The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-23
From the Anderson Intelligencer.]
A Letter From the Front.

8. G., Rifles, to his father, Lieutenant j. NJ.
Grubbs, of Company "E," Barnett's bat.
talon of State troops, then in the field on
the coast of South Carolina. The original
CAPTAIN of Company ID" was D. l.. Cox,
then of the Fork section of Anderson
County, but now living in Sherman,
Texas. While write am reminded that
the patriotism of great many men at the
breaking out Of the war was the eflerves-
cent sort, and that much of it boiled over
elsewhere than on the battlefelds. Apro..
DOS of this 1 call to mind some doggerel
which was current at the time and run
ming thus:
"Old man Jones said upon the stand
That he had five sons and one old man,
They would all 60 and fight
For Dixie's Land, for that was right;
But when it came to the test
Bill, he went and left the rest"
And scattered all over the South, at that
period. were the "blood drinkers" men
who. fired with confidence in the invinci-
BILE heroism of their countrymen, and
with a desire to ipflame the Southern
heart. declared from the hustings that
they would drink all the blood spilled in
the coming contest. Poor fellows They
found their contract impossible of fulfill
ment, and many of them never heard the
last of their rash promises to their dying
day.
when Company sd" was raised,
Orr's Regiment was already stationed on
Sullivan's Island, and new Companies
were pouring into Charleston with view
of attaching themselves to Orr's Regiment,
and thus organize legion. The project
for some reason failed, and these surplus
Companies were formed into battalion,
with John V. Moore, prominent young
LAWYER and Journalist, of Anderson, as
Major. By the accession of other Compa-
nies, the battalion grew to Regiment,
and Major Moore became its first Colonel.
It was thus that the 2nd s. G. Rifles came
into existence.
Let me relate an incident once told me
by an old soldier himself, member of
- Orr's Regiment at that time and who
knew every member of Company I'D,
and who, in common with others, was
daily expecting its arrival In the city. On
the day the Company reached Charleston,
headed by its Captain, who, by the way,
was slightly cross-eye an Irishmsn of
Orr's Regiment was in the city on pass,
and when he returned to the Island he
was asked the news by the soldier who
told me the incident. Another Company
from the up country" said Pat. "Who's
the Captain p "They told me. but I've
forgot" "Did you see him." "Yis."
"And what did he look like" Like q
damed goose trying to look down into q
bottle" was Pats ready and Characteristic
reply, and my friend said he new then
that Cox's Company was in Charleston.
This is no reflection upon the good Cap
tain, whose GOODNESS under fire was far
more marked than was the arrangement
of his optics, aud who in due time became
Major Of his Regiment.
The letter which set out to speak of
more particularly is headed, "Camp 2ud
s. G. Rifles, on the Williamsburg Road,
Va, Dec. IL, 1864" and make some ex-
tracts from it "a word or two about our
DAYS work on yesterday. We left camp
yesterday morning about daylight, the
ground covered in sleet and snow, cloudy,
and very cold. We went in advance Of
our work, marching about seven miles
and driving the enemy as we went, cap.
turing few and wounding few. About
IL O'Clock We ran them into their strong
hold and under protection of their gun
boats. There we remained until about
one hour in the night, and then left tor
camp, reaching there about 10 o'clock, We
had no fire from the time We left until we
would freeze. We were exposed to an
awful shelling, but we had only one man
killed incur Regiment and two wounded
in the Brigade. Mr.. Tribble says he never
experienced such day in his life. He is
knocking about to-day about as well as
common, but fear he can't stand this
kind of service. wish he could, for be is
q good man aud all good men make good
soldiers. T. B. Palmer is complaining
right smart, or was yesterday. On our
return he said he could not keep up, 30 at
last I told the boys if they did not keep up
the blue coats were certain to get them,
and after that Tom stuck right by my
side-in fact, he beat me to camp, as there
. was very little order kept in the Brigade,
every man taking care of himself. That is
places.
II lost one man-little Billy Browning.
suppose he was captured, as he has not
come in yet, now in the evening.
sour ranks have filled up good deal
lately. have received six men to our
Company, and I tell you that helps out
old ID" right smart. We have thirty
men present for duty.
"Bob Graham left for home last Friday
on a twenty one days' furlough. Capt.
Lanford left me the next day after I got
to Camp, and have not seen him since.
I shall look for him about Christmas
LOW oplOiiNso duoi tCtSs ohA oh
picket about every eighth night and day
certain.
II don't know Why we were sent out
yesterday, unless General Lee wanted to
test the force of the enemy on this side of
the James, as it was generally believed
the most Of Grants forces had gone to the
south side of the river, and they wanted
to draw them back, probably in order that
we might gain some position on the south
aide of Petersburg.
II believe Grant is going to mass his
forces farther south. We are anxious to
hear that Sherman has been captured, but
fear they will let him pass right through
the heart Of the Confederacy. 1t will
speak badly for our authorities and Gen
erals generally. see by the papers that
bis force is estimated at only $4,000, but
don't believe that.
"All is remarkably quiet to day hardly
gun to be heard, only shooting off the
wet OF loaded guns by volleys.
"Congress is in session, but are doing
but little but fixing to carry the war on
and doing no big things for that. The
Governor of Virginia. in his message, re-
commends that the negro be put in service
and armed the same as the white man.
We have as many in service now as we
can feed agreeable to my feelings at times.
"Our ratiops are very good, but short.
But we make out very well, at least, We
don't suffer. I manage to have sugar and
coffee nearly every time l eat, which helps
ont short meat rations very much"
R. o. Tribble, whom Lieutenant Grubbs
mentions, did hold out, and was one of
the few with guns in their hands at Apo.
msttox. #. b. Palmer died few years
ago. Billy Browning was caught by the
Yankees sure enough. He is living ut