The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-04-01
TWENTY.THlRD S. c. v.
Sunday Morning Fight-The Confed.
crates Eracuate Jackson.
BY A SPROTT GUARD.

BY A sPRoTT GUARD.
On Sunday morning about nine o'clock
they made charge on the left of the 23rd
Just a little distance below the right of the
Arkansas and kentucky troops now joining
or nearly joining on the left Of the 23rd,
which was near the road leading from Jack
son to Clinton On the left Of this road
was a kentucky battery numbering five or
six pieces. In front of these Arkansas and
kentucky troops and on our left was con-
siderable body of felled timber. Beyond
this felled timber was the woods. This
woods was on a line with the woods in front
of the 23rd, being about the same body, on
ly separated from it by the road. This fell
ed timber had been point of this woods
extending and running little nearer to
Jackson The Federals' charging legions
tried to reach the Confederate works
through and among this body of felled tim
Der. The Confederates opened fire on the
Federals as soon as they emerged from the
woods, and here was another hard and
bloody fight. The artillery along this part
of the line for some distance opened and
for some time the ground shook with the
thunders of war The rattle of musketry
could occasionally be heard between the
discharges of artillery. The morning was
cloudy, and the flashes ofthe artillery could
be distinctly seen, and for some time there
was living sheet of fire from the batteries
engaged. The 23rd was where it had e
pretty good view of part of the fight, ex-
pecting every moment to see the enemy
moving on our part Of the line But 1t SEEM
ed the Federals were only feeling for the
weak parts of the Confederate line. The
fight lasted suppose about an hour, and
the Federals were repulsed with heavy loss
and had to retreat to their main line. Again
the plans Of the crafty Tecumseh mlscar-
ried.
A NIGHT MOVEMENT.
The loss of the Confederates in these
engagements around Jrckson do not rec
ollect of ever having hear. They suffered
some loss but I am satisfied Dothing to
com pare with the loss of the Federals. At
ter this repulse to the Federals the skirmish
continued till night on that Sabbath day,
and then ceased A while after the 23rd
was ordered to leave the intrenchments and
march to this road on our left On reach
ing the road we moved in the direction of
Clinton, and after reaching point $50 or
200 yards we were ordered to file right and
march about rs yards from this road and
form a line of battle After reaching this
place we formed our line of battle, laying
down. We were now between the gully
spoken of rs being in our front when the
23rd first occupied the part Of the lntrench-
ments assigned them. This was certainly a
very strange movement, and one we could
not understand, for it put US in position
where we now had this deep and wide gully
between US and our intrenchments, and had
the Federals understood aud advanced rap
idly there is no telling what would have
been the fate Of the old 23rd, for We had
been placed in position none of US relish
BURNING LARGE BUILDING.
ed. About II o'clock that night the Con-
federates on the right advanced and drove
the Federals from the building already men
toned and set fire to it. The burning of
this building didn't make US feel any safer.
The flames soon burst through the roof of
the building and itapparently was reaching
nearly to the sky, lighting up the surround
ing vicinity with brilliancy hard to equal.
Surrounding objects in every direction
could be distinctly and plainly seen. re-
member for q while during the burning OF
this building the Confederate flag waving
over the State House could be very plainly
seen, which was three quarters of . mile
away This building took long time to
burn down. Had the Federals moved for
ward upon US we would certainly nave been
in box, for we could have been cut off and
kept from reaching our lines by way of the
road; then again to have tried to reach the
works by trying to get across this gully
would have been risk we would not have
liked to run if We could have helped it.
The night however, passed of all right to
us, and about day break the 23fd moved
back to and occupied our part of the line
again This was Monday morning, July
I3, 1868.
OPENING FIRE on THE 23ED.
The skirmishing again commenced and
continued for some time. About II o'clock
the Federals opened fire on the line of the
23rd from their batteries stationed back
some distance in this woods in our front,
slightly wounding two of the 23rd. After
this tempest Of Yankee iron, matters again
quieted down on this part of the line, and
remained so for several hours. About 3
o'clock in the afternoon the Federals again
opened fire from these batteries il our front
on the lines of the 23rd, and for some time
continued their fire. This was the heaviest
fire and continued the longest of any fire
they had opened up on us. By this fire two
of the 23rd were wounded. One lost an
arm and the other was painfully wounded,
but recovered in few weeks. After this
things remained quiet except slight skir-
mishing Oil the line till Thursday evening,
July 18th. Gen. Johnston then discovered
that Sherman had withdrawn the heavier
body of his troops from the front OF the
Confederates, and had commenced move
ment in which he (Sherman) made himself
famous: "a flank movement" Being aware
of Sherman's movements Gen. Johnston
ordered the evacuation of the intreuchments
around jackson on the night of July 10th,
and the 23rd with the rest of Johnston S
forces fell back to Brandon believe. The
intrenchments at Jackson were by no means
impregnable. They were simply hastily
thrown mp works, and were by no means
formidable enough to resist determined
and resolute force, and especially one like
Sherman's. 1t is to be remembered that
when Sherman and his army set out from
yicksburg to overtake and disperse John
ston's army as they pretended, they were
troops flushed with victory, and could safely
RELY on themselves to overcome sll and any
opposition they would comein contact with.
4 YANKEE MISREPRESENTATION.
So no doubt they thought to themselves
when they left Vicksburg. No doubt they
left very courageous, but short while after
reaching Jackson and finding themselves
confronted by armed Confederate troops it
appears the larger part of their courage
COED out at the ends of their fingers. TLey
preferred flank movement every time to q