Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-22

/ rcorganized the Liberty Independent Troop
] electius - captain its trusty war Lieutenant
/ W. a. Fleming, u son Of CaDt. =. W. Fleming
Unfortunately, alter twelve year, service
/ iu 1851 Capt. Fleming sustained an injury
| winch disabled hlm amt nccessitated MS re-
| tlrement. Capt. h. p. Miller, who had served
| with Thompson 5 command, was then CHOSEN
to succeed hum, and Is still your gallant and
! popular lender
The entire list OF Captalns, commencing in
! 1871 with Ferdinand ONelll. II VIII be seen,
| numbers nineteen. and well nigh covers the
| whole century OF your existence. The country
may be challenged IN vain TO furnish better
! array of brave men. pure patriots and compe-
tent officers in the annals OF a single military
| organization. There have been many In the
! ranks also from time to time who were the
] peers in education. refinement, birth and
! manly bearing Of any in this broad land. To
! partlCularlZe would be grateful but almost
| endless task. and m ghJ subject your speab eT
| TO tine charge OF invldrOus examinations.
/ In the limits OF tins address 1t would be inn
| possible TO follow the movements and make a
/ minute record of the operations aud achieve
| ments Of the two bodies Of gallant men into
| which your cOrO5 was practically divided dur
! ing the war. TIE brcfeet mention Of each
! must suffice.
The command Of Capt. Walthour at the close
! Of its SIX months service acted az a coast
! guard at Camp Palmyra, near Sunhury, until
! the spring of 1853, when, under the name OF
/ Company q. 1t wa, Incorporated INTO the
| Ffth Il gment OF Georgia Cavalry under the
/ command OF Col. K. If. Anderson. and after
wards, ia 1864. brgaded in Gen. Wheeler's
army, To winch it was attached until the close
Of the war.
When under the orders of Col. a udGrson it
served around savannah for several months,
and was then placed upon picket duty in South
Carolina. Afterwards the command wa or
dered to cooperate with Gen. Flnegaa in
Florida, but reached the field of Olustec two
DAYS after the battle, when many OF the dead
were stlll uuburied.
From Florida they were transferred to
JuhustOn's army, then lying around Marietta,
J n n lk1 mi ia M n
EagGmeuts. In one of these near Decatur, il
10 stated that Gen. Anderson complimentod
| the corps upon its gallant beha, Tor, saying
they hal fairly "won their spurs" on that
occasion. Then followed the long raid in
rear OF Shermans army, and the final surren-
der at HIlsboro, N. &.
1t should be mentioned in this connection
| that some ZINE after the corps Joined An
derson's regiment Capt. Walthour was de-
tachcd for duty upon his stan.
upon the promotion of the Col
onel, and the command devclvel upon
FIRST Lieut.. w. A. Fleming, who continued
TO act as CAPTAIN until he W as captured when
SICK near MurfreesbOro, Tenn. In September,
1854, and sent TO JohnsOn's Island until the
cessation of hostiities.
Second Lieut.. George Handley, to whom |
am indebted for many OF these facts, then
succeeded TO the command and was ever at
his post, save when suffering from a wound,
until the last sad scene was enacted at Hits
boro.
The loss of the corps IN killed. wounded and
correctly. Among the killed, however,
should be mentioned the names OF Privates
Joseph J. Robarts and John GIrardeau. They
We're both promising young men and brave
soldiers.
CAPT. THOMPsON'S CORPS,
which inc uded in it's ranks many of the very
flower of the county, after being mustered
INTO service Ma |, 1862 was sent on picket
duty to James Island, near Charleston. and
while there suffered terribly from malarial
fRu A k.n rrtaFrv eN,at -. a
citizen aud brave soldier, Lieut. i. Il. Way.
In 1868 the company was ordered back to
the Georgia coast and attached to the Tween =
tieth battalion of cavalry tMinen's) as Com
pany r, and subsequently, to the Jef. Davis
Legion. In short time, however, they were
transferred to VIrg mia, where they remained
on duty to the end Of the war, taxing part IN
many bloody fights and losing heavily III
killed and wounded.
