The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-03-18
TWENTY-THlRD S. c. v.
From Battery Palmer to Mississippi
Spring Of 1868.
BY A SpROTT GUARD.

on our way to Charleston. On reaching
Charleston all OF the 22rd s. C. Volunteers
were again together, and were now under
the following officers: Col. H. L. Benbow,
Lieut.. Col. J. NJ kinloch, and Maj. NJ. V.
Bancroft. Evanss Brigade wos now COM
posed of the 17th, 18th, end, 23rd, and the
26th Regiments, and the Eolcombie Legion,
oil South Carolina Volunteers. The 26th
Regiment was now attached to Evans's Brl-
gade, and continued from this time till the
end Of the war part of this brigade. After
reaching Charleston We remained there I'll!
some time IN the evening of that day. AT
the appointed time we marched to the de-
pot, and having boarded the train were soon
on our way for jackson, Miss.
RAILROAD ACCIDENT
Things went all right in every way till
the train crossed the Tomblgbee River. Be-
tween this river and Meridian We had an
accident. The commissary car by the break
ing Of its coupling in some way jumped the
track and rolled down an embankme ent some
twelve or fifteen feet high, and striking the
ground at the base Of the embankment,
broke in half. There were three men in the
car, but luckily none Of them were killed.
One was seriously, one painfully, and one
only slightly hurt. The one seriously hur:
never fully recovered from the effects of the
accident. lie was ever after cripple till
his death, which occurred about three years
after the end of the war The one painful
ly hurt recovered after while, and is still
living, and have sno doubt has never for
gotten and never will forget this accident:
The account Of the one in the car who was
slightly hurt, and went down the embank-
ment in the car, was very amusing, and he
used to enjoy relating the circumstance. He
would tell he was in the car, and when the
car struck the ground at the base Of the em-
bankment the commissary stores were tum-
bled about promiscuousiy, and in the tum-
bling Of things he tumbled down on the
floor of the car, and a barrel of hard tacks
(soldiers' bread) rolled on and over his
head. He said when he heard the hard
tacks breaking and MASKING in the barrel
he was certain the Jig was up with him and
he gone beyond 'peradventure, for he
thought all the bones in his head were mash
ed to atoms. AS soon as he could recover
from his fright he said he had thorough
examination of his knowledge box all by
himself. In feeling the top and MASKING
the sides Of his head, he was satisfied the
revolution of the barrel of hard tack had
not seriously interfered with the arrange
ments of nature, and that his head was still
level and even, and would continue to be q
sound and whole head if he did not get q
Yankee bullet through it when he got down
to or in the vicinity of Vicksburg, the point
he was Oh the road for.
IN MISSISSIPPI.
After this accident the rest OF the passage
was made without any further hlndrance,
and the 23rd reached jackson IN due time.
We went within mile and half OF Jack
son. At this point we had to leave the cars,
which could not 60 any nearer to jackson.
Yankee raiders had been through that sec
ton short while before this, and had torn
up the railroad. We remained here few
days, and then established camp on the
Pearl River. Here we remained about three
weeks, waiting for Gen. Johnston to collect
number of troops sufficient to march to
the relief Of Gen. Pemberton and his be-
sieged troops then in and around Vicks-
burg. Evanss Brigade was now attached
to Loring's Division, and probably num-
Dered about twenty six hundred men. The
ranks of the 23rd Regiment, with the other
regiments composing the old brigade, had
been by battle and disease fearfully thinned
out. The 26th was quite large in numbers,
and at this time it might be said fresh, its
duty having been to remain and help pro-
tect different points On the coast of South
Carolina. This regiment from this time TO
the end Of the struggle constituted q part Of
the brigade, and hercically performed its
duty, and sacrificed many of their lives up
on the altar Of their country.
cEARGED WITH RAILROAD SPIKES.
While waiting at jackson for Gen. John
ston to collect a force sufficient to undertake
the 6eliverance of the Confederates then
hemmed in at Vicksburg, we could dis.
tinctly hear the cannonading, and very cor
rectly imagine what those noble Confeder-
ates were undergoing to repel and resist
the Northern invaders. Gen. Grant had for
some little time tried to carry the positions
around Vicksburg by force of arms, and af-
ter failing in this fell to ditching and throw
ing up dirt. The Federals had made sey-
al charges on the works, and as many times
had been repulsed with dreadful slaughter.
In one Of these charges it was claimed by
Gen. Grant $50 it was reported) that Gen.
Femberton had charged his guns with rail-
road spikes and from his guns had hurled
them among the ranks Of his men. This
wes the only manner in which he could ac-
court for the wholesale destruction of his
troops. This claim Of course never could
be substantiated, but even if it could have
been think Gen. Penn mberton had right to
charge his guns with any kind of a missile
that would kill Yankee. The Federals it
will ever be remembered rescrted to many
measures for the subjugation of the South
during that struggle that were revolving, and
MANY of their measures were crimes against
God and humanity, so the charge could
come with i'll grace (even if it were so) from
a Yankee.
We have now reached the last days of
June 1868.
While OF the Pearl River we had the op-
portunity of enjoying the pleasures of its
waters by swimming and bathing in them,
which were more than delightful at this
time. The weather was very warm. and for
this reason made the waters Of the Pearl
River appreciative.
1t now being ascertained that Gen. John
ston had collected as large an army as he
could, the order came for Johnston's army
to move forward to Vicksburg. The order
to the 23rd was to fall in line. The 23rd
promptly formed in line with Col. II. L.
Benbow commanding, and was soon with
the other troops on the march for Vicks-
burg. The weather being very warm, and
it beng in the midst of dry spell Or drouth,
we had to arrange our march so as to avoid
being overcome by the heat The program
of march was to commence early in the
morning and march till about eleven o'clock,
halt and rest, and then about three or four
o'clock in the evening resume our march.
The weather being warm and the road very
dry caused the dust to rise in clouds, and
over, around, and among rs made it very
o1,nocf With oil