The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-09-16
A PLEASANT REUNION.
4 Story OF Gallant %"s"irTS i""ir
FIaSs-Tncir Services th"'r Meet
inc After Thirty-FiNc Years.

in" Alter Thirty-FiNc Years.
IowndcSvIilc. =. C., Sept. :, lehi
Last Wednesday WAS quite II notable day
with US and one long 10 oc rcintlnneLeu- %
day OF the reunion OF company l. lt.n nes,
ment = V. II WAS one of Sucn peculiar IN.
terest that II somewhat extended account OF
II will not be amlSs.
ut patriotism were brightly burning all over
our Southland, and in no part Of II more
brightly than in this section. During that
IimC q company of volunteers, over one hun
dred strong formed. Col. II. II. Harper
was elected Captain, Mr.. T.. w. Davis, lSt
lieutenant; Mr.. W. Il. White. End Lieutcn-
ant and Mr.. w. J. Robertson, 3rd Lieutenant
The names OF the non-commiSSioned are
given III the roll OF the company herc"hto
appended. r,,, b.. ,,,o ,,o,or-
ed Mr.. q. Il. McCalla, and IN his honor was
named the "McCalla Istite-r' The ladies III
and around here +uTnishcd II handsome nag
made of blue silk, having on one sac "Sein i'
80 per rarati,' and on the othtr W. of the the
Rifles" On the eve of the departure Uu , 'Te P
COMPANY for the "seat OF war, MIS-. W. ~
While, standing upon the piazza OF eng 'i"re ,re
ley House. in Il very appropritIIanI tInnar Irho in
1urn in a short but burning speech qeiEeiI" I1I
it into the hands OF Color-Bearer H. d. h"tN'
ness. .,,o,,;onod which
marks one of the proudeSt claS IN the niStoLs
OF our town. At an early houT Tue ,,,oa oiu TO-
and their families: and many o'te ,Sn o"ca sion
had come and by 10 a. IN. one OF the Iai
If not the largest crowd that ever aSSculneu
here estimate ranging from 900 10 l''o'' h"'
The exercises proper Of the day began Win it
the surviving members OF TINS loiiip'tmS tmSrt nr
Ing formed in line on the S,neW;t'II in un"hos
ihe Moseley IIousv, when Mr.. W. II. ,HuSncS'
Dhotographer. ..ppeared and TOOK lheIr Plt
lure. Then thc Companys ola nag when
was presented to it in 1851, which was IeiI III
Ricb nond lot long afterwards. and was pre-
served 5y q lady of that place,ahu 4 snort lilhe
ugo returned to Capt. White. was again pre-
sentei TO the Company by Mrs. W. II; VII, Maae
in me following very appropriate ana effect
ing speech
50 THE SPEECH OF MRS. WHITE.
a Mysyeteran Friends:
y Thirty.fiye wears ago today stood on this
SPOT and presented in behalf of the ladies OF
81 teLowndesyllle and vicinity this flag TO our be-
q loved Captain, II. H. Harper, and ms com,
any, which was uniformed by the gallant
y. R./McCalla, and ready TO march 10 Il dlS'
ta,t state TO battle for our rights.
This company was composed OF our klno.
rcd friends and cQuaintances, and can now
see those nozzle, brave men with the nre OF
patriotism kindled in their eye; love, en-
tbusiasm and zeal burning in their breasts
Eager TO redress our countryS wrongs.
{ We then wished you God speed, ana IN pre-
I sentlng this banner felt we were committing
IT to strong arms and brave hcartSEand 1--we wei
did our gallant boys, the McCala hiiieS'
They never shirked but faced danger where
duty called in the tnlckeSJ Oh TIE HSHt, Ahiu
the din and roar OF battle. -
AS I look around / see only few OF those
brave men who went forth on that loFe!y uay'
and though time has changed us @ al, yeU III
the hidden recesSes of our hearts these memo,
rles, hallowed and sanctiiied by thousand
endearing rcmen iScences, make thlS daS lne
anniversary OF that day. sweet TO o,,,rneI US "a,
TO their native state. but sleep quietly ana
peacefully under Nirginias SOIL anu eise-
where are not forgotten, but are priSht I'M,
rhoI,
their forms live only in memory. their deeuS
and valor shine like stars in the nrmaneht
Reverently and sadly let me lold thlS solleu
and tattered banner with all the sweet mem
ories that cluster around it; with reverence
let us cherish and preserve II as relic Oh the
"lost cause" we loved so well.
