The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-28

G.zEnE
good things Of so good man as ]. Althcns
johnson.
The Reception at Col. EarToW's.
| Col. T. Stnhn FGrrow entertained the MEM
bcrs of the Press on Saturday evening, where
Il s:Oodiy number OF ladies end gentlemen
! were met. Senator Butler the members
OF the Huusr, and others were there. Col,
! f'afrOw and his excellent wife won the good
gruccS OF all our party. Mrs. FaTrow Is a
most superior woman Whose goodness oi
heart and grace Of manner Will always WIN
those with whom she meets, and Colonel Far
! row took the best of care of us not only that
night hut during our whole stay. He was
first to greet us and last to bid us goodbye at
| the depot.
Except Senator Hampton, the South Caro-
lima Representatives were especially aticn-
tive to our party, and contributed much to
the value OF their trip. Senator hampton,
| although he boarded at the house where we
stopped, spoke to very few OF us. One OF our
party not being willing TO go home without
speaking to him, sent up his card. The Sena-
tor in reply told the servant To tell him he
| iUIampton) was not in his room. A member
of the Press Association heard the Senator
| give this instruction TO the servant.
! Mr. n. Sims MurchsOn was among the
South CaroinianS whom we wero glad to
meet in Washington. He has Il fine appoint.
mcnt, and is doing well. No truer or better
man tlmu Sims Murchison is to bc found in
all that great city.
Mr. Samuel Latham, son of DIR. Latham of
Due West, was also among the good men
in the way in which he should go, and he
will not depart.
| At Church.
On Sunday morning the majority of our
party went to church. some going TO one
l church, and others to other churchcs. Ihe
editor of the Press and Banner in company
with Mr.. ]. Althcus johnson, went to near
Rev. J. p. Newman, ID. d., at the Methodist
| Metropolitan church. The subject was the
"RcStraning Influence OF Personal Presence
and it WAS most able ana enter tanning SER
mon. If all preachers would give Thought
and attention TO the matter Of their sermons
ana the manner of their delivery, we would
hear fewer homilics on the Importance OF at
tending divine service. If the preacher
makes it rule to deliver entertaining and
| instructive diScour$cS, the people will appre.
ciatc them, and there will bc no lack of hear
crsat the Sunday services. II ltiSmore often the
| preacher, than the people, If thcpcwS are va
cant in our churches OH Sunday morning.
i The people will go where they are entertain
ed and our churches should be made as at
tractirc rs Others places.
The Battle of Manassas.
In the afternoon we went to see the .pano-
rama of the Battle of Manassas This Is in
deed the most wonderful optical Illusion that
We ever saw. The whole scene appears to be
! present in reality together with all the men
| and Implements of warfare. The scene was 81
realistic and sublime that the reader will par
don us if we make liberal extracts from the
| city newspapers in reference 10 II. Inc
! Washington Post says:
"Thc visitor proceeds along n covered pas
sage and up a winding staircase. The last
step up is long one. 1t covers many miles
and twenty-lour years Danish all things pres.
