The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-07-17
@udersps gutslligeaesr.
A "BOY COMPANY" OF 1861.
Splendid Record of the Carolina Light
Infantry.
Augusta Chronicle, Hay B.

augusta Chronicle, Nay 26.
Owing to the burning of Gen. Lees
papers near Farmville, on the retreat
Of the Army of Northern Virginia
from Petersburg to Appomattox, the
official reports, or the most of them,
made by brigade, division and corps
commanders, Of the operations of
their respective commands, in the
campaign from the Wilderness to Pc
tersburg, were destroyed. Of the in
estimable value Of these documents,
could they have been preserved, it is
needless to speak. The details and
incidents they recorded of that mem
orable campaign would have been a
priceless mine of information for the
true historian Of the war.
Yesterday was the thirty-6rst ami
yersary of the battle of Spottsylvania
G. Fl. In looking over my scrap book
I came across clipping taken from
the Abbeville Is. CO. Medium Of May
9, 1877, containing copy of Gen.
McGowan's official report of the part
taken by his brigade in the battles Of
the Wilderness and Spottsylvania. 1t
was my privilege to serve throughout
the war with as brave company OF
lads as ever faced an enemy on the
battle feld--the Carolina Light Infan-
trv. of Charleston, known as Company
L in the 1st South Carolina regiment
of McGowan's brigade. 1t was called
the 'sboy company" for out of about
ninety that enlisted in 1861 not more
than ten were over II years OF age.
In the ancient church of St. Phillip 8,
in Charleston, aslab has been erected
to the memory of its members who
fell in defence Of their native State.
On this slab I, some time ago, recog-
nized the names of FIVE who were
members Of my own company: b..
Shubrick Hayne, Alfred G. Pinckney,
Nathaniel Hayward, Washington Al
ston and George C.:Pinckney. The
first commander of the company was
! the brave Capt. G. d. sBarksdale, kill
ed at the Second Manassas the sec
ond, the lamented Capt.. John w.
Chambers, killed at Hagerstown, Md. /,
on the retreat from Gettysburg and
E the third, Capt. William Aiken Kelly,
the present city assessor of Charles
ton, who, itrejoices me to say, is as
meritorious q civilian as he was cour-
ageous, loyal and generous as a SOL
dier. Besides Capt. Kelly, the only
surviving officer Of the company is
Lieut.. N. Ingraham Hasell, an official
Of the Charleston Postofice. Of the
kind Of metal of which the Lieuten.
ant is made, it is enough to say that
he was assigned to special duty as an
officer in Capt. Dunlop's Battalion Of
Sharpshooters- body Of men picked
out for their unfinching courage and
absolute reliability, no matter what
the danger. Old soldiers will recall
the expression and its meaning
"Boys,- we can go to sleep now, for
the Sharpshooters have gone to the
'front.' Berry Benson, an honored
citizen Of this community, was also 9
member ofSthat battalion. 1t was, ]
think, at Spottsylvania, that the ad.
Yenturous. spirit of Berry impelled
him tosevade the vigilance Of the enc,
my, pass through their picket line,
approach to where Union officer had
his horse tied, capture the animal, re-
turn in safety to the Confederate
lines, whence he sent the horse to
Hamburg, S. c., and sold him for a
good round sum in onfederate money.
a second venture was not so success
full, for instead Of being the captor he
was the captured, and for time his
rambles were confined to the limits Of
Point Lookout and Elmira prisons.
His daring enterprise, however, soon
worked his release, for he tunneled
out, and, dressed as a civilian, worm
ed his way through Mosby's lines back
to mis- command.
But Of Gen. McGowan's report. II
is dated September l, 1864.-"Lines
near Petersburg" Of the battle Of
the Wilderness it,says: AS soon as
it was light enough (morning Of May
6,0 the enemy could be;seen moving on
our front, right and rear, completely
enyeloping us except up the plank
road IN the direction from which they
had come. At the request Of Gen.
Thomas, who was to my right and
nearly cut off, I advanced my brigade
to shove the enemy farther from the
road and prevent him from being en-
tirely surrounded. Whilst I was ad-
vancing and driving the enemy's skir-
mishers I saw brigade retiring in
haste and confusion up the road in my
rear. A moment after saw Thomas
rolling up from the right and also
passing in my rear, pressed by the
enemy coming up the road. My bri:
gade, fighting the enemy in front, and
being thus uncovered upon the right
and rear, seeing all the other troops
retiring, and themselves in danger Of
being surrounded and captured, also
began to roll up from the right, and
fell back short distance in confu-
SION"
1t was at this juncture that Gen.
Lee rode up, and the incident occurred
which gave origin to John R. Thomp-
sons poem, "Lee to the Rear Cop
les of the poem were freely distrib-
uted among the members of the Con-
federate Survivors Association at
their annual meeting on the 26th of
last April, and the lines are familiar
to many Of your readers. Of the bat
tie Of Spottsylvania, which was fought
seven days after that Of the Wilder
ness, the report says Of the terrible
encounter of what has passed into
history as 'sThe Bloody Angle
"And the Mississippians and Caro-
linians-mingled together-made one
of the most gallant and stubborn de-
fences recorded in history. These
two brigades remained there holding
our line without reinforcements, food,