The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-11-14

Our purpose was to help the refugee
now swar1ning up from east Tennessee
and inferred from the shout that th
cry came from friend, but as it nigh
be a foe we made no response, but drew
back from the road and waited. Within
few minutes an unarmed man reelet
into view and called out:
Who's you uns??''
1.-The First Kentucky" was the re
ply.
'.A-fightin fo' the guv'ment::''
..Yea Who arc you:"
.eDan Beatty Of Tennessee. Bin out
arhmtin friends, for dad and the resi-
Of the boys over thar on the Cumber
land needs EN- ID bad"
The man fell as he spoke. His ragged
clothes were covered with ice, and there
seemed to be adeath rattle in his voice.
At that time in the war whisky was
served as q regular ration, but even il
it had been prohibited, as it subsequent
y was, the Kentucky troopers, good sol
diers in every other respect, would have
set the order at defiance. A half dozen
canteens were pushed at Dan Beatty, and
if whisky ever had merit it was then.
The poor fellow drank. but before he
would touch the food, for which he was
actually dying, he told Us Of the condi-
ton of the men he had left on the south
bank of the Cumb berland, about six miles
away. Dan Beatty was mounted and
sent back to the fire, and at the same
time man was sent to Captain Owen
with note reporting the condition Of
our friends.
There was not a boat, nor a dugout,
nor a raft on the Cumberland above
Mill Springs that the First Kentucky
did not know all about, and they knew
all the milk COWS and chicken roosts,
for they were and continued to be, as
every old western trooper will remem-
Der, ''the dandiest foragers in the Army
of the Cumberland %
By daylight the next morning two
ferry scows, with 80 men in blue on
board, made shore at the point where
old Captain Beatty and his handful Of
starving men were holding their posi-
tion against regiment Of the enemy. I
was in the first boat, and I recall that,
as we leaped ashore and ran like hounds
in the direction Of the firing, we passed
3 number Of dead men and not few
who were sorelJ' wounded When we
reached the breastwo-k, which we did
with wild yell and terrific fire from
our carbines, saw the old captain
standing erect in the center Of his little
band and loading as coolly as If he were
to shoot at target. When /
told him that his son was safe, and that
it was through him we had come to the
rescue, the old mans voice trembled,
and he said husbily:
81 cou1dn't think the good Lord
would a-took all my boys afore we got
back to the old flag. Andy and Hugh
was kilt back in Tennessee. Last night
Mart was shot, and now thar's only Dan
and Tom left. But the good Lord gave,
and the good Lord took away. Blessed
be his name, if he thinks that's all
right! But I tell you, my friend, hits
d-d hard on the old man, 7" and he
and drew his coat sleeve across
his eyes, and I had to turn away to hide
my own tears, for was a boy at that
time.
There were nine dead men within the
rude inclosure. These we hurriedly
buried, marking the graves as best we
could, for the old man said:
''They ain t agwine to rest here for
ever. First chance we has to go back
under the flag we'll tote the bodies to
the ole homes in the shadder O. the
whaz their kn's buried. and
whar we uns'l some day lie down aside
'em.''
We carried o-er the survivors and
sent the wounded on to London in our
wagons. Captain Owen, who lived near
the latter town, wanted Hugh Beatty to
go on there and stay till we were ready
10 move into east Tennessee, but the old
man replied:
Il can t do Int, cap. I'm a ole man,
with three sons and two grandsons dead,
all a-fghtin to git through to whar you
uns is a-standin up fo' the flag. Imayn't
be spry ez was so years ago, but kept
up with the youngest in the march, and
[ reckon can hold on in the same way.
left home to fight fo' the Union, and /
couldn't sleep ef I hadn't hand in the
good work. y
The old hero had his way. He was
sent on to Camp Dick Robinson, and
how we'll he and the remnant OF his lit
lie band did their duty shall endeavor
to tell
no BE CONTINUED.
From The Daily Item.
MANGLED TO DEATH