ent and, WaShingiomian, we arc on Douglas
Heights! 1t is no longer to-day; IL is the Both
of August 1862 Peace was q dream Of yestcr
day; this is war and we are in the midst of IT,
On this reality the sun looks down and
smiles thrOunh rust!ng trees and casts long
shadows on The yellow fields. Away to the
cast the blue hills rise and fade into the tender
sky \ white village nrstlcs nearer. still
stands n frightened looking little SclonE
house; Il homestead here and there, fruitful
orchards, and peaceful meadows. The village
| is Ccntrevilic, the hills arc the Bull Run
range, the homcsteads have historic names
, and the fruitful orchards and peaceful mead
| ows are obScurcd by the smoke and strcwll
with the killed and wounded of the battle o
| Manassas. Far away lines OF Union inflntry
make steady progress with disciplined rur-
! pose in this direction or in that. Nearer
SQUADS Of I.OngStrcctS artillery come gallop
In. Into action. Here group of gunncrs III
grey, tense ard eager, load and fire; there
across placid brook, wccd-grOwn and stony,
| ring-Or will ring. in Il m0ment-threc dts
tinct reports that mark the duclS OF as many
| Federal and Confederate officers. Vines climb
and nod over the shattered rail fences that
shelter Confederate gunncrs; thin rcd
stream tricklcS into lucid brown pool that
|
| chrome Lee, but the hero hiulsclf Erect
brcathng.tnlkingt to the unmistakahle Long
! street, and Wilcox sits on his horse supcrbly to
! the right. Somewhere In This wide horror. n
o.es glasses arc strong enough, one could
| find every gallant boy the newspapers put in
the list Of "killcd and wounded at Manassas
all those years ago. y dead negro lies supinc'
! ly by the ruins Of supply wagon; pltcouS
| hand with Il stain on 1t is lifted from tanGlG
of bricis in u fence corner. Staggering men,
bursting shells, and maddened horses are
everywhere. To the left Is the wild, gallant
charge OF the brigadcS Of Chapman and
| Buchanan upon JackSOnS lines. cntrenchcd
in the railroad cut that stretches sharply
across the Iiclds in the middle distance.
| "lt Is not real; it is illusion; yet the art
that produced it is perfect. Tho movement oI
| these massrd men struggling forward III spite
of the awful fire of the confederate gunncrs
into their unprotected flank is marvclously
"For tho sake of those who measure their
appreciation in currency, II may he said That
! It cost S!3j,0CD and that Twelve men, under
the supervisor of Mons. puilpnt: made the
! picture ort of innuulcrahlc yards Of canvas
and 7,0D pounds of paint"
The Washington Critic says:
| "Ihc construction Of the piece Is such that
the spectator seems To- stand in the center OF
! the iicll; at his feet is u dark pool OF clottcd
| blGOh, Il mESkct, an old havCrSark. or sol
dierS cap; over yondcr Il dead man. his glaS-
~ eyes looking at you with Il "laStly stare
I At Il glance you take in the battlefield. Far
nesting In Il grove of green trees that seem to
rustic IN the summer wind, is the village ol
! GrOvclOn. FitZ John PurtrrS headquarters.
THAT is his command that you see coming
| over the field there, in solid phalanX, In long
! lrallnliOnS, in Struggling companies, The sun
glinting up the stern faces of the men. ON
they come, charging up the Si.ht dcclivity
! tow rd the line OF JackSon'S men. intrcnchcd
over there by the railroad. Just as they
reach the crest of the hill Il vOllry OF grape
CRASHES through their left flank and there arc
! horrible gaps in the line of blue. Colonel
| Ices artillery of twcnty.fpGr guns is hurry.
iug over the field l.C:I the westward, and
aud three guns are in position. Again, Il
crash from the artillery, u rattle of muSkrtry
from COn:cdcratcS concealed in the copscs, anu
! the lines of blue WavCr for 4 moment.
/ "But only for Il moment: the gaps close up
| and on over III" crest Of the hill they COME
Il company deploys TO III" lcff and, kncetnS
in the grass, begins to pick OF lie artilrrists.
At Il brcaii-nccii speed over the fields come
more of Colonel Lees artillery, and taking
! position behind the rail fence now fire on the
advancing Frdcra!S. The shells 20 kissing
y through the air high over the heads OF the
first rank Of the foe and drop in the middle 0i
I tic phalanX moving on through "lcach Or
c!Iard Farm Great bare spots .Nt tie side Oi
1 the hill mark where the shells fail. TO the
| right Of Colonel Lees battery is l.ongStrre:s
command coming through the woods and
over the rail fence. They emerge from the
cover Of the woods just in time 10 meet q
. body OF FcdrralS on the hill. The blues drop
! upcn one knee, II quick command, the car
blneS flash out their messages of death, and
. The tOnttdcratcs WAIVER. The sun is gli%tcn'
! in9 brightly on something in the bushes he.
! hind the rail fence. II Is the rifles Of the
, Confederate Sharp-Shootcrs; there is rattle
Of mu>kctry and the front rank Of The Blues
dissolves Then IL hand-to-hand conflict CHI