The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-04-16
Written for the TINES.
"REMINISCENCES
OF THE
MACBETH LIGHT ARTILLERY.
By ONE OF THEM.

written history that must be wrestsd from oh.
hvion BY the surviving members Of the COM
pany, or IL will soon DO forever lost. During
the war read all tho official reports Of the
battles In which it took part, and many remi-
niscsnees since. and if any allusion has ever
been made to the company it has not been my
pleasure to see it. / am induced to write out
my recollections Of it, moro with the view Of
drawing out others, than any hope Of interest
ing tho general reading public.
That the efficiency Of the Macbeth Light Ar
tillery may be better understood, deem Il
worth while to speak briefly of the arst Com
pany that loft Union in defence of tho ordinance
Of secession, passed goth Dec. 1860, by the
representatives Of the people Of South Carolina
assembled in convention at Columbia. In an.
ticipation Of that Act, q company had been or
gsnized in Uuion with that fearless soldier,
J. NJ. GADBERRr rs Captain. As soon a. the
ordinance Of secession was passed he left the
convention, Of which he was q member, and
Immediately proceeded with his company to
Charleston, where preparations for war was
actively going on. The company was assigned
duty on Sullivan's Island and became one cf
the ten that composed Col. MAxcY GRHao's first
South Carolina regiment. Col. 0REaa's com.
mand was soon transferred to Morris Island,
where it remained until after the fall Of Fort
Sumpter. The infantry on tho surrounding
islands were witnesses, rather than partci-
pants Of the bombardment that humbled the
stars and stripes and hoistsd the Palmetto lag
over Fort Sumpter. To US the war now seem
ed over, and our thoughts were of going homo
without military glory. A few evenings, how
ever, sfter the fall of sumpter, while the rsgi.
ment was on dress parade, Col. GREaa made us
speech, telling US that we camo to Charleston
to fight the enemy, that We had been disap-
pointed, but there was still n chance for US.
The enemy had invaded Virginia. and Gov.
Fletcher asked South Carolina for help.
Shall he call in vain All who are willing to
g., step four PAGES to the front More than
three-fourths Of our company stepped to the
front and contrasted most favorably with the
other companies, which were pretty equally di-
vided between the front and rear lines After
We returned to our camps, a patriotic appeal
was made to the company by our worthy and
popular orderly sergeant CHARLES. W. BoYD,
in his easy flowing style and, with few exoep
tions, those who did not volunteer at dress
parade now wheeled into line. The next day
We were transferred to Charleston and took the
train at the North Eastern depot for Rich
mond.
Ovations, feasting, patriotic speeches, love
making were in order at stations, towns, and
cities along the line Of travel. The war spirit
had set aside tho etiquette or formslity Of an
introduction, and our company; being composed
largely Of young men, love making at frst
sight, was to them the most interesting feature
Of those patriotic demonstrations. We had
Some young married men in the company, who
were very much in the way Of the blushing
youths who had NO experience in the art of
courting The former sent cupids darts direct
to the hearts Of the girls, while the latter
thought it necessary to approach them as Grant
did Richmond, by ciroumlocution. Many have
since learned that direotness was q quicker il
not the better plan. The trip from G ha rleston
to Richmond was an enjoyable one, and 10 ng to
be remembered.
On reaching Richm on d We were assigned
quarters at the Fair Grounds. Our camps
were thronged daily by the citizens Of Rich
mond, and we were lionized rs much as IL we
had swallowed Fort Sumpter, Maj. Anderson
and his men. We did not think it necessary
to dsmpen their admiration for US, by telling
them that in taking Fort Sumpter we were SOL
diers at o distance. In q few weeks our de-
lghtful stay in Richmond ended, and we took
the train for Manassas Junction. Pretty much
the same scenes were enacted along the line Of
travel that we had witnessed in our trip to
Richmond.
We heard great deal about Manassas as 9
strategic point, and Imagined that it was q
city Of some Importance, and that We would
have delightful time there. as We had had in
Richmond. You can we'll imagine our disap-
pointmsnt when we found ourselves emp,isd out
in barren old field with scarcely house in
view. But there was no time for lamentations
over the contrast between the uninviting field
Of Manassas md the happy homo that glided
30. swiftly by in Richmond. We were now
living amid stirring times. War clouds were
now gathering thicker and darker and the OK
ctement more intense. have no diary for
refreshing my memory, but it was, perhaps,
the next day sfter we reached Manassas, that
Col. ELLSWORTH invaded Virginia, entering the
State at Alexandra, and captured company Of
virginians stationed there. As Ellsworth de-
scended from tho hotel with the secession flag
that foated from the dome, he was shot dead
by Jackson, the proprietor, who in turn was
himself shot and bayouetted 10 death BY the
federal soldiers. Such was the exciting news
ten times magnifed. that refugees aud escsp ing
soldiers brought on tho 6rst train from Alexsn-
dria, while reports that the enemy were march
ing on Manassas were rife the live-loug day.
AZ q precautionary measure, suppose, Col.
GREoa lead his regimen. after dusk two or
three miles along the dirt road 70 Alexandria,