The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-05-08
ANDERSON, C, WEDNESDAY MORNING. MAY s. 1893

when, to add to the pleasures Of the
situation, courier rode up with an
order from General Whiting to report
to him at once with mounted dctach-
ment. accordingly ordered out Capt
McFic with about 40 men and prompt
ly reported. He directed me to pro-
ceed at once to Yorktown, have the
town and forts patrollcd and ascer-
tain what the firing meant, that he
had been notified would cease at Q
clock. 1t was then after midnight
and the "dcsultory fire" was still kept
up. -.
Imagine the prospect of riding into
and through a town in the small hours
of a dark night, where | learned the
deadly torpedo had been planted for
the benefit of the incoming army.
There was nothing else to do. When
| We rode into the town, and as | then
apprehended ''into the jaws of death,
there was not sound, not light,
| except in a vacated hospital on the
principal street. On examination the
hospital was found to contain two con-
trabands-negroes-who were awaiting
the arrival of their deliverers. Send.
| ing them to the rear was the work OF
very few minutes. We continued
our explorations through the town and
below, to the main line Of forti6ca.
tions. The stiffness and darkness of
the place was dismal, oppressive, ag-
gravatcd, and intensified by the con-
trast with the scene the last time |
had visited it, about sunset, when all
was hustle and haste; and also by the
crop of torpcdos, lurking, we knew not
where.
There was no firing, no human be-
ing apart from our own detachment.
Thinking, perhaps, our cannoneers
might have mistaken US for Federal
cavalry and concealed themselves, |
dismounted, moved alone through the
abandoned Confederate camp where
the ga" tents left standing had been
cut into sheds, and their tatered walls
tapped listlcssly in the night breeze.
I climbed to the top of the fortifca-
tions and gave the night signal, but
received in return not sound. l
could hear the rumbling noise from
McClelland' camps, as he was digging
away on his approaches. Returning
to the courier, McTear, who was hold.
ing my horse, was just in the act of
mounting when I observed a fash from
the water, where the Federal feet was
anchored, and in an instant meteor
like light described the arc Of a circle
in the heavens and much quicker than
it takes me to tell it huge shell ex-
ploded not moro than 10 feet from us.
To say that we were demoralized by
this sudden and unexpected explosion,
so uncomfortably near, would be very
mild way of putting it.
This unwelcome messenger from the
enemy's vessels explained the mys-
terry. Our men had ceased firing at 8
o'clock, but the canoneers of the
Federal feet had not, and that ia what
misled Whiting and all of us. | need
not say to any old soldier in this au-
dicncc, we did not let the grass grow
under our feet getting out of York
town that night, Notwithstanding the
budding crop of torpedos. |, how
ever, dispatched McTear in haste to
inform General Whiting that the firing
We had heard was from the enemys
vessels and followed along as rapidly
as we dared, sending Lieutenant Jno.
T. Rhctt with six men along the beach
of York River to patrol that part Of
the town to make sure that there was
no enemy lurking there.
Just before reaching the outlet
through the cntrenchments, or sort Of
sally-port on the upper side Of the
town, very amusing but natural
alarm occurred. We were moving
along at a rapid walk in columns of
fours, when Capt. McFie, at the head
of the column near me, knocked his
pipe on the pummcl of his saddle:
The sparks dropped on each side, and
as if by instinct, men and horses filed
off suddenly to the right and left, inn
agining we had at last struck torpe-
do. Happily it was a false alarm.
In very few minutes We cncoun-
tered another peril, in fact it may be
said it was night of perils and
chapter of incidents. We had scarce
ly cleared the main entrenchment
above Yorktown, when We were hailed
by one of those threatening saluta-
tions, rendered almost weird and fierce
by the "solemn stiffness of the
night. "Who comes there ," Now
mind you we had passed down this
same road not more than an hour be-
fore this, perhaps not SO long, | had
not been notified that any other Con-
federatc was to be at or near York
town, and as it turned out the officer
who met, had no knowledge Of our
being there. So you may imagine our
mutual surprise. Fortunately, | had
ridden little in advance of the col
umn after the pipe incident, and thus
received the challenge in person. |
replied in the usual way GA friend
with the countersign The man, had
either not been advised the nj ght sig
nal, or had forgotten it. lie yelled
out again, "Who comes there % |
replied again in tone and language,
not as gentle as would be used in the
boudoir of a fair lady, Friend with
the countersign, why don't you order
me to dismount, advance and give the
countersign?" Meantime was ad-
vancing, imagining, | heard the click
of his carbinc. Finally [ got near
him and told him who was. There
was relief on both sides, for it turned
out that the man was yidcttc from
the Tenth Virginia cavalry. lie in
formed me his regiment was just at
the foot of thc hill, and that he had
been posted there by order of Col. j.
Lucius Davis, as gallant gentleman
as ever welded sabre | found the
Tenth Virginia with the men all dis
mounted, at wharf Of landing, de-
stroying quartermaster stores.
Col. Davis aud myself exchanged
greetings, and l passed on to report to
Whiting. Not far from the wharf or
landing, just south Of it, was newly
built house, which | was informed
was an ordinance store house, with
fixed ammunition and other ordinance