The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-04-22
WEDNESDAY, APRIL y, 1881.
TWENTY-TH!RD S. c. v.
The Terrible SrferingS and Heroic En-.
durance Of the Confederate Army i'll
Virginia in tue Winter of 1S6f-5.
BY 4 SPRoTr GUARD.

VIZ luS w IuLSk Va ASok-ce
BY 4 SPRoTr GUARD.
Just after the artillery attacks alluded to
in our last, We again made q strange and
disagreeable as well as q useless move. The
23rd was ordered to move to the ice house. 4
house about half mile in the rear of the
works, as we thought for 4 little rest, having
been so long in the intrenchments and hav-
ing performed so much hard duty. About
IL o'clock the 23rd was relieved from the
trenches by some North Carolina troops. We
marched to this ''ice house and remained
there till about dark, when we were ordered
to move back towards the trenches. After
moving short distance we found the 23rd
had to commence a new line of intrench-
ments about hundred yards in rear of the
part OF the works we had just left that day.
HARD AND DANGEROUS NIGHTS WORK.
On reashing the place the officers who were
to superintend the work had to crawl about
on their hands and knees, and feel about in
the dark to find the stakes to direct the
erection of the works. After everything or
plan was understood the 23rd commenced
work in the pitch dark, for the night was
very dark, save the faint glimmering Of the
stars. We were now completely exposed to
the FIRE of the enemy, for on this part of the
lines and at these times the fire never ceas-
ed altogether. day or night The Federal
bullets were flying past and around US the
whole time. We had to dig and throw the
dirt from US, raising the works to the rear
of us, being altogether between the Yankee
bullets and the Garth we were throwing up.
We worked all night, quitting just as day
began to break This night I will never
forget. 1t was the night of Sept. 2Sth, 1864.
For that nights work we had several men
wounded Co had two or three wounded,
one mortally, who died q short time after
wards. After daylight the 23ra was order
ed back to occupy the part Of the line 1t
had left the day before. relieving the North
Carolina troops. What made it seem strange
and unjust was that no other troops Were
ever called upon to work on this line, nor
was any more work ever done on them. The
gallant old 23rd could ever be depended on
to do its duty, however it made no differ
ence to what the call of duly led.
The 23rd held this part OF the line till
sometime in November, then moved abort
mile and half higher upon the llne to
the right Food now began to get very
scarce indeed About this time, November
1st, the sharp shooting in the day il meas
ure began to slacken on both sides, and the
troops could begin to move about without
much danger Sharp shooting was finally
discontinued in the day time, and the trops
on both sides were no doubt glad. The bat
teries of both sides kept up pretty regular
fire all the time in the day, and occasionally
at some time in the DAY the fire from the
batteries along the whole line would be very
rapid and would continue so for q good
while, then it would slacken to that Of
fire at intervals of some minutes.
The 23rd again moved little further to
the right to point of the lines uear a large
residence known as the Wilcox house. At
this point the 23rd remained till after the
middle of the next March.
COLD AND EXPOSURE.
The weather was now setting il cold, and
tie Eossafes tie two %6fdS coId and SSE eSposs S.
ure, implies. We had but little or no shell
ter, and if We had had the best and most
comfortable shelter under the sun We had
not the time nor the opportunity to stay
under it. Men being scarce and duty being
constant gave Us but poor chance to avail
ourselves of any shelter, save the broad
canopy of heaven. The Federal main line
was about q mile or so from the Confederate
main line at this point. The Confederate
picket line was about three-quarterS of o
mile from their main line. The Federal
picket line was some little distance in ad-
vance of their main line. This brought the
Confederate and Federal pickets within 300
yards Of each other.
HARD DUTY.
Duty now became very hard We had on
IL men enough for relief. 1t was picket
dnty. or better to say, watch duty, for it was
to watch all the time It was to remain on
the picket line all night, being relieved er-
ery morning, making twenty-four hours on
the picket line. In the day we could get q
little sleep, but at night the order would be
for no one to sleep. About q hundred yards
5 in advance Of the picket line we had vldette
posts. where two men from a company
wonld be detailed to remain four hours at Il
time. then be relieved by two others, and so
on all through the night. Each company
on picket would have to keep up post OF
this kind in its front. The v!dettes gener-,
5 ally sat down close together, which we were
allowed to do if We wanted to during these
four hours. We would often sit down as
close to each other as possible in order to
I aid Us in enduring the intense cold. Some
times while sitting close together it would
be showing, and by the time the four hours
would expire the snow would drift against
us, and many times would be half as high
as our heads. After the twenty-fours picket
duty we would be relieved and marched
back to the main lines, and then some nights
perform six hours guard duty at the IN
trenchments. The next morning back to
the picket line, and on duty for twenty-four
hours again.
yERGING ON STARVATION.
In this manner and in this way duty was
performed without intermission for five
months. Ram, SHOW, sleet, or cold, 1t was
all the same. The duty had to be done.
But the most torturlng part OF the whole
matter was we were simply on the ragged
edge of starvation, reduced to the utmost
want, and had been for FIVE months. Our
rations all this time was pint of corn meal
day, and it not bolted. As to meat We
received very little, Some days we would
oct a third Of a pound, ana as Il general
thing it would be three days at a time We
would get no meat of any kind. Some days
little salt aud many days none. Most
persons consider bread without salt IL it
Door eating; we considered it so too. This
was not the fare of the 23rd alone, but the
fare of Lees whole army around Petersburg
and Richmond during the whole Of the
winter of lS64-5. Sherman 5 terribiemarch
OF plunder and fire through Georgia and
South Carolina, and Sheridan's destruction
of the Virginia canal, had cut off the
sources of Gen. Lees supplies, and this