The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-04-18
SARGE PLUNKETT.
The Old Soldier Gathering Soon to be
Beld at Birmingham.
atlanta Constitution.

Beld at Birmingham.
atlanta Constitution.
War stories, like snake stories, are
always in order.
I guess that everybody is willing
that the truth should prevail in what
is sent out to posterity as the history
of our times. A great convention is
soon to meet at Birmingham, Ala.
and part of its work will be to dis
cuss and decide happenings of the
war about which there are disagree
ments among the doctors" This con-
vention will be composed Of the lead
ers of the Confederacy who are yet
with US, and will be of the greatest
Importance because of the probability
of its being the last meeting where
any of the old leaders will be present.
Material for history will be gathered,
discussed and :ulled, and We common
people may gain somewhat Of an idea
as to how history is made and handed
down. This, perhaps, will be the
last, as it may be the greatest .'revis-
ion of all the proofs before they are
turned over to the "makers-up" of
history.
Of course "doctors disagree" and
these conventions are good in their
place to compromise these disagree
ments. Me and Brown have had many
stormy arguments as to what event in
the war was the crisis. Brown swears
that the passage of the conscript act
was the "straw that broke the camel s
back" Another says that it was the
fall Of Vicksburg. Some say one thing
and some another, but an old Confed-
crate neighbor of ours tells Of the fol-
lowing incident and claims that it was
the last great breath-the great strug-
gle against death in the last days of
the Confederacy:
"To storm, or not to storm" the
yankee works at Petersburg, is what
this old neighbor says was left for the
private soldiers to decide. Plenty Of
old soldiers are yet living, he says, to
verify the statement that the question
| of 'storming or not st0rmlng the
yankee works atnight,was left entirely
to the private soldiers. ltwas night
just before the Confederates left their
trenches at Petersburg and started on
the nine days retreat which ended at
Appomattox. It had been we'll known
for some time that Lee could not hold
out against Grant much longer unless
by taking some desperate chance,
advantage might be gained to the Con-
| federates. A counsel of officers was
held and it became known among the
privates in some way that the officers
had disagreed as to "advisabilities,"
and that they compromised their diff
ferences by leaving the question Of
storming the yankee works to vote
of the privates-a thing SO unusual
that it cast q shadow over every hope
and then and there the Confederacy
drew her last breath.
On the day before the vote was to
be taken at night the rubbish and
bushes were ordered cleared and level
ed in ravine between the two armies.
It was perilous undertaking, but the
old Confederates gathered their axes
and went at the work. To the sur
prise of every one the yankees quietly
watched this proceeding without firing
a gun, it either being work they
wished performed, or else they antici-
pated that the Confederates were fix
| ing to storm their works and were anx-
ious that it should be so. Anyhow,
the Confederates cleared everything
from the ravine and returned to their
places without anything serious hav-
ing happened. Every old soldier
knew that it was in preparation for a
charge, but none of them dreamed as
to what turn matters were to take.
They lay all the afternoon under that
suspense which was worse to any SOL
dier than being actually engaged.
When night ut last approached and
the officers quietly bid the men "fall
in," you may wonder the surprise OF
all privates when they were told that
all commissioned officers would retire
from their presence-leave them un-
trammelled-and that the privates
should decide by ballot among them
selves as to whether the yankee works
should be stormed that night or no.
AS the commissioned officers retired
to the rear an incident happened and
none of us can say to what extent it
bore upon the minds of the privates
in making up their ballots. The mail
had arrived-letters from home to the
brave soldier boys made their appear
ance in the camps at this most supreme
moment and all thoughts of balloting
was left off at once. The men gather
ed in groups about their orderly SER
geants anxiously waiting as the names
on the envelopes were called. AS q
man received his letter he hastened
from his group to some dim fire and
down upon his knees he broke the
seal and read the contents. In little
bit there were many men kneeling
with their sides to dim fires straining
their eyes to read from home, and as
now and then one would turn to punch
up a chunk the tears would glisten in
the freight. This busy world may
laugh at this-it is not much to get a
letter now, but in the days Of war it
was not so easy, letter from home
was a great thing in the last days of
the Confederacy. News from the
dear wife and the little children, from
the old father and mother and sister
and sweetheart. Dear hearts and
sweet thoughts of the old home. But
never mind, no one can feel how this
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