The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-06-19
9aatrsaa gutelligeaesr.
IAN EXPLOSION SAVED HIM.
The Thrilling Experience of Battery
Commander Under a Hot Fire.

"Ben Butler and I met in the rotunda
Of the Capitol, remarked Mr.. Sayers,
chairman of the Appropriations Com
mittee Of the last House, to a Star
writer one day, 'sthe last time I saw
him. It was not long before the old
General death, and the occasion, if /
remember correctly, was some appear
ance he had to make before the Su-
preme Court in the case of the Chicago
Anarchists. AS [ shook the old man 5
hand my memory travelled back to a
time when Buffers name was the one
/ liked the least, and Buffers hands
theta ones into which ] cared to fall.
Iswas rather young, a mere boy, in.
Texas when the war broke like storm.
Naturally, with my geography, went
with the Confederacy. I was in the
artillery. One day we captured bat
terry Of three brass guns. It was given
ito me to command, and the day [ got
that battery was the proudest day in
my life. Then as ! look back it still
seems to me that those six brass field
guns were the most beautiful things
that I ever saw. :
"Of course I was full of ardor. I
burned to do something with my bat
itery. Such was my anxiety to get
into troublea with those guns@.that /
dragged a. couple over to the Missis-
5sippi-We were in Louisiana at the
Etime-and pulled on fight with a
stray gunboat belonging to the Yankees
which I found prowling around. We
had sharp, spit-fre time Of it for q
few moments, when lucky shot from
one of my guns tore hole in her IN
such a fashion that it let the river in,
and she filled and sank. was e1-
cessively proud Of the achievement.
ssButler had New Orleans at the
time, and, among other things, was
running the papers. Later / read an
account Of my brush with the gunboat
in one Of Buffers journals. It could
not be called an unbiased statement.
It reviled me as a. most abandoned
and bloodthirsty character, and de-
.clared that even after the: .gunboat.
surrendered I kept on pouring shot
into her, as if my purpose in life was
wholesale murder. OF course this
was notsso. sEmouldn't have freedom:
anybody after he had hauled; his flag.
down, ,:and gbe siides. That I didn't have
the ammunition ;toswaste.
- AfterI Tejoined thesrest Of my
battery Following the exploit OF the
gunboat I hunted trouble with the
Yankees more, :zealouslys than ever.
One day, Iswas fully gratifed: ave,
were still in Louisiana. The sun came
up one morning and found some TO-
900 Of us facing a largely superior
force Of Yankees. We couldn't have
crawled out of a fight even were we so
disposed, but no one suggested re-
treat. The fact was we felt quite
cockey, and were full Of belief that
we could whip the invader. The fight
began, and Isoon had my hearts wish (;
Twas in a peck Of trouble with the
Yankees, 7 and my battery. / had
succeeded in attracting the attention
and getting q hearing, as it were, from
three Yankee batteries all at once.
They were reasonably brisk outfit,
and it didn't take them a minute to
get my range. Then it began to rain
sorrow and hail despair for my battery.
To show you how hot those Yam
KEGS made it one only need to say that
they wounded or killed 40 Of my 66
men and dismounted two Of my brass
beauties ID 80 minutes. You might
have planted corn where my battery
stood when they got through, it was
SO plowed and narrowed by the Yankee
fire.
Tt was in the thick Of the battle |
was standing near the No. gun. A
man BY the name of Thompson was
stepping forward with shot in his
hands to load. Without word or
cry he suddenly fell forward on the
gun and then slipped to the ground,
limp as a wet towel. A cannon ball
had torn through his chest.
81 ordered man to his place. Be
fore he was there asmoment q fragment
of she'll from out Of the sky struck
him on top Of his head, and hefelf
dead by the side Of Thompson. 1t
was such whirl of smoke and roar
that I couldn't tell what was going on
at the other guns. much less in other
parts Of the field. Ihad been ordered
to hold my position, and had made up
my mind to hold it while gun and a
man of my battery held together. I
ordered another:to take the place Of
The second lying dead under the gun.
This man got there just in time to
receive rifle bullet in his mouth. 1t
came out under his ear. This man,
however, didn't die. I met him years
after the war.
ssThree men were all that were
availablefo this especial duty. They
we're dead and wounded and gone; and
T took the post myself. I don't know
how long it was-whether one minute
or ten-when, without the sligh htest
feeling of pain or warning, I was hurt,
my legs gave way and I sank to the
ground. At the same instant an ex-
plosion, like 40 batteries all united in
one discharge, broke loose to the rear
of me. A column of fire and smoke
shot toward the sky, as if volcano
had been loosed by the general jar and
din Of battle. It was my ammunition
wagon. I had 1000 rounds of ammu-
nition in big army wagon. 1t had
been placed about so yards to the rear
of my battery. When we opened fight
I had made up my mind to stay, and
I'd brought up all my ammunition,
resolved to win or lose right there. A
shot from the Yankees had exploded
it; that was the volcano.
"As I look back I'm not sure but
the chance explosion Of my ammuni
tion wagon saved what was left of me
and my battery. The smoke swept
down and covered US up like fog.
MI. V.S1.o,o ooo,od Hr;n~