The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-01
Anasrsptt gatelIigeltter.
GLORY WON BY ACCIDENT.
How Southern Private Came to Lead
Charge.
Mew York Sun.

How Southern Private Came to Lead
Charge.
New York Sun.
1 carried a gun in Bowles's Battalion;
We we're mounted Infantry and part OF
Gen. John Morgan's command from
Kentucky. The Yankees called us Nor
gan's Horse Thieves, while the inhsbl-
fants of the mountain districts of East
Tennessee would ask, when they met a
SQUAD of us in q bride path, Does
yoIuns belong to Mister Morgan's critter-
back compauy?"
In the spring of '64 Morgan's command
had lust come up from South Carolina,
and had gone into camp at Abingdon,
Virginia, when word came that Gen.
Crook, the present Indian fighting hero,
with Gen. Averill, was moving with a
heavy force on Wytheville. We took up
our line of march for that town, and
right we'll do I 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 8. triumphal entry style before
the admiring gaze of these non. n.combat-
ants. There were no able. bodied men
in Southern towns in those days. On
the opposite side of the town, in beau
tiful 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 hunt
inp wood and water. A sudden change
came. over the camp. The clear notes of
a bugle rang out the familiar, but now
ominous order, Saddle up your horses"
Nearly 300 men were instantly on their
feet, the officers shouting Saddle up
saddle UP !" and the men calling to one
another. "Bill, have you seen my mare|
"Bring that bride back here. " = "Whers
is nv blanket?" and all the other hubbub
of a hurried departure. But here and
there could be seen the cool old soldier
deliberately folding the blanket that an
swered for both saddle and sleeping pur'
poses, smoothing out every wrinkle so as
not to hurt the horses back, placing it
with great precision high up on the with
ers, setting the old "Texas 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 or.
ders followed in quick succession, "By
twos right into line," "March," " "Trot,"
"Gallop," and away we went at double
quick to Crockett's Cove, four miles away.
It was hot ride, and just before reach
ing the Cove we turned abruptly to the
Left through apair.o bars. Gen. Nor,
gan stood in theroad and shouted, ."Close
up, men," as We galloped BY him: 1t
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 distant skirmishers. To my
taste there is nothing so gloriously exhil-
Grating as the hurly- -burly of a 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
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 ewere soon in slime OF fight" !"
as we always called it, and Col. Bowles
rode out in front OF US and at the top Of
his voice shouted, CHOW, boys, if you
want to give them the bellyache, shoot at
their knees" We dismounted and rap.
idly moved forward taking shelter behind
rail fence. The firing was rapid, but
the distance, some five hundred yards,
too great to do much execution. Some
one soon raised our old yell, 'Look out
for Morgan's men," everybody went over
the fence, and to my surprise, the ene-
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
we'll posted on the brow of the opposite
hill. The ground, dipped between the
two lines of battle, aud creek lined with
alder bushes, ran through the little valley
about equi- distant between US. The ene-
my 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 haYersacks on them.
These haYersacks were small bags: and
I became very much interested in them.
We had not had a mouthful of coffee for
more than four months, and, turning to
the soldier 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 cof-
fee," said I. "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" %&
"All right" he said, '.ifyou'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 behind the dense alders marched
obliquely regiment Of the enemy.
When half way up the hill and just be-.
fore we reached the horses they gave us a
volley. I sat down with about six inches
of bone shot out of my leg. Thompson's
right arm was taken off the next day.
"Buck" Smith was hit in the head and
heel and was spinning around in death
struggle while I was rapidly crawling in
to fence corner. Several others were
hurt at the SAME time, but I never had
an opportunity to inquire who they were,
and for the time being 1 was thunder
struck to know how they got there. That
night four soldiers stumbled over me on