The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-05
WHEN TO LOAD YOUR GUN.
A Lesson in MILITARY Matters by Editor
Hemphill, One of the Veterans.
1Abbeville Medium.

Last Friday q negro woman was ac-
cidentally shot and killed by young
white boy at Mt. Pleasant near Char
lesion. The boy gave himself up to
the Sheriff. The negroes came to-
gether in great numbers for The pur-
pose of taking the boy from the Sheriff
and "getting satisfaction" out Of him.
In that locality. the negroes out num-
Der the whites and are lawiess set
when excited. The Sheriff acted with
discretion and firmness but matters as
sumed such a threatening aspect that
two companies of militia were ordered
to Mt Pleasant from Charleston. Their
services were not found necessary but
we are of opinion that this show OF
force was timely and no doubt prevent
ed violence.
Recently in commenting on the CAL
houn-WilIiamson escapade we told
how duel should be fought. Basing
our observations upon the report of the
News and Courier correspondent who
was "on the spot" during the cam
paign of the Charleston militia on the
frontier near Mt. Pleasant we will by
pointing out the military mistakes in
this movement show how such things
should be conducted in future: The
reporter says that Maj. Won Santen
took command at the wharf in Char
lesion, "bayonets were fxed'' and the
troops embarked. This indicated ner-
vousness for bayonets should not have
been fixed at such distance from the
scene of hostilities. It was impossible
to stick man with a bayonet at dis
tance of three miles and the bayonet
adds greatly to the weight of the gun,
unnecessarily exhausting the soldier
on the march. Arriving at Mt. Pleas
ant, the reporter says, the troops dis
embarked and marching in column Of
fours proceeded to the supposed scene
of battle, with fixed bayonets, loaded
muskets carried at the right shoulder
and at quick step" AS above in
dicated the bayonets should have been
in their scabbards at this stage of the
proceedings. 1t was too soon to load
the muskets which, more properly,
should have been carried at fright
shoulder shift as it was called in
Hardee. It is not usual to load until
time to- fire. At second Manassas:the
command to- which the editor. effhe
Medium belonged did not load until
within less than hundred yards Of
the enemy, asharp fire going on among;
the skirmishers at the time. At the
same battle the most thrilling sight to
us was large regiment advancing at
'straiI arms" until within twenty steps
of the enemy before delivering their
fire.
In actual war nothing so stirs the
true soldiers heart as an order to load.
Even now we can recall an exalted
moment of this kind when we were in
Kershaw's Bridgade on the York River
railroad below Richmond in 1852. We
advanced through body ofwoods, a
gentle shower had fallen, the rain
drops on the fresh Spring foliage
sparkled in the rays Of the declining
sun few bullets from the sporadic fire
of the pickets were clipping the
branches of the trees overhead, young
Thompson, college mate from New
berry and a members Of the Sd S. c.,
had fallen on our right, we confronted
the enemy; the tread of their host was
softened by the intervening distance
into slnothered sound. The order to
''loadn came in clear, incisive tones, a
thousand ramrods rang out in glorious
response as they sent home the deadly
cartridge for the bloody strife. The ten
sion was at an end and thinking only
that we were there to die if necessary
for Our country the line advanced with
quick and springy step and unbroken
front hut not fast enough to overtake
the retreating multitude. One such
moment is worth more than years of
the prosaic pleasures of times Of peace.