The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-15
Reunion of tho Survivors Of Gist Ri
f1es.

EDITORS INTEL1IaENcER: Another one
of those happy events has come and gone.
another mile stone in the journey of life
has been passed, and we all keep travel
liug-all in the same direction-none are
turning back. Occasionally We look back
to see how far We have gone, but in spite
of all our efforts we are continually trav-
ellipg toward "that country from whose
bourne no traveller ever returns"
That happy occasion was the 18th annual
reunion of the Gist Rifles. (Co d. Hamp.
ton Legion Survivors, Association, ON
Friday. August 3rd. There were not many
of us present-only eleven of the Compa.
ny-but one more came in after We had
things to eat that the good ladies of the
Company, (the wives and daughters Of the
Survivors are also members) and some
others of Williamson and surrounding
country had provided for us, and that was
Milt Howard. We had not seen Milt
since the surrender, and could hardly re-
cognize him. Twenty.nine years makes
quite difference in the looks of person,
and Milt's head, as we'll as nearly all the
othars of US, Is beginning to look a little
frosty-beginnin to blossom for the
grave, so to speak. I reckon Milt had
been ont foraging; that is the way he
use to do when We would be on march.
He was never with the Company when
we would stop to camp; he had to stop
| along the road to get something to eat. -
President, Mr.. A. J. Stiinger. of Bolton,
| formerly First Lieutenant of the Compa-
nv. The roll was called. and three were
reported as having died since the last an
nual meeting, viz, W. W. Holder, Warren
D. Maroney and J. A. Boggs. These old
comrades have CROSSED over the river
and are resting in the shade" aud soon we,
too, will join them. AS our President
said, we ere going one by one, and soon
there will be but one to call the roll, and
he. lonely and silently, will answer, and
then he, too, will stack arms and quietly
walk out. As heroically and without
murmer these old veterans submit to the
dictates OF an All-wise Providence as they
did to the call of duty thirty years ago.
! None seem to dread the transition any
| more than they did their every day duty
| in the field. Several old veterans from
other commands were with us, and were
invited to seats with US, and to share the
Measures of the reunion of long parted
| friends with us. OF the old Company
Lieutenant Jack Stringer, Sergeant Tom
Burnett, Corporal j. Wesley Plckens, and
priyates Rich Acker, Ramsey Harris, Jim
Hendricks, Mill Howard, Bill Lee, Joe
Mauldin, Wash McGee, Hob Griffin,
1 W. 8. Murphy and Dick Scott, were
| present, together with some of Co.'S.
g and F of the Legion, and several
who belonged to other Regiments:
think the Confederate surviving soldiers
ought to keep up these reunions and so.
cial gatherings, and publish every year
how many were present and how many
| .L,ank ord he onu fhara tporQ nP no In
| all at the beginning, 80 that the Yankees
| could see what an army of rebels they had
| to contend with and what wonder 1t is
that they have even as many as they have
to draw pension. don't see how they
have even a million to draw q pension,
when they had to face such an army as
we had. Why we had nearly as many
men in the Confederate Army In all as
they have got on the pension list, and I
don't see how they escaped. And now,
after nearly all Of us are dead, they 60
wild-that little band Of veterans who are
sitting back drawing their morsel from
Uncle Sans ever bounteous Treasury-if
they hear of q Confederate battle flag being
floated to the breeze Of this sunny land of
liberty. They are like the English
were about Bonaparte's bones being ex-
| humed and brought back to France-they
been dead twenty i've years. So I reckon
that little band Of patriots. with the mill.
ion of Europeans whom they hired to help
them subdue the South and save the Un-
ion, will always dread the sight of that
rebel flag.
Several OF our old comrades that we ex~
pected to meet were not there-some who
have always been punctual in attending,
from some cause or other, did not appear.
I did hope to see every one who lived In
this and sdjoining Counties, but they did
not get there. The Glenn boys, Jim Bur-
dine, Labe MauldiD, Tom Taylor, John
Whit, Sam Stewart and number OF 9TH
ers don't now remember, were absent.
could meet just one time more
We had the p'eaHure the next day OF
having our old friend and war comrade,
Jim Hendricks, of Pickens County, with
us few short hours at our home. How
pleasant it is to have these old veterans to
come to see us-those who use toshare the
hsrdships of war with us. The world has
dealt kindly with Jim, and he Seems
cheerful and hopeful I wish We all had
done as we'll.
After the usual Misunderstanding and well.
wishing, the old veterans bid each other
good bye aud started for their homes, but
they, as they enaRe your mana ano look
deep into each others faces, have that
strange sort of look--a kind of solemn,
enquiripg glance at each other that I use
to notice on their face on going into battle.
T wonder If any one but me ever noticed
1t, how soldiers will look one to another
in wondering, inquiring look-thinking
will you get out safe and leave me, or
| will I leave you. I have seen old soldiers
looking at each other just that way, and
their thoughts were 80 visible in their
faces they could not be mistaken. So do
they look now when the time comes to
part-they are wondering who will be
here next time.
III live, I hope to see all of our old
Company together next year. Let all
come, and let us once more enjoy. our
selves together. I am going to plant
watermelon patch big enough for all.
| w. F. L.
Piedmont, s. c., Aug. 10, 1894.