The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-11-21

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widow and the others that were left.
It needs no lurid coloring to intensity
this picture It is better represented by
the more than silhouette blackness in
which that old man and his wife and
the little group Of women and children
found themselves. The captain told Of
the death Of his boys, and, except for
suppressed sob or the exclamation Of the
word ssGodv' forced through the closed,
set teeth, there was nothing in the man.
ner Of the group buried there in the
darkness to tell Of the fresh thrusts to
hearts already wounded unto death.
And then they told him Of their trials,
not by way of exciting sympathy or con-
rasting suffering, but because their
hearts were full and till death must re-
main full Of the one subject.
There was no chiding, no complaint,
no wishing that one course rather than
another had been taken, nor were they
sustained at this time by the sublime
faith which glorifes martyrdom and
renders torture delight to the religious
devotee. Each had acted as he or she
thought for the best. The result had not
been as they could have wished, and so,
like fatalists, they accepted the present
without complaint, but it was not in
the nature of the race to yield without
resisting. They would keep right on,
doing tho best they could and fearlessly
awaiting the end, be that what it might.
Not the least sad feature Of the old
patriots visit to his mountain home
was the fact that, instead Of being able
to assist those who so sorely needed it,
his presence added to their already seri-
Gus burdens and helped to decrease the
little stock of meal they had on hand.
He could not stay in his own house,
but had to hide up the mountain, where
the old woman and the others visited
him at night. He brought with him a
lot Of Confederate money, which was
very abundant in our army at that time,
and this the captain gave his wife, hop
ing she might find it Of some use, as
greenbacks had no value in that part OF
Tennessee at that time.
AS it would be cruel to remain where
he could not help and where the danger
to himself added to the anxiety Of his
wife and the others, the old captain de-
termined to make his way back to Cum
berland Gap before one-half Of his 80
days leave of absence had expired
Heavy of heart though Captain Beatty
was, he did not permit his own troubles
to blind him to the duty he owed that
cause that grew dearer to him in proper
ton to his sufferings for it.
At this time, August, 1862, Kirby
Smith, with a corps, was moving up
through east Tennessee for the purpose
of cooperating with Bragg, then prepar-
ing for his great foraging raid into the
blue grass region Of Kentucky. One
purpose of Smiths campaign was to
surprise the Federal garrison at Cum
berland Gap. Captain Beatty was less
cautious on his return, and so be ran
against courier fastening in the direc-
ton of Knoxville A fight followed, and
the Confederate's horse and dispatch
bag were the spoils Of the Union soldier.
The old captain reached the gap camp
in safety, but what effect his informa-
ton had on that campaign cannot pre-
tend to say, but certain it is that Kirby
Smith neither surprised nor captured the
Union troops under Morgan, though he
did succeed in running into Kentucky
and running out again.
I next met Captain Beatty when, in
October of the same year, we We're push
ing Bragg's raiders back, and they had
come to halt along Chaplain creek,
near the village of Perryville. The old
scout was temporarily assigned to duty
on General Jackson's IS staff, and he and
slept on one blanket the night before
the battle. The old man had stood the
fatigue of that torrid and dusty CAM
paign as well as men one-third his age
better indeed than the strongest men
in the new levies who had joined Us at
Louisville, and who were to take their
first hard lesson in war on the morrow.
''I tell you, said the captain, "hit
always ages me to see we uns a-marchin
fo' the north. I come most nigh losin
heart durin the past two months when
the rebs seemed to have everything pur-
ty much nigh thar own way right har
in Kaintuck, but now that were a-driv-
in 'em south, instead Of them a-drivin We
uns no tn hits kinder more comfortin. %
He had already told me of his visit to
Tennessee and how he had met his sur
viving kinsmen with General Carter
and told them the news.
"Once our folks gifts into aist Tennes
see,'' he continued, 'I'lf bout give up
| sojerin and go back and kecr for the
wimmin and chillen on the crick. Hit
won It be long after that till the bottom II
drop outen the hull ID thing, and
then they'll be sorry they ever started
hit. And I say, my son, eff SO be you
could come over and visit me when
things is kinder quiet again we uns'll
be mighty glad to see you.
There were men at Perryville who
had been at Dorelson and Shiloh, and
who subsequently, were engaged in the
bloodiest battles in the west, but ask