The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-04-30


eral other officers, put in their appearance tc
witness oar drill. oar proficiency drew from
! them words of commenlation, which was TO us
in measure, some justification Of the good
opinion we had of the Macbeth Light Artillery.
When mention is made of the race course
my mind bridges over the chasm Of twenty five
years of tire that utervcnes between tho peri
ods of 1861 and 1886. and Rev. James Depass
stands before the imagination rs dashing
young minister. who did the duties OF a sergeant
and locked after the spiritual interest of our
company. His was \ character that you had TO
study to understand. And the more you read
him and the better you knew him. the more Of
II man you found him. To al appearance, he
was ms we'll pleased with himself rs q peacock is
seemingly forgctful Of all else but self, put
spurs to his horse, and fly far out of his prop
or place in the drill. and return laughing as if
1t were joke, and receive the rebuke of the
commanding officers in the best of humor lie
was lacking in stability of character, and a
vein of lcvity ran through his conversations
These made him y target for miSjudgments,
unkini remarks and severe criticisms. But
with all Of his short comngS, which were
largely overcome By his many gooi qualities of
heart and mind. regarded him ai,chrs
tian gentleman, and msscl him when he left
the Company.
IL was also at the race course that w. A.
Nicholson received his hurt that united him for
active service in the field. Our horses had been
VOL rol f,ro 4
was more of a youth then than he il now, and
full of fun. In the indiscrctiou of his young
manhood. he mounted, without saddle or bride,
one of these pampercd horses, tha, was easy to
start and hard to stop. In some way, rs Mich
olson was sailing along over fences, brush, and
bitches, he received n conclusion of the spinal
column, that So disabled him that he had TO
give up the severe duties of the artillery ser
vice for lighter work The efficient service
that the Macbeth Light Artillery thus lost was
given to tho country in faithful AMI kind nurs-
ing of her sick and wounded. The end Of the
war found him at his post in Columbia. where
he was when Hampton vacated it, and Sherman
entered it. lie saw the first blaze from tho
torch that burned Columbia, and il II living
witness Of the fact, that it was sherman ) com
mand not Hampton 5. that did the icndish
work.
While VIC were at the race course, target
shooting and snake hantng were some Of the
amuscments the men rcsorted to for relieving
the tedium of camp life. They formed squads
and marched down the bitches on either side Of
the race track. dig into the holes along the
banks, and kill sometimes rs many as - or n
100 snakes at n hunting. These were some
times suspended in the air as targets for pistol
practice. In the company were some good
shots, and the Macbeth was divi lei rs to who
cxcelcd. 1t was conceded believe that Ser
gcant c. I. Scaifc and James Bunch were the
best. Alar|e and magnificent water oak spread
its pendent limbs over the camp, and its top
most bows were favoritc resorts for small birds.
Sergeant Bunch shot into bunch of them and
one came down minus its head. Sergeant
Scaifc was then called for, and at the report of
his pistol, another bird came down without a
head. Had both shots been irel by ono man,
it might have been some evidence o.. good
marksman. Both of them might have fired 4
hundred times more without touching n biz .
thing aS barn door. They had good sense
enough to stop shooting before their laurels
"''''''' :" '"c wv" "cc''r'''' s""'S served
inc PURPOSE VI "''l'is UP 'ne'r rcP"'a''o" aS
brac shot-.
1t was n traditional belle; among Ch1rlest"n-
ians, han tel dpwn from time immemo-
.''' ''''' - w '''7"' ""' Vt ''' cay """''S
'"'' '''S "''''''' "'''''H N""'"''' N'>H 5"'' pre-
e'''!"'o" 'o' ''9' VI ''""''! ''N''' "' not
N"o" '"'' - "'S u" '' ""! '''c''''t '"' ''
's''''" - """'S VII" "a'' '""' VIC 'ha"ge"
our quarters to the Accommodation wharf, as
soon rs the heat Of approaching Summer was