Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-30

f~OAuLGcSl CJutulUuo ACLG OuA wy y
railroad for Richmond, Va, having
been received direct by the Confeder-
ate States for service during the war
and ordered to that point. The gal
liant company, composed almost entire
ly of young men of our city and vicin-
ity, and every man having friends and
relatives here, naturally attracted a
very great crowd to witness their de-
parture and to bid them God speed on
their mission.
In the last two months we have
been in the habit of witnessing scenes
of this kind at our depot, at the depar-
ture of Vicksburg and other companies
for the war, but the scene yesterday
surpassed anything yet witnessed. One
hundred and five of as gallant spirits
as ever a community furnished for an
occasion had assembled to take their
departure for the theatre of war.
and their relations and friends to the
number of at least two thousand met
them at the depot to bid them farewell
and cheer them on their journey.
They were escorted to the depot by the
Home Guard and Warren Cavalry, two
of our splendid corps, composed of the
bone and sinew Of the land as well as
by Southrons company band. Walker
Guards, d new company forming here,
aud also by the Beauregard Rangers,
a company of gallant Ooys. These
escort companies comprised the fathers,
brothers, relatives and friends of the
gallant young men who were about to
depart-whilst the whole depot build.
ings and grounds were crowded with
a brilliant galaxy, composed of the
mothers, sisters, relatives, wives and
sweethearts of the gallant soldiery,
and our readers must imagine,
for we find ourselves unable
to describe the many interesting
scenes and affecting incidents of the
occasion, one of the most solemn and
intensely affecting it has ever been our
lot to witness; and God grant we may
never have to witness it again, upon a
similar occasion.
That this company composed, as it is,
Of such gallant spirits. many of them
the pride of our families and the flower
Of our young men will fulfill the high
expectations predicted for them, no one
can doubt !. and we feel assured they
will return to us crowned with equal
honor and success, as did their prede-
cessors, the Volunteers and Southrons,
from the Mexican WAL and then such an
evasion as will greet them never was
seer in Vicksburg.
That the God Of battles may guide
and protect them through the perilous
scenes they are to encounter, and return
them safely to their homes crowned
with honor and success, is the prayer
of thousands who witnessed, and shed
manly, patriotic womanly, and bitteI
tears, at their departure" There were
many accessions to the ranks of the
S~ouLnrons however after they reached
Richmond and other points during the
war, among them poor Harry Eggleston
w. IL. DEMO, Richard Clarke, Ha.
Lewis and others OF our city the writer
has forgotten. AT Richmond. Va.
Bartlett, the "Winn Boy" Chloe
Barksdale, and George X. Bircheti
Joined us, but where are the noblt
spirits that composed this comp my on
the morning Of May 20, 1861, as th'y
marched TO the music Of old Ton
Roach up Washington street? Go tt
the Richmond cemetery and there find
Frank Hume and Beach Realing, Jr.
who were the first to fail il
battle, wounded al Savage station
and who Can forget that grave OIL
Malvern Hill that contains all that Ii
mortal of poor VIII Brown, Brecount
Heath. Oscar Hitch, Harry Eggleston
and viii II. Shaw. 1t was a sad mo
ment when five or SIX of US, having
gotten the mangled bodies of those sil
noble spirits together and deposited
them in one grave far from home ant
where they fell in defense OF wha
they believed was right stood aroun'
the grave with bowed heads and lis
tened to the beautiful funeral servtc,
of the Episcopal Church as read by Jo
Lyons. But we cannot dwell too mucI
on giving the names of those who fel
nor the battles in which they fell, fear
ing we would tire our readers.
The Southrons were reorganize'
in 1870, but accomplished nothing
In 1878 they were reorganized, with A
NJ. Paxton, Jr., as Captain. In 1885,
with Capt. John A. Klein, jr, in CON
mand, at Meridian, Miss, they me
aud defeated the Vicksburg Rifles an
West Point Rifles. In July, 1885,
under Capt. G. j. Searles, they drille
at Greenville, defeating the Aberdee
Guards. Columbus Rilemen an
Claiborne Light Guard. Immediate
- after the Greenville drill the Soutl
~ rors were challenged by the We
ct Point Rifles. The challenge was a
&c cepted and the drill, Capt. Searl'
a commanding Southrons, took place
/, Vicksburg, A, gust 18th, 1885, tt
or West Point Rifles, under Capt. r.
OF o Levy, winning on account of their S
al periority in skirmish drill. the Sout
e, rons never having practiced it.
n. Oct0har Odd 1894 they drilled