, and
the General and many Of my old messmates
sleep in soldier graves, while, among the
myriad Of surviving generals, colonels,
majors, captains and lieutenants of the Con-
federacy, / feel lonely, as about the only
soldier on that side who bore gun.-N. Y.
Sun.