The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-03-24


Mefy1afd and was nov lying III front
81 fredericksburg, 3attng : Burnsidtas,s
while restluK IN our mauy campo, orr
dining long marches, passing aDt. re-
passing coinmbs OF troops from every
state IN the south, i had never seen or !
heard one word from my silent, mys.
terious cuDorads Of Morris Island. Hut
during the memorable battle that was
soon after fought, Kersbaw had been
ordered to reinforce with 4 part of his !
command, Cobb aud his brave Geor-
CLANS, who were then struggling for
existence behind the stone wall that
ran just below and around M~ayree's
Hill, Col. Nance, of the Sd S. @. r.,
was directed TO occupy the crest of the
now noted Mayree's Hill, seemingly
the objective point for which both AR
mics we're contending. Az we were
rushing down the road leading to that
point at breakneck speed, the enemy
pouring In a deadly fire OF shell and
solid shot, the bullets from the sharp
shooters on the housetops falling like
hail in u ranks, a solitary horseman
came dashiug up the pike in our di-
rection. His horse was white with
foam and apparently ready to fall
from the desperate strain he had be en-
under. AS be came ear | { discovered
1t to be the long lost Neal, dressed in
the uniform of a Confederate major.
=" How are you, Fort Sumter ?" "Take
care of yourself" And away ne goes
as on the wings of the wind" | saw
no more Of him for IA time. All en-
quiry for HIM proved unayailing.
"Grim visaged war" with its "bris;
tied front still ragged, aud in its wake
ruin and d~esolation. EARLY was in the
valley, playing hide and seek with
Sheridan. The battle of the 10Th Oc-
tober had been fought, and Sheridan
lay behind his works at Fishers Hill.
The morning Of the 2lst, Gordon, with
the stealth of the red man of the for
est, made the circuit over the Massa-
nutten and fell like an avalanche on
Sheridan's left, while Kershaw, plung-
ing tb rough the Shenandoah, assaulted
the battlement on Fishers Hill. The
attack was 80 sudden and impetuous
that the enemy became panic stricken
and fed like d herd of cattle stamped
ed. Men rushing pell NELL from their
tents or their places In the entrench-
ments, hatless and shOeless; horses
g%alloping riderless wildly over the
plains cannons, caisons, wagons and
vehicles of all kinds driven like mad
through the fleeing throng Of panic
stricken troops, trampling under foot
everything that came in the way,
while the Confederates, now in pos
session of the enemy's works, were
pouring.a deadly fire in this struggling,
seething mass of humanity. For six
miles the COnlederateD, now almost rs
badly disorganizsd as the enemy, fol-
lowed at the heels Of the flying enemy.
The wealth and treasures OF the aban-
doned camps looked to the half starv-
ed, half clad Confederates as the treas
ures Of the Incas did to the Spanish
soldiers of old so throwing aside all
order and discipline a great portion
gave themselves up to plundering and
foraging, leaving but q corporal's
guard to follow the enemy.
The wav recedes. Sheridan is met
on fis famous ride from Winchester
and equally famous command, Turn,
boys, turn, we are going back" A
feeble advance Is made, and now the
C~Onfederates are routed in turn. Arms
are thrown aside, wagons AMI artillery
left standing on the pike or tumbled
together in a grand "smash up" can.
noneers and teamsters desert their pos
and join in with the routed infantry
all now in one mad chace to avoid cap
ture and to place themselves beyond
) the protecting waters of the Shenan
doah. All order is discarded, each ant
49, "eh ShhS w 30 ohSoN
! of his feilow-man. Grape and can
mister rake the field, while she heavy
tramp Of the enemy's cavalry could bt
heard laundering down the pike.
was just nearing the skirt of q thicket
beyond the road, passing over the deat
! and dying that lay in every direction
the result Of the morning fight, wher
| heard my name called. Hello. For
Sumter !" cried Neal, for to my aston
ishment, it was the voice OF my mys
! terious friend of years ago. AS 1 near
ed him he reached out his hand as i
!, to grasp mine, and said in a faint
faltering voice, Goodbye, Fort, Sum
} ter, good-by. 1t is all up with me a
which was that of a Federal officer, he
said This looks strange, but it Is
| all right. Take care of yourself or yo,
will be lost" Then reclining his heac
upon the dead body of his horse tina
lay mangled at his side he motionet
me on. There was no time for ex
plantations, and as the heavy tread o
ly my danger L followed in the wake
cali alone in his glory"
Confederate, ora Yankee spy? o. was
he bo6h, or neither? l will never
know, and leave it to the conjecture O
the reader as to who was this silent
mysterious stranger whom | find il
the first ranks of the South and leave
bathed in his own blood, she'd by the
hands Of those whom he first haC
sworn to protect nj defend.