Civil warfare, unclvilized carnage is o'er.
Pray heaven, that brothers shall quarreI
no more
But clasp friendship, though tears must be
shed,
With flowers that each spring time are
Strewn over our dead
SPEAKERS on TIE STAND.
At the close OF this short, but pathetic al
Rress, Il glance around showed lnat IL mac
1Yakened tender, long cherlsnea ; anu say ~
my others, as was evidenced BY the tears In
eyes.
crowd then repaired to the spot near
kitchell Spring, where the most oil oui
\meetingS are held, and where Stand
us had been prepared. The stand was
with the pictures OF Lee ana lack
kell as the battles of Gettysburg anu
pIa. These are the property ol
Capt!%.'n. Brownlee, and were brought over
for the occasion. ~
General NJ L. Bonham. of the Anderson
Bar and Col. George &. Grogan. OF Georgia
who had been invited TO be present and au'
dress the crowd did so in their usuaI captiVat'
ing style. Their speeches OF about one houI
each kept the undivided attention OF al pres
ent. These comparatively young gent.em
have as public speakers, gained Il reputation
unsurpassed by any, and the services or none
more suitable could have been secured. They
Iboth possess in a marked degree thal inter
lect grace and tluCncy so essential 10 the sue
cess of a public speaker, and the manage
ment of the reunion deserve the thanks ol
the assembled thrOng for the perfect part o
the entertainment afforded in their speeches
Gen Il. w. Carwile, of Edeefield, who wenl
into the war a sergeant in an Edgetied com
pany and WAS promoted to a captalncy iol
4aantry in battle, although in Georgia Wncl
he heard OF the meeting, made Il forced rae rue
that morning 10 get here was then lntroduc
ed. The company To which he belonged was
always near Company |, and was well known
TO and highly esteemed by It's members. NJ
address was short, but fully up to the mark
He was very popular with the men OF ms
own company, and none the less so WIN all
of his war comrades that knew him. he was
specially invited TO be present Tuesday and
urged TO come, and il was no doubt very graf
Tying TO him to have the very cordial wei
come given him by the members OF Company
his old comrades for their continued goodwill
and promised to be present as long as he was
able to be there at all future reunions OF this
old company as long as there was n remnant
of il left to bring about an annual gathering
Senator |. II. McCalla then entertained tue
crowd for Il short time in his usual telling
style.
Then Capt w. X. White had public con
ference with the survivors present anC
brought the roster of the company up TO date
A reunion was voted for next year.
no
urabe incidents, yet IL had a dark side to IT
The old soldiers. as they looked into each ON
ers faces, were fOrcibly reminded OF thcll
thrilling experience in the times that trieC
mems souls, aud were Saddcned because Sc
many of those who. thirty-iive years age
stood shoulder TO shoulder to them in thel
fight for the right, had by the fortune OF war
cruel war-becn so long among the nations
under ground.
The company left here in ISL with hope a.
its guiding star. 1t was composed OF as oraFt
chivalrouS men ever went to the front
Many OF Them like Very large majority o
Out Southern soldiers, had hut little beside:
honor and principle to actuate them TO 90
dare ana die, II necessary, 10 free themselves
and their pCSterity from the further tramp
ling upon our rights. Alas, alas the iate'
decreed otherwise. why this was SO none car
tell.
The writer neglected at the proper place tt
state that the exercises were begun with
prayer by the Rev. &. w. Mason. There were
seven preachers present on that occasion.
Mr. NJ. +. Hutch iSon, OF the above company
has the unique and proud distinction 0l nav
ing had the last shirt that he had washed dur
ing the war, but few days before the sur
render done by one who afterwards became
Speaker of the House of Representatives. O
this State-Samuel j. Lee. lie was then, Il:
stated elsewhere, one OF the COOKS in the com
pan.
John McCorpin. another one Of the cooks II
this company, was here last Wednesday anC