The following are some of the battles and
engagements IN which the corps partici-
patcd: Hans Shop. Coal HarBor, Trevillian
station, StODey Creek and White oak Swamp,
berldes other skirm shes.
Among the stain was Captain Thompson
himself, who, after the fall of the gallant Mil
len, was placer in command OF the battalion.
He was wounded in the desperate fight OF Coal
HarbOr and dled at Goldsboro. \. c. Major
Thompson was a magnificent specimen, ply 81
Cally, Of u soldier, while possessing all of a
woman's genJleness. In the same engagement
Capt. Il. 5. Screven and Lieut.. {. Mallard.
were also grleVously wounded. Again we
cannot state the actual loss sustained by the
company, but lJ was very great. The corps
surrendered with JOhnstOn's army in North
Carolina with only seven men in The saddle.
or the others, those who had lost their horse /.
were serving az infantry IN other commands
or SICK. or IN prison. Your present Captain,
e, p. Muller, was captured Sept. 30. 1864. and
confined n Northern prison to the end OF
the war.
Thus it will be seen that both divisions that
formed a single company under the old name
Of the Liberty independent Troop during their
first slX months service at the breaking out OF
hORtilties, after separating into Two distinct
| organizations, discharged their respective du-
| ties, each with honor and fidelity to their
State and the Confcderacy.
| When grim vIsaged war gave place to the
| white winged messenger OF peace, and the
! IRON gates of the temple of Mars Changed to-
! gethor, never-let us hope-In our day to be
! thrown omen again, the members of both com
ptnies returned to their long forsaken homes
! and families and warmly greeted each other
! Ana here, having partially recovered from
the ravages of the recent interneCne conflict
the pleasing spectacle is presented of y united
! community assembled en- masse to cele-
! brate with words of cheer and feastiuc
and music and salvos Of artillery the
one hundredth birthday of an organization
! beloved and cherished, with which VOur
| slres and grandslres for five generations have
| been Intimately and hOnOrably Identified.
| We'll may you be proud of this gallant and
historic corps. which has so long been the
! nursery In fcats Of arms, aud lofty daring for
! the youth Of the county, and the nucleus OF
! her Chigalry. That this may not be regarded
! rs vain glorious and empty Boosting, let us
! glance far back aduwn the dim vista of the
! past and scan the general career and record
| of your time honOred corps.
PRIME OBJECT OF IT'S ORGANIZATION.
And first, at its very inception, we dud tho
| prime object OF the Organiz 'tiou was protec-
| tlon to the weak and defcnscless from the
| murderOUe savage, not, however, Us paid hire
| lings, but brave volunteers. who would serve
| without guerdon of any description.
Then when the English crown for the second
! time threatened with It's mighty fleets and
! armies TO crush the Young republic, whose in 70
! dependence had been won by force OF arme
| the Liberty Independent Troop was not dere-
! hct to duty, but, under its commander, Capt.
! Joseph Jones, promptly aud ChcertulY re
! spOnded to the call made upon them, aud
! marched without an hours delay 10 barren to
| meet the invaders OF our soil.
IN the seminole war, too. when the piteous
appeals for sucCor were heard from heDlCs,
/ women aud children in the Willis of Florida
| and the blood of naasacrcd soldiers and citi-
/ lcns cried aloud for vengeance, every sabre
/ WAS fcAdy 10 leap from its sCaObAri. and the
/ glorious old Troop uuaul mouslv rendered its
! services IN behalf Of their stricken brethren
| and stood ready 10 march at minute
warning.
| Again, in May, 1888, at the breaking out Of
! the war with Mexico, whom u requlAlliOn wa
| made upon Georgia for regiment Of troops
! by the government, there was 10 hating or
! hesitation on the part ~ this patriotic corps,
! but they volunteered TO q man, and made ev-
| cry preparation for their distant journey. 10
/ CHANGED that they were not needed from the
] fact that a